Outsiders… there’s those who ‘adhere’… the ‘in crowd’… there’s those who have always been on the peripheries, a satellite, never quite content with what it takes to be ‘the in crowd’,… too solitary, too vigilant, too sensing, too aware, too individual, too real, too deep, too caring, too daggy, too blunt, too raw, too far off the bell curve. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m about to start my second online autism series.
These are affordable interactive skype presentations which are open to people throughout Australia and beyond. All the strategies I talk about and demonstrate are low cost and no cost strategies. Read the rest of this entry »
“Love ya”… It’s a throw away line that anyone can perform. Anyone can say it but living it, that is different. If you use ‘I love you’ as a public advertisement, a facade, a flag wave, a smoke screen, a cop out, a throw away line, a crutch, a habit, a guilt trip, a filler, then saying it is not ‘better than nothing. In fact, even the silence may be more honest, more honoring, more respectful. Read the rest of this entry »
BEING THE CHILD OF A PARENT WITH RAD
This is a picture of me in mid 1963 BEFORE I WAS BORN… I’m the lump, probably around 6-7 months cooked. My mother would have been 19 in this pic. I suspect my father’s brother, my uncle, took the pic as he had the slide and I’d never seen it until this week. Finally, a baby picture of me with my mother. Read the rest of this entry »
Family by Donna Williams
Absent friends by Donna Williams
Donna Williams aged 6
In a recent article on the Autism Vaccine Myth, I read a clear summary of what evidence to date has so far found about the causes of autism. And the result is that some of these causes are due to inherited and spontaneous mutations not previously seen in the parents or siblings, some of which do not manifest until early development. Read the rest of this entry »
I have two brothers and my younger brother had a completely different relationship to my autism, seeing it as a wonderful part of his unusual sister. We reflect what is given us and I reflected back the equality and worth he afforded me. But, whilst I’m estranged from my older brother, likely always will be, at least I have been honored by the words he dared to share of who he once was. I have no contact with my older brother, Shane. We had different carers, different worlds, different histories, different neurologies. But in 1997 he wrote an autobiographical piece about his first 6 years and it will always remind me of the foundations of this older brother and who he could have been. Read the rest of this entry »
First published in 2009, Baloombawop, is an illustrated 51 page off the wall hilarious adventure story by Donna Williams told in Dr Seuss/Roald Dahl/ Lewis Carroll like rhyme from start to finish. It was written and performed as a children’s rock musical by Donna and The Aspinauts throughout 2009 and captivated both special needs and mainstream alike including ‘kids at heart’. Read the rest of this entry »
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 .