For many years Temple Grandin, a highly gifted woman with autism, has been a spokeswoman for others who also have autism. But now another gifted woman is sharing her insights about life with autism.
Lisa Daxer’s Life with Autism
Lisa is a biomedical engineering student at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She blogs at Reports from a Resident Alien, sharing her perspectives. She explains how her hand-flapping is triggered when unexpected stimuli send energy coursing through her bodies. She describes the challenges of going shopping and how she overcomes then. It is fascinating reading.
National Public Radio
Daxer was recently featured on NPR’s news show, All Things Considered. In it she talks about her inability to pick up on social cues and the coping skills she’s developed. Since arriving at college, she’s memorized a list of topics taboo in casual conversation: sex, anatomy lab, surgery, things that happen in the bathroom, and death. Though she doesn’t understand social taboos, she’s learned to accept them. “We all avoid different things,” she says. “I avoid polyester clothing. They avoid talking about death.”
The story, which is as fascinating as her blog, can be read or downloaded at www.npr.org.
Wright State University Newspaper
In an interview Wright State University’s campus newspaper, no longer available online, Daxer talked about how difficult it was for her to participate in the NPR story.
“I realized that I had to do it,” said Daxer. “I really want to get the message out that autistic people are just people. We should be accepted, rather than feared or pitied.” That story is worth reading, too, especially the part about advanced calculus being easier than interacting with others.
Many people with autism have communication deficits, and Lisa recognizes her ability to be a spokesperson for them. So she did the right thing instead of the easy thing by being a spokesperson for them.
Move Over, Temple Grandin
So move over, Temple Grandin. There’s room for both of you and Lisa to explain life with autism to those of us who want to know. Your insights will help so many.
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