Paper Words: Discovering and Living with My Autism

by Judy Endow

Overview

In this intensely personal book, readers are swept up into a fast-paced journey of how author Judy Endow eventually discovered her autism and how, since then, she's embraced life autistically. 

From her troubled teenage years in a state institution where her coping behaviors were interpreted as defiant and oppositional, to her years in a Christian community where her behaviors were misunderstood, to a brief marriage and the birth of her three sons, Judy has emerged as a strong voice on the autism spectrum. This book reveals Endow's resilience, courage, hard work, and sheer willpower. Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism shows visually on the printed page how Endow, a highly visual thinker, translates her thoughts into words. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934575499
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2009
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Judy Endow, MSW is an author and international speaker on a variety of autism-related topics, is part of the Wisconsin DPI Statewide Autism Training Team and a board member of both the Autism Society of America, Wisconsin Chapter and the Autism National Committee. In addition, Judy is a member of the Autistic Global Initiative (AGI), a program of the Autism Research Institute. AGI is devoted to raising awareness on adults with autism and building bridges between all constituents in our autism community.

Judy maintains a private practice in Madison, Wisconsin, providing consultation for families, school districts and other agencies. Besides having autism herself, she is the parent of three now grown sons, one of whom is on the autism spectrum.

She blogs at www.judyendow.com. In her spare time Judy enjoys expressing her thoughts and ideas by painting with acrylics and creating one-of-a-kind hand-built pottery sculptures. She continues to bring a great depth of understanding and compassion to all the work she does.

Read an Excerpt

Today, I keep my collection of little stones in a tiny, clear plastic box that has a miniature toy magnifying glass imbedded in the cover. By now, I have come to know that the numerous tiny stones that make up my collection show a concrete replication of how the neurology of autism looks in my brain and subsequently plays out in my body. And because self-knowledge is not limited by the timeline of man’s scientific discoveries, I was not only able to “see” my inside neurology decades ago, I was also able to begin developing strategies that allowed me to cope with my life as a person inside of a body headed up by the neurology of autism.

Today we understand autism so much better, and even so, our understanding is miniscule. We have so much more to discover and learn. When I hold my little plastic box of tiny stones, I can look at them and know they are tangible evidence that there is hope that the science of man will one day catch up to the experience of autism.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD...................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................3
CHAPTER ONE: DISCOVERING MY INSIDE WIRING............................................7
The Big Bang Prologue of Starting Over.......................................................................9
The Pastel Stones........................................................................................................17
Shadow Baby .................................................................................................18
Shadow Girl ....................................................................................................19
Shadow Woman..............................................................................................20
The Solid Stones .........................................................................................................21
Stone Islands...................................................................................................23
The Ripple Stones........................................................................................................30
Hearing Intently...............................................................................................33
What Stinks and What Doesn’t......................................................................34
Barometers for Measuring Inside Feelings.................................................................35
Internal Communication Connections........................................................................43
Bridge Pieces: Information Storage..............................................................45
The Gaps: Information Processing...............................................................52
Canoe Transportation: Information Retrieval................................................54
CHAPTER TWO: NOTICING MY DIFFERENCES..................................................67
Inside a Burrito.............................................................................................................71
The Facts of the Matter................................................................................................74
Much of the Time – From Back Then to Just Now....................................................76
People Are for a Purpose.............................................................................................78
The Purpose of People................................................................................................80
About “No”...................................................................................................................82
How Making Things Better Worked Back Then.........................................................84
Writing Scripts Ahead of Time.....................................................................................88
Making New Pictures...................................................................................................91
CHAPTER THREE: IMPACTS OF MY DIFFERENCES.........................................99
People Yardsticks.......................................................................................................101
Friends and Acquaintances.......................................................................................102
viii People Are Not Interchangeable...............................................................................106
How to Be a Non-Alien..............................................................................................112
Getting Along in the World.........................................................................................116
Blue-Gray Fringe........................................................................................................120
Autism’s Jail................................................................................................................122
Whispering Wind........................................................................................................123
Scratched Soul...........................................................................................................128
Shadow Living............................................................................................................129
Taking Inventory.........................................................................................................132
CHAPTER FOUR: LIVING WITH AUTISM............................................................135
World-People Word Amusements.............................................................................140
Dust Bunny Birdies....................................................................................................144
Ballpark Shorthand....................................................................................................147
My Son Wants More Pets..........................................................................................151
No More Room in My Suitcase.................................................................................155
I Am Queen!................................................................................................................159
Fairy Tale Updates......................................................................................................161
CHAPTER FIVE: EMBRACING LIFE AUTISTICLY...............................................163
No Druthers................................................................................................................165
Time, A Precious Commodity....................................................................................179
Words, The Currency of Time....................................................................................172
To Whom It May Concern..........................................................................................174
SHARING OUR WORLDS........................................................................................177
United Living...............................................................................................................178
Scratched Soul Sequel 180

Editorial Reviews

Judy’s extraordinary new book, Paper Words, describes better than any writing I have ever read the neurological process that occurs for individuals with autism. For any family member or professional who has ever said, ‘I wish I could spend even one hour in this person’s head,’ Judy’s book will offer clarity and insight. She reaches deeply inside herself to articulate with poetry and prose the workings of the ‘inside side’ of her skin as she courageously takes her reader on the journey of her life and discovery of her autism. Candid and fearless, this is a book that every parent, teacher, and person with autism will want to own and refer back to time and again. The world will be a better place for each person who reads it.” – Kate McGinnity, M.S., co-author of Walk Awhile in My Autism; teacher trainer for the Wisconsin; Department of Public Instruction in the area of autism; Teacher of the Year for Autism Society of America

“After years of implementing various interventions for students on the autism spectrum, Paper Words: Discovering and Living with My Autism has helped me further understand the ‘why’ behind the success of the interventions, or lack thereof. Understanding the underlying neurology is a key aspect, helping us understand that, as Judy so eloquently writes, ‘it is just different and that different and minority do not need to be equated with less than.’" – Lisa Ladson, B.A., B.C.A.B.A., friend and colleague, educational and behavioral consultant

“Paper Words gives insight into the many realms of autism that we need to understand better, including differences that may be present in sensory processing, thought integration, and information retrieval. Through her poetry, Judy expresses so much of what many are unable to say for themselves. Her words are truly a gift to anyone who wishes to understand what it is like to live on the autism spectrum.” – Sharon Hammer, M.S., autism and behavioral consultant

“As a parent of someone affected by autism, I have often wished I could see the world from my son’s perspective. This book provides that window. It has helped me understand not only the importance of sensory regulation but also why it takes him longer to access and process information. My relationship with my son has been enriched as a result. This important work reminds those of us who live, work, and love individuals with autism to assume intelligence, slow down to allow the person with autism time to process, accept people for who they are, and relish in the beauty of each person with autism.” – Marilyn Larson, parent

“A sequel to Making Lemonade, in Paper Words, Judy Endow flows freely into ‘autie-biography,’ prose, and poetry. Her writings intrigue, inform, inspire, and invite the reader into Judy’s unique experience of the autism spectrum.” – Donna Williams, author, artist, and autism consultant

From the Publisher