John elder robison biography of barack

You have full access to this open access chapter. In this chapter John Elder Robison describes his mid-life autism diagnosis, and how that inspired his public autism advocacy.

“All the writers, except Barack,” she replied swiftly.

He began by writing Look Me in the Eye , a popular memoir of life on the autism spectrum. That led to his being invited to advise scientists, which in turn led him to engage with the research charity Autism Speaks in an attempt to change what he regarded as toxic and non-productive views of autism. Robison abandoned those efforts in but continues writing and teaching about autism and the emergent neurodiversity.

He also remains involved in advising government agencies on autism policy. In this chapter he reflects on his decision to resign from advising Autism Speaks and the aftermath. You have full access to this open access chapter, Download chapter PDF. What I knew was my own life, much of which had felt pretty crummy. Yet I had stayed the course, leaving home, learning to make a living, and figuring out how to be an adult in America.

At some point I realized I had done ok, despite my marginal childhood, and I started looking for a way to give something back to the community. By the early 90s I was in my 30s, with a wife and a young son, and I knew there must be millions of young people growing up marginalized, as I had been. Some were abused, others abandoned. I wondered who spoke to them, and if anyone told them life can get better when we grow older.

That was the start of my advocacy.