Donna Williams is an Australian born adult with autism who was assessed as psychotic at the age of 2 in 1965, labelled disturbed in the 1970s and diagnosed as autistic in her 20s in 1991.
She acquired functional speech in late childhood and went on to become a qualified teacher with an honors degree in Sociology and a degree in Linguistics. She is the author of two international bestselling autobiographies and has 10 published books including 4 text books widely used in autism education and two books of poetry and prose.
As a screenwriter, she wrote the screenplay to “Nobody Nowhere”, the first book in her 4 book autobiographical series. That screenplay is currently under option to become a Hollywood film. She is an professional artist, singer-songwriter and published poet as well as a world renowned public speaker on autism now living with her husband in Australia. In her presentations she draws not only on her own experiences but on international experience as a professional autism consultant since 1996.
Donna’s is a speaker in demand around the world due to her unique perspective and ability to share her feelings and experiences on a very personal level. More information about her and her life’s work can be found on her website at http://www.donnawilliams.net .
And a very happy new year to you.
Happy New Year to you. I hope you survived your NYE alright 🙂
oh yeah, well I hung out with these heavy duty dudes, Alex and Russell… man, it was a wild night… we got into everything, ya know…. kareoke, Jenga, Pick Up Stix. I’m still recovering 🙂
Sounds like a pretty heavy night. I think I’d still be hung over today from all that excitement 😉
Thanks for our first NYE, it was great having you guys over. I will have to get Russell to buy a better microphone. That was good entertainment last night 🙂
Also, a William update he is good today, calm and happy. He is playing monopoly with Russ and Tom. So back down to earth and no erractic behaviour.
yay, ta for the update.
ha ha so he was less hungover from a gluten/casein episode than I’d have been… good sign that he’ll maybe outgrow his gut/immune thing. Some kids do after a few years of good gut function. Cool
Lets do the poet club in 2009… meet at Swiss Bakery and have GF/CF nanish tarts once a month?
🙂
Sounds good to me. Can we do that when school starts back? So I can relax a bit more without having to worry about little escape artists??
yup
OK cancel what I said about William earlier, he is off the planet and from now on he wont be having certain foods. Those Shapes were just like giving drugs to an addict.
oh dear, sorry to hear it
but sometimes its also about LOADING
that someone is ok with the first dose of junk
but after the 2nd and 3rd their system crashes
ie everything is in an inflammatory state and that ends up being fast track to imbalanced brain chemistry.
I don’t like ‘no’
but if it aint in the house you can’t say no to it
and given a constant choice between addictive taboo junk and ‘other food’
why choose the other when you know that self starvation will get you everywhere.
I lived on pots of honey, sweetened condensed milk, orange jelly, white bread with sprinkles and that was about it until I got into tim tams and colored popcorn in late childhood. I ate meals from a plate by age 9 but would go vomit them up as invasion factor. By 11 though I’d take them and go eat with my reflection. I look back and think how the hell did I get away with eating like that.. and fact was it was the starvation card for sure, but if the crap wasn’t in the house I’d have ultimately tried stuff especially if it seemed kept away from me or I was told no (reverse psych).
just know that even at his most loopiest, I’ve been as bad so its not wierd to me. Saying that it is hard for me to watch if he binges stuff that’s known to send him off his head. Guess you’ve got three days now to watch him clear this stuff from his system. Oh joy.
🙂
We have agreed not to have the temptations in the house anymore 😀
cool, that solves the blackmail factor
🙂
Happy New Year Donna
and thank Yoy very much for all you are doing for us……
here are a few of your writings I translated in Italian for all the parents in our forum:
http://www.emergenzautismo.org/
thanks Maria,
that’s fab you’ve translated some of my stuff into Italian.
warmly, If you’d ever like to interview me for your Italian parents, email me with 10 questions as long as you’re happy with me blogging the interview.
Donna *)
that’s fantastic Donna!
we’ll prepare it.
Love You.
Maria
A　happy new year!
My name is sho Ito ,a teacherfor disable student, now,learninng in
college.
I read your book of`The Jumble Jigsaw. I am very impressed with
your book.
what I was teached by psycological doctor may be wrong , I thought.
Especially, `theory of mind.` My friend think theory of mind is
right,and autistic child lack in symmpathy.
Do you mind if ask you a question?
Please,tell me. You think theory of mind to autistic people
itself is wrong ? The problem autistic people have attribute to
disposal of infomation ,mainly?
If so,I must restudy about autistic child. And, tell my friend about
this.
I want to read your book more.
Thanks reading this comment.
from Japan
Hi Sho Ito,
I think being mono tracked can mean being unable to process a simultaneous sense of self and other.
this can mean one behaves as though one lacks theory of mind.
Also if one struggles to processing meaning in real time, there is little processing time left to try to think about how other people think so its often not a highly developed skill and some autistically-presenting personality traits will be even less motivated to develop it.
And those who struggle to internally mentalise will struggle to think about things they can’t immediate see or touch.
none of these is about theory of mind
any of them can present as them.
The Jumbled Jigsaw shatters many myths.
And so it will be a very controversial book there in Japan.
People don’t like change
but ultimately change is inevitable.
Donna *)
I am very impressed your comment.
And , I think I introduce your book and your thinkinng to my friend
as many as I can.
So many doctor in Japan think theory of mind is right and essential to understand autistic children.
I hope your book change their idea .
Thanks so much.
This is for You Donna:
http://www.emergenzautismo.org/content/view/561/35/