I was asked if I’d ever heard of Disorganised Syndrome. Wow! At first I thought, how funny, don’t we ALL have disorganized syndrome! Then I thought, what a stupid, stupid world, that we are labeling and pathologising everything we consider ‘imperfect’. BUT…. yes, I did some quick research and yes, there IS a condition called Disorganised Syndrome! Read the rest of this entry »
DID is Dissociative Identity Disorder. It is a DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER and part of a SPECTRUM of DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS… so is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and all human beings dissociate, especially before age 5. Read the rest of this entry »
As an autism consultant since 1996, I thought I’d do some Autism myth busting. I asked the 5000 people on my FB page to suggest a stereotype, assumption or belief about autism and lets do some myth busting. Here’s how it went: Read the rest of this entry »
A man diagnosed with autism, Paul Isaacs asked me: How big do you think the Autism Spectrum is? So far there seems to be many subgroups such as Classic Autism, Mid-Functioning Autism, High Functioning Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Atypical Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Broader Autism Phenotype. Do you think there is room for more? Read the rest of this entry »
I know of adults and teens with autism who have spoken or written about losing awareness of parts of their body… they’ve felt they are floating without awareness of volitionally using their legs, or felt they are just a head and the body is working ‘without them’. I wanted to know about other people’s experiences so I put it to those on my Facebook Page:
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I am diagnosed with both autism and a dissociative disorder called DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). I have met others with both diagnosed conditions so the two can certainly co-exist. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Ms. Williams,
My name is Sofia Piedrafita, the daughter of Toni Ortiz. I am a 5th grader at Flora Vista Elementary School in San Diego (California) and I am working on a project about Autism. Thank you for helping me with my report.I would love you to answer my next three questions. Read the rest of this entry »
I had an email from Jenn Watzke, a senior at Northshore High School in Slidell, Louisiana. She wanted to ask me about Savant Syndrome so I agreed to be interviewed. Here’s our interview: Read the rest of this entry »
I heard from Sarah Smith (et al), a woman diagnosed with Dissociative Identity disorder. Having a diagnosis of both autism and DID myself, I invited her to interview me on the topic. Here’s our interview: Read the rest of this entry »
As a parent of a boy with autism, Nancy Bekhor discovered a way of being that assisted her to be more open and available to the non-verbal-realm of her child for their mutual benefit. I invited her to ask me some questions about Nancy Bekhor sensing in the context of autism. Here’s our interview. 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 .