Welcome to my website!

and

Effervescence: A True-Life Tale of Autism and of Courage.

Both books unfold to you, the reader, the fascinating world of autism, as seen through the eyes of my two autistic children, and myself, as we ventured together to bring about their emergence and evolution.

Both stories are presented with fabulous imagery and real-life accounts that will draw you in and enable you to explore and understand the complexities, the challenges and the beauty of autism!

About my latest book:

"Sensory issues continued to intrigue and baffle us. Hayden "kissed himself better" frequently and obsessively. If he bumped his head (a part of his body that he couldn't reach to kiss), he would kiss his hand and then touch his kissed hand to his head. It was very bizarre; but it did serve as an emotional barometer.

In other words, I could often measure the degree of underlying, brooding stress in him by noting the frequency of these "self-stimming behaviors." It was clear that he and his body was so wary and threatened by the world around him, that he literally had to soothe it when he came in contact with "the world around him."

On the days when Hayden was, for whatever reason, feeling exceptionally threatened and unable to withstand the force of the world, the need to "kiss himself better" increased, often to ridiculous, almost non-stop levels.

It was just so odd: people don't do that sort of thing. At least not people who don't have autism. But if you think about it, really what Hayden was presenting to us was exactly what autism is: a mind, a body and a sensory system that is unable to effectively process incoming sensory information. It is then overwhelmed and bombarded by the world around it. And what Hayden had created really, was a pretty logical coping mechanism: if something hurts your body, you kiss it and make it get better. With his own little body and his oddly intelligent mind, really he was telling us exactly what was wrong.

 

It was very powerful messaging, to those of us who were insightful enough to be interpreting it. To me, it spoke volumes!"

 

And about:

Imagine a beautiful little girl, with long curly, wild red hair, spinning in circles, completely delighted by all that she feels! She wears a long, blue dress, a replica of the one Cinderella wore to the ball. As you watch her, you get the sense that she isn't dreaming of Cinderella; in her heart and in her body, she is Cinderella.

Now picture the same little girl, lying on her tummy, spinning on a merry-go-round, dipping her beautiful, long red hair in the puddle of mud that encircles the merry-go-round. When it comes to a stop, she savors the wonderful sensation of the cold mud running down her face. She then submerges her entire body in the puddle, as happy as can be and entirely oblivious to the stares of the people around her.

Now picture that same little girl, in her comfortable home, surrounded by a family who love and adore her. Her mom asks a simple question, like: "Sweetie, what kind of cereal would you like?" Instantly, her beautiful face is filled with intense emotion and she screams, more like a wild animal than a child, for five minutes, or it may continue for two hours. The only thing that might interrupt the screaming is her stopping, occasionally, to frantically bite her wrist, hard enough to leave teeth marks.

Would it surprise you to learn that I have just described a high-functioning autistic child?

Now take a peak at the same child at age twelve, entering her classroom each day.

Her teacher marvels to herself, as she watches this young girl navigate skillfully, smoothly and seemingly naturally throughout the classroom. Had the teacher not known her student's history of autism, she likely would never have guessed. In her own words, the only time this teacher is aware of the child's autism, is when she reads the amazing stories and illustrations created by this extraordinary girl. She would then muse to herself: "There is no way a "typical" grade-seven student could write and draw like this!"

Do you get the feeling that an amazing transformation has taken place? Is the child no longer autistic? Has she grown out of it? Has she learned through behavior management to "manage" it? Was she just "a little bit autistic" and now she's "better?"

There is no simple answer; autism is far too complex and diverse a disorder for it to be addressed so simply. But it is a fascinating disorder and this child's life has been an incredible journey! Her name is Genevieve and this is her true-life tale. It follows her amazing 18-year journey, a journey that has been and continues to be, remarkable!