So, I've noticed some new followers on my blog in recent months, as well as e-mail inquiries from readers of this blog. I thought, therefore, that I would take a moment to welcome everyone here and introduce myself and my blog to you.
First, I would like to thank Babble.com for choosing my blog (for the second year in a row!) as one of its Top Autism Spectrum Blogs for Parents. I am very grateful to have been selected and I hope that this distinction will help to bring in new readers. As you may be able to tell, this blog is not updated as regularly as I would like it to be, so I am working to try and change that.
Because of this thus-far irregular updating, I am not completely certain as to who the exact readership of this blog is. I've aimed my writing to be accessible to individuals on the autism spectrum and neurotypical people (friends, family members, parents, professionals) alike. I want everyone to be able to read my entries and take something away from them, no matter where on the developmental continuum they may fall.
So who am I, exactly? And why do I write this blog? Well, I'm a woman who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 10. In 2009, while pursuing my Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, I became certified as a college coach for students with Asperger's Syndrome, which is how I am now hoping to make my living. Upon completion of my degree in 2011, I opened an office for my newly-founded college coaching business, A.S.C.O.T. Coaching, LLC, in Fairfield, New Jersey.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors and as the Board Treasurer for GRASP, the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership; on the Self-Advocate Advisory Board for the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation; and on the Communications Committee for Autism Speaks. Through the work I do for these organizations, and through my work as an Asperger's consultant and public speaker--speaking at conferences, professional development workshops, and assemblies across the country as well as at the United Nations last year--I am able to act as a voice for individuals on the autism spectrum who do not have one.
I'm also writing a book at the moment, titled The Naughty Autie. It details my experiences as a woman on the autism spectrum with dating, relationships, and sexuality. I've been referred to as "the Aspie Dr. Ruth" because of my willingness to speak frankly and openly on issues of sexuality and relationships. The book takes on a "single girl," Sex and the City type of perspective that is unique to the current autism literature base, with me as the "Carrie Bradshaw" of the Asperger's world. I do not have a publisher for the book as of yet, but I am currently looking for one.
I've been a writer since the age of 10, starting with poetry, then later branching into short fiction, and now non-fiction. My writing has been published in a number of outlets, including the official blog of Autism Speaks, Autism Spectrum Quarterly, AHA's On the Spectrum newsletter, and most recently, the "Transition to Adulthood" chapter of W.L. Heward's Exceptional Children, a widely-read textbook for undergraduate and graduate special education students.
My primary area of interest is working with college-age individuals and adults on the less affected end of the autism spectrum. For my Masters thesis, we were required to design and run our own research study using the principles of ABA. For my study, I taught adult men with Asperger's Syndrome how to ask someone out on a date. As I build and cultivate my business, I hope to continue this work and offer dating skills workshops for both men and women with Asperger's Syndrome.
What you will find on this blog is a collection of my ruminations about situations with which I am dealing, announcements about events that I am involved with, and my reactions to news items related to and issues being faced by the autism community as a whole. I have also been approached for book reviews and author interviews, so look for those to potentially become a bigger feature of this blog as time goes on.
For more information about me or about A.S.C.O.T Coaching, I invite you to check out my website, www.amygravino.com. Several of my media appearances, including my talk as a member of a panel of autism experts at the United Nations last year, are featured on the Media page of my website.
Any questions, comments, suggestions, or speaking/PR inquiries can be directed to me at amy@amygravino.com, or to my business manager, Nicole Turon-Diaz, at learningbydesign@verizon.net.
Thank you so much, and I hope you have enjoyed, continue to enjoy, and will enjoy my blog for a long time to come!
Since you’ve began to discuss about your experience as a writer, I’m also a writer as well. But, I’m a struggling writer. I don’t write poetry, but novels. I’ve written novels since the age of thirteen, it was a children’s novella I began my writing career with – it’s entitled Pet Smart. I’ve also written a science fiction, and I’m currently writing a fantasy, it’s called Fairytale Wars. I’ve somehow been struggling with the eighth chapter most of this year, it’s been going on forever, I try to find the time to right – but I has so much to do. Any suggestions?
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