When I was nine years old I could read at a very advanced level, I had grasped how to pronounce written words and I was proud of my ability. Then it was realised that I had basically no ability to process anything I was reading for meaning. Read the rest of this entry »
As an autism consultant since 1996, I have worked with attachment disordered kids with autism and those who are not. We are often daunted by the idea of attachment disorders in those with autism. It’s a taboo topic and conjures up images of archaic psychotherapy and Refrigerator Mother theory. But attachment disorders can also occur in people who have never experienced abuse, neglect or inconsistency of carers. Read the rest of this entry »
Dissociation is the ability to cut off from what is happening around you or to you. In its simplest form it is daydreaming. It is a skill all children have and which children with autism tend to overdevelop in managing a world they find overwhelming for a whole range of reasons. Read the rest of this entry »
As an autism consultant since 1996, and a person diagnosed with autism at the age of two, I am very aware of the wide range of issues that can come together as a ‘toileting drama’ for someone with autism. Read the rest of this entry »
Today non-verbal children and adults with autism are being introduced to iPads. But it was not always so. In fact first attempts to help people with autism communicate via pointing using letterboards, using typewriters and the early hand held communication devices were slammed by most autism experts who claimed everything from these being a threat to the person ever developing verbal speech to insisting entire schools and residential settings had the right to banish the use of communication devices by people with autism. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s an awesome article which is NOT written by me but is by an anonymous author. I would have written pretty much what they’ve already written but they’ve done it so well I wouldn’t need to do my own version. It is filled with what any scapegoat of a mother with Narcissistic Personality Disorder will relate to. Read it. Read the rest of this entry »
I have childhood photos indicating Rickets from as young as 5 months old. Ricket’s shows itself in the forehead, bulges at the wrists, banana shaped bowed arms and legs and distended belly. But this severe vitamin D deficiency has more extensive impact than just bone development. It impacts the entire immune system, later teeth development, the muscles, the spleen, the liver, the gut, and the nervous system – yes, the brain. Read the rest of this entry »
Donna Williams aged 12
Donna Williams aged 12
Hi Folks,
we wish you all an abundance of music and merriment
that the sun shines enough to dance naked in the living room (at least)
that you get a good joke in a Christmas cracker
that you can see the funny side of a Nativity for sale in an undecorated Christmas window
that you have the courage to say ‘no thanks’ as well as the humility to remember all the things you are so grateful for
that you remember the third world without guilt but throw them at least a few crumbs from the abundance we enjoy
that you cry if you want to but never so long as to fall down rabbit holes and stay there
that you laugh at yourself more than worry about being fat, ugly, boring, stupid
and kiss your reflection just because its yours 😉
and in reminder that we’re so lucky we get at least 10 years, 48 years or 98 years of good, bad and ugly on this earth
we wish you bubble baths and rubber duckies
we wish you Monty Python DVDs and daggy musicals
we wish you a fabulous goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012
warmly,
Donna and Chris Samwellygog 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 .