by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 12, 2015 | adulthood, Asperger's Syndrome, autism, autistic spectrum, babies, chemistry, child rearing, college, electronics, empty nest. John Robison, marijuana, memoirs, neurodiversity, police, Raising Cubby
Raising Baby – Roller Coaster Ride Q. What could be more thrilling (and exhausting) than giving birth to the next generation in the form of your own flesh and blood? A. Raising that son or daughter, of course. Unlike all other creative projects, raising a baby...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 8, 2015 | Adelphi University, Asperger's Syndrome, autism, beers, blogging, cyberspace, empty nest, family issues, John Elder Robison, neurotypical, sibling relationships, special education, twins
Okay, so now that I’m taking that first baby step toward 200 blogs, I keep hearing a silly song from my childhood: “100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, if one of those beers should happen to fall, 99 bottles of beer on the wall…” Remember...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 1, 2015 | AHANY, Asperger's Syndrome, autism, baby boomers. Adelphi University, blacks, civil rights, disabilities, discrimination, gays, Harvey Milk, Jews, John Robison, Martin Luther King, millennials, neurodiversity, twins
If a fortune teller had predicted I’d write a blog called The Never-Empty Nest, with 100 posts over a two year period, I’d have called that person crazy. How could I possibly write about issues related to young adults struggling to leave the family nest...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Apr 24, 2015 | Asperger's Syndrome, autism, autistic spectrum, Broadway, cliches, dogs, London, Mark Haddon, math, neurotypical, pet rats, puppies, SATS, sensory processing, small talk, tantrums, Temple Grandin, touch, trains
If you haven’t seen the Broadway play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” hurry over to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and get tickets. This not-to-be missed show is based on the 2003 award-winning mystery novel by British writer, Mark Haddon. What...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jan 23, 2015 | "Keep the Change, acceptance, Asperger's Syndrome, autism, b'nai mitzvah, college graduation, disabilities, Judaism, Kaleidoscope, twins, writer's block
In spite of severe writer’s block, this week I was (finally!) inspired to write about “acceptance”—a deceptively bland word with multiple meanings, often accompanied by a broad range of emotions. Dictionary.com offered three definitions: “the act of taking or...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Dec 5, 2014 | Asperger's Syndrome, autistic spectrum, Bill Gates, brains, college, Dr.Stanley Greenspan, jobs, media, millennials, minorities, neurodiversity, Pace, PDD-NOS, Steve Jobs, Temple Grandin, Tiger moms, twins
Since my daughter Sarah was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age one, I’ve fought as hard as any Tiger mom to help her grow up to become as accomplished and independent as possible. Instead of striving for the “American Dream” — including owning our home—...
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. 