My Book

When I was twelve I did a thing very important to me. I began writing about autism. Nearly every day when I came home from school I wrote. It was like a fire in me. I felt so lost in a way because I lived a life of isolation since I was so limited in my ability to make friends. I felt really misunderstood in my dealings with professionals, and I was the only severely autistic kid in my general education classes. I wrote to help me deal with a miserably hard disability. I wrote to educate about incorrect but widely believed ideas about autism. I wrote about my weird early years in an intense home program that really missed the boat and left me terribly frustrated. I wrote about my journey to communication from total silence, and I wrote to help me accept myself. I wrote on and off for three years. My mom felt my book was really important because it exposed the inner truth about autism. It took my dad longer to adjust to the idea of me being published because I would be scrutinized by everybody and he was wary of biased reactions- something I had encountered so much in my life. After lots of delays, we will finally have a book later this spring and I won’t be alone in my message. I think at least three other books by non-verbal autistic people will be published too. It is a new trend. I am happy I will be part of it. I will keep you posted when I have more news.

7 responses to “My Book

  1. I can’t wait to read it.

  2. I’m very excited to read it, Ido…I think you’re amazing and have an amazing story to tell.

  3. It’s awesome, Ido, that you are willing to publish your inner most thoughts and feelings in a book because it makes you vulnerable. But I think it’s imperative that you share your struggles so that others can learn and possibly be released from their prison of silence.

  4. It’s must be great,looking forword to read.

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  5. Dear Ido, I am reading your first book now and I just had to write you that I am so impressed and inspired by you. The insight you give us in to your world is breath taking. Sad, but also so inspiring because you are such a shining example of keep on fighting! I was just recently diagnosed as being on the spectrum at 53, so the fact that it was hidden so long (even though it very much disabled my life) will tell you that my experience is completely different from yours. I don’t feel I have much in common with what they used to call Asperger’s either though. Just like you, I have an awful lot of empathy and compassion. But I will never use the term ‘high-functioning’ again. I’m like you very fast and intelligent and tender, and it breaks my heart to even imagine the horrible struggle of having such a beautiful mind and not being able to get people to see you. You are doing an awesome job of giving all your locked-in fellow autistic non-verbal people a voice, and I hope everybody will hear what it is like from the inside out. I’m looking forward to read all your books, and your blog, and so many more, and do what I can to advocate for all of you. In the mean time, I want you to know that you give me courage to face my challenges (I have been ‘crippled’ by many severe depressions, anxieties, non-understanding professionals and a sense of hopelessness). What you write about exercise gives me hope that I can too work on getting a better connection with my body. I know, my struggles are nothing compared to yours, but they were enough to make me desperate and hopeless to throw me in the darkest pit. So here’s to you Ido: your voice is helping at least this ‘high-functioning’ autistic person too. You could very well be my hero. If ever I feel sad again about never being understood and unable to be seen as I am I will remember your fight and just work on it even harder. You are an awesome writer – and I am an avid reader and a picky one at that. Your voice is beautiful!

  6. I also love what you write about your spiritual connection with God. I am a Buddhist myself, and I recognize what you are writing about a special spiritual dimension to my/our autism so clearly. It helped me too to never be truly alone because I know something/some one greater was always with me, and my challenges were there for me to grow exactly at that point where the going was the toughest. Our souls are all already completely perfect, just as they were intended.

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