by Marguerite Elisofon | Jul 3, 2015 | autism, autistic spectrum, Caitlyn Jenner, colleges history, gays, hip hop, John Robison, neurodiversity, OASIS, Pace University, same sex marriage, segregation, Supreme Court, Temple Grandin, Vassar
Last week the Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 to legalize same sex marriage, granting homosexuals multiple civil rights that heterosexuals have enjoyed since the United States declared independence from Great Britain. Finally gay men and women are free to marry...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 19, 2015 | actors with disabilities, autism, autistic spectrum, civil rights laws, disabilites, equal opportunity, George Clooney, John Robison, love, Meryl Streep, neurodiversity, Temple Grandin, truth
Q: What do people with autism want out of life? A: Love and acceptance. What people on the spectrum want is what EVERYONE wants: a fighting chance to succeed in life. All parents hope their kids grow up and are able to leave the family...
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 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 3, 2015 | autism, Ban Ki Moon, disabilities, employment, Hewlett Packard, Jack Markell, Microsoft, neurodiversity, Pace University, SAP, Specialisterne, United Nations, World Autism Awareness Day
What a difference a year can make! Remember when I wrote about April being devoted to “autism awareness” last year? (See “April and Autism,” 4/4/14). I shared my conviction that a single month of “awareness” was absurdly insufficient to resolve the complex...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Dec 19, 2014 | ABA, ACCES-VR, Asperger's, autism, Business Insider, capitalism, childhood disabilities, compassion, networking, neurodiversity, psychiatrists, Rajesh Anandan, software companies, special education, ULTRA Testing
Is compassionate capitalism my impossible dream? Perhaps trying to combine compassion with capitalism is like mixing oil and water. In today’s world of instant gratification, short-term profits, and “me-first-now,” the concept of compassionate capitalism...
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. 