Beyond Autism

A Passionate Memoir about Life with a Teenage Daughter with Severe Autism, Following the Progress of Acclaimed Book, Finding Lina. Like her passionate first book, Finding Lina, about her daughter with severe autism, Helena Hjalmarsson brings an intensity of purpose and love to her second memoir about Lina, Beyond Autism. Lina’s world is one of excruciating challenges. Helena’s world is the same, but with her own insights, indominable spirit, and amazing clarity she sheds light and hope for other parents, siblings and caretakers of children with autism, as well as the children with autism themselves. She unflinchingly examines “the paradoxical nature of autism, the never-ending mystery of who our children are and how they got here, in the middle of this unfathomable hurricane of leaky guts, inflammation, yeast, autoimmune disorders, seizures, sensory breakdown, loss of words, physical freedom, sleep, friends, normal life as we are used to refer to it.” Beyond Autism is one of an increasing number of “you are not alone” literary statements from parents of children with autism forwarded to the people whose lives, similarly, often blocks the view of the larger community. Beyond Autism is intended to be a meeting place, of sorts. A smile of recognition. A reason for a little dark joke amongst parents. What Helena recognizes is that whenever Lina is not in mayhem, she is in heaven. “In those times she seems so free of the burdens of a past and a future, so deeply present and accepting of the moment …Whenever she is not suffering, it seems to me that she is at that enlightened, awakened place that most people struggle for a whole life time to catch a glimpse of.” It’s that glimpse that Helene explores, and shares for all those who want, too, to catch and gain insight into the lives of those with autism and those who love them.

Combining 36 pages of full illustrations with a first-hand account of living life as a child with autism, this book provides a humbling and inspiring look at how an autism spectrum disorder affects children. Tracy likes to draw, make movies and play, just like other kids. She also has autism spectrum disorder. This means she processes many everyday situations differently, such as making friends. Over time, she’s learned tricks for communicating and coping when things are hard for her. Follow along as Tracy gives a peek at what life is really like for someone living with autism and how she discovered life beyond this common disorder. Children’s voices are rarely heard amid the complexity of modern medicine. That's why every story in the My Life Beyond series stems from the imagination and experience of a Mayo Clinic patient. The books were developed through collaboration between these patients, Mayo Clinic physicians and author-illustrator Hey Gee. Through this unique lens of inspiring real-life experiences, the series explores how children view illness, challenges and recovery. One in fifty-four children in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder—which includes autism, Asperger's syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder—but their experiences with this condition are rarely shared. With 36 pages of full illustrations, My Life Beyond Autism brings the reader into the world of a child diagnosed with autism to show how children with this condition view their disorder and work through common behavioral challenges. The “My Life Beyond” graphic novel book series is published in collaboration with Fondation Ipsen.

Beyond the Autism Diagnosis is filled with the parent feedback professionals need to answer this critical question.

"Tracy likes to draw, make movies and play, just like other kids. She also has autism spectrum disorder. This means she processes many everyday situations differently, such as making friends. Over time, she's learned tricks for communicationg and coping when things are hard for her. Follow along as Tracy gives a peek at what life is really like for someone living with autism and how she discovered life beyond this common disorder."--Provided by publisher.

Includes a chapter entitled Getting Ready for College. This book offers information on common sensory reactions in an easy to read chart format. It also contains a chapter on the author's public involvement with autism spectrum related issues, including speaking at conferences and advocating for services for those on the spectrum.

This project is committed to portraying autism and, more profoundly, individuals with autism, from the inside out. Through the media of photography and writing, this book hopes to educate and inspire by breaking apart stereotypes associated with autism while showing vividly that love is omnipotent in our trials and triumphs. It is the ultimate lesson, weapon and savior as we struggle to understand and overcome life’s challenges each day.The writing describes a journey, taking readers through hope, despair, pain and resurrection. It touches on the collective human experience of suffering and redemption while showing a pathway to a profoundly higher ground of understanding and acceptance. The story is written from a collective heart, formed by countless intimate exchanges with families struggling and triumphing, again and again as they live and love in the autistic world. The greater purpose, beyond the story of autism, is the universal message that from the depths of darkness, often we find the greatest enlightenment. The autistic individual is a beautiful metaphor for this belief. In a culture that bombards with messages that perfection is the key to happiness, the autistic individuals and their families dare to challenge this notion while drawing others to look beneath and beyond the superficial. With startling beauty, the images prove what in words alone might be denied: that beneath and beyond autism there is a reality often missed: a will, a soul, an identity that achieves the full measure of its creation; to connect with others in ways not seen or appreciated by surface observation. This combination of narrative and image becomes a powerful parable that reaches and teaches far beyond autism itself, touching on spiritual truths often lost in the cultural mainstream. Hardcover version available: 0-07-288170-4 Paperback version available: 0-07-296784-6

Assists individuals on the autism/Asperger's spectrum, their parents and caregivers, in the important areas of sociality and sexual interest.