Question: What do you recommend people “do” with this information once you’ve affirmed it for them?
Answer: First, understand that this doesn’t apply to all persons with autism anymore than it applies to all neurotypical individuals. Second, let’s acknowledge that it’s very real for many people, and that there is a community of folks who are sharing these experiences—you’re not alone. Third, allow it to affirm your own purpose—whether you’re an autistic individual, parent, or professional—as a co-collaborator in a relationship, raising the consciousness of others to demonstrate respect, regard, and reverence for others free from limits such as prejudice and rigid, authoritarian control. And finally, support the individual to recognize that her life is not without purpose; that she is loved, and that her giftedness originates in a Higher Power—not something to dread; and that we all have a mission to employ our gifts and talents in order to be of good and great service to others.
Question: What are your upcoming projects, and how may people contact you about them?
Answer: I’m in the process of mobilizing the first-ever statewide autism self-advocacy coalition, here in Pennsylvania. We’re already established since March 2006 with representatives on the spectrum located regionally; now we’ll be partnering to co-present an autism training curriculum to mental health workers supporting children and teens with autism. It has the potential to be replicated nationally. We’re also planning the first-ever autism conference presented exclusively by—or co-presented with—persons with autism in an effort to educate others from the “inside-out.”
A documentary based upon Autism and the God Connection is in development as well. I was contacted several months before the book was published by a brilliant young filmmaker, Teo Zagar, who rendered a gorgeous film called Mind Games, a love story about a doctor experiencing a debilitating and terminal disease who spiritually willed himself to live longer than he was intended. That will take a couple of years of planning, preparation, and on-site production.
And I’m composing a follow-up book to Autism and the God Connection that reveals more of the iceberg’s tip; I plan to revisit the concepts in the original book, but delve deeper. For example, if some autistics can communicate with animals, exactly what are the animals saying and how might that impact the rest of us.
Your readers are always welcome to contact me through my website. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my work and research!
