Coping with Unfairness—Another Challenge for Adults with Autism
On any ordinary day, processing complex and emotional information can be confusing and challenging for my 27 year old daughter Samantha, who has autism. But on the day she realized that some of her adult friends live in their own apartments because their parents are...
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Dream Vacation for an Autism Mom
Hard to believe I took a 16-day vacation with my husband, while Samantha—our 27 year-old daughter with autism—not only survived, but thrived on her own at home. As far as I know, Samantha continued enjoying her life: going to rehearsals for her theater groups,...
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Bugging Out: Preparing our Daughter with Autism to Survive Her Parents’ Vacation
For the first time since our twins were born, Howard and I are taking a long (16-day) vacation to Europe on our own. Usually, we travel with one or both of our twenty-somethings, but this year we are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Besides, Samantha is 27....
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What to Do About Autism Labels
Labelling a human being “autistic,” “on the spectrum,” or as “having autism” sets even the most sensitive speaker (or writer) skiing down a slippery slope. Unfortunately, the autism diagnosis is complex and still poorly understood by many. Adding terms like “high...
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Autism- Endings and Beginnings
For the past week, I've been horribly busy fighting, yes, a SECOND severe infestation of bed bugs in Samantha's bedroom. I thought we had defeated the bedbugs, but thanks to an incompetent exterminator, our bedbug battle has begun again—in the same exact place....
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Autism and Minorities – Exploring All Kinds of Love
Earlier this week I read “Queer Love in Color,” a New York Times article that explores and exposes the invisibility of LGBTQ couples of color. The reporter, Jamal Jordan—a black editor for the Times digital transition team—lamented the lack of pictures or other...
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Actors with Autism – Opportunity or Oxymoron?
For years I’ve been described as a “pioneer” mom because I raised a daughter with autism, now 27, before the Internet, before Autism Speaks, before ABA was endorsed as the most effective therapy and before support groups existed. Life could be so much worse. If I had...
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For All Autism Dads – Happy Father’s Day
Now that EPIC's production of The Tempest is over, I couldn’t think of what to write about this week. No autism movies to review, no film festivals, conferences, panels or inspiring UN presentations. What’s an autism mom to do? Since Sunday will be Father’s Day, I...
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Autism – Expanding the Spectrum of Opportunity
As an EPIC board member and momager of cast member Samantha Elisofon, I was eager to attend a panel called “The Spectrum of Opportunity” about how the entertainment industry can “access the talents and passions of people on the autism spectrum.” Presentations were...
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EPIC Players Triumph with The Tempest
Although our early summer skies have been mostly dreary and, well, tempest-y, I would still highly recommend navigating the warm weather to see EPIC Players’ final weekend of The Tempest. Even for those readers who are not Shakespeare fans—or who doubt that EPIC’s...
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About Marguerite
Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism. 