Kim Rossi

Three Special Kids. No Apologies Necessary.

That's the title of my chapter in this anthology, just released. I was approached by Robert Parish, documentary film maker last Spring to submit a chapter for the book. My friend and fellow writer/autism Mom Susan Senator suggested me to him. Susan wrote the forward. (Thank you, Sue!)


Ralph James Savarese, who wrote the inspiring book Reasonable People provided a wonderful jacket blurb. Ralph and I share the same literary agency and I have great admiration for him and his family.


The book features an eclectic mix of writers and I happen to love how it shows that we have much in common within the autism world, despite our more publicized differences of opinion on treatment and such.


I think Robert called me on a Thursday. The deadline was the next Tuesday. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, I went into panic mode. Scoured my current works in progress (both of them) and reworked a piece I'd written for the NY Times into a 3000 word chapter. Who would have though a rejection from the Times would have worked out so well! LOL!

Robert has gathered many writers for this book, which is about working with the autism population and is called: Embracing Autism: Connecting and Communicating with Children in the Autism Spectrum. (You can click that link to go to Amazon.) The publisher is Jossey Bass, an imprint of Wiley, the "For Dummies" folks. (Insert joke here.)

From the publisher: Through sensitive, sometimes humorous, experienced-based writing from teachers, clinicians, and parent activists in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community, this book will help educators and others to better understand the world inhabited by ASD children. The stories contained in the book will inspire and inform readers who are working day-to-day with children in the autism spectrum, providing valuable insights into what makes these kids tick and useful information on how they communicate, learn, and succeed.


Four of the book's contributors will be presenting at the

Autism One national conference this spring in Chicago: Robert, Yours truly, Autism/Asperger expert Stephen Shore/, Autism Risk and Safety Management expert Dennis Debbaudt.

I'll be speaking in April with two other contributors. Cammie McGovern, who wrote Eye Contact and I are at the ASCONN April meeting in W. Hartford on 4/19 and Kristina Chew, a Classics Professor and autism blogger, is featured at the JCC Manhattan Lit Cafe on 4/10.

So maybe you'd like to buy a copy or two or three for April Autism Awareness month??