by Marguerite Elisofon | Jul 14, 2017 | Uncategorized
Words fail me (almost) when I describe our family’s experience at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. My husband and I traveled with our daughter Samantha—on the autism spectrum and lead actress in Keep the Change—to see the movie’s international premiere in the Czech...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 30, 2017 | Uncategorized
As my regular readers know, our family has been caught up in a thrilling wave of film festivals featuring Keep the Change. Not only did KTC win Best Narrative Film and Best New Director at the Tribeca Film Festival, but my daughter Samantha was also nominated for...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
Although I’m rushing off (to a wedding and then two more film festivals for Keep the Change), I couldn’t resist sharing some happy news. Finally, the New York City public school system is finding effective ways to integrate, educate and include children with autism in...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
Since the beginning of 2017, my daughter’s theater group, E.P.I.C. Players has been evolving. (Even the name of the group has been a bit fluid.) What has remained solid, however, is the theater group’s mission: Empower, Produce, Include. Create. In that spirit,...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 26, 2017 | Uncategorized
Nobody likes being told to be quiet, especially with the finger-to-lips-word “Shhh!” Such a demand is perceived by most as annoying, intrusive and embarrassing. But try the shush command with my daughter (or many others on the spectrum who have trouble modulating...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 13, 2017 | Uncategorized
As the mother of a 26-year old daughter on the autism spectrum, I often feel like a tightrope walker, performing an impossible balancing act with no safety net. When I talk to Samantha about managing the details of her life (grooming, refilling prescriptions,...
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. 