Autism: The Good Doctor Needs a Doctor
After watching earlier episodes of The Good Doctor, I was particularly keen to see this week’s show because it featured a young actor on the autism spectrum, making a guest appearance as a patient with autism. I am sincere in saying that I applaud the efforts of this...
read more
Autism Fairy Tale
If someone had told me 20 years ago that my daughter on the autism spectrum would grow up to be an actress, co-star in a film that won the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival AND earn a nomination for Best Actress, I’d have insisted that person was crazy or talking about...
read moreAutism & Bugging Out
For the past two weeks, I’ve been fighting bedbugs, courtesy of my daughter’s now-ex-boyfriend. Hygiene and living conditions for adults on the spectrum are often less than ideal. But as soon as bedbugs migrated from Samantha’s boyfriend’s abode to our...
read more
Autism Predators – #MeToo – How to Stay Safe
In the wake of all the female celebrities, non-celebrities and journalists who have suffered from sexual harassment and/or assault, no one has mentioned (or perhaps even considered) women on the autism spectrum. As the parent of a daughter on the spectrum, I believe...
read more
The Autism Crisis for Adults – Statistics vs. Solutions
As the parent of a daughter on the autism spectrum (now 26) and author of a memoir about raising her and her ADHD twin brother, I’m SUPER aware of the crisis in ALL support services for adults with disabilities. That’s why I found it VERY frustrating to read The...
read more
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Adulthood, Gender Influences and Employment
Once in a while I invite a guest blogger to post on a subject in the autism world that particularly interests me. Today I’m featuring Kelly Tatera, a staff member of Action Behavior Centers, who has written on various topics of interest in the autism community for...
read more
Abuse in Autism Childcare – A New Idea from an Autism Mom
Last week’s Washington Post told the shocking story of two “certified childcare workers” who physically and verbally abused an 8-year old Florida boy with autism....
read more
Autism Challenges in Communication – Addressing Misunderstandings
What makes it especially challenging to communicate with adults on the autism spectrum is that each individual has different issues, and “hot buttons” (just like neurotypicals!) While it’s true that many people with autism tend to be literal and repetitive,...
read more
My Picture-Perfect Family Reunion
Anyone who has read My Picture-Perfect Family –What Happens When One Twin Has Autism knows my family is far from perfect (in spite of all the lovely photos that might suggest otherwise). I could easily write a sequel about our past eight years, but that story belongs...
read more
Autism and Authenticity
Good news for people with autism: the world has started noticing and caring about people who think and behave differently from the neurotypical majority. Businesses are starting to recognize and value the skills and talents of people on the spectrum (although 84%...
read more
My Book
Consulting
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. 