Dr. Mordehai Benhamou is an author, lecturer, professional guitarist, and Algerian Jew from Israel. His recently published Autism, Falafel, and Rock and Roll: A journey to an atypical world is a scientific memoir that explores his journey of self acceptance. He grew up in Paris and had a tumultuous journey of self-discovery that left him homeless before eventually accepting his diagnosis and moving to Israel to lecture about his life. This week he shared some of his journey and the inspiration for his new book.
Rosie Weldon is an Autistic accountant living and working in the North West of England. She is also a prolific author and has her own blog about everyday Autistic life, including things like Autistic behaviors, mental health, advice for parenting Autistic children, and lots more. This week she shared her path to a diagnosis and the ways she advocates for inclusion and autism acceptance.
“I believe Autistic people should be valued more than we are and to be taken seriously as experts on autism.” -Lucas Ksenhuk
Lucas Ksenhuk is an 18-year-old Autistic artist from Brazil. Lucas believes his art can help people and sees it as a way to transform his own life and that of others, bringing independence and recognition to the spectrum. In the feature interview last week, Lucas discussed his life experience being autistic and how he became a recognized visual artist.
Below is a transcript of a recent follow-up Zoom call I had with Lucas Ksenhuk and his mother Tatiana Ksenhuk. Also in attendance were Nereide Santa Rosa, author and owner of Underline Publishing (who published Lucas’ new book A Real Story Created with Colorful Lines), and Isabel Flores who translated between English and Portugese for the call. The transcript has been edited for clarity and approved by all parties.
In our meeting, Lucas and his mother discussed the creation of his new book and shared some specific experiences he had with bullying in school. Lucas hopes that the sharing of his experiences might be instructive to others on the spectrum and their families.
Lucas Ksenhuk is an 18-year-old Autistic artist from Brazil. He has an unmistakable style that has been the talk of many street art exhibitions in São Paulo, such as Egg Parade, Cow Parade, and Elephant Parade, Football Parade, Ear Parade, and Vitruvian Parade. Lucas believes his art can help people and sees it as a way to transform his own life and that of others, bringing independence and recognition to the spectrum. Lucas’ recently released book with Underline Publishing, A Real Story Created With Colorful Lines, tells his story of a young autistic man who overcame his difficulties through art and is illustrated with images of his work. He discusses his life experience being autistic and how he became a recognized visual artist.
Joey Murphy is a freelance writer and writing coach. She teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and hosts a podcast targeting women on the spectrum who were diagnosed later in life. This week she shared how a late diagnosis helped her learn to listen to her needs after decades of trying to meet the expectations of others.
Tara L. Campbell is a speculative fiction and creative nonfiction science writer with a professional background in technology. She enjoys writing at the intersection of science, technology, and disability. Stories about overlooked or misunderstood people and concepts are key aspects in her work. This week Tara shared her experiences as an Autistic advocate and parenting…
Kayla Smith is an Autistic advocate from North Carolina. This week she shared some of her perspectives on the autism advocacy movement as a Black Autistic woman.
Rakshita Shekhar is a self-diagnosed teacher of Autistic students in India. Last week she shared her professional background and her journey to figuring out her real passions despite continued failure to obtain an autism diagnosis from medical professionals. This week she explores self-diagnosis, how diagnosis is reserved for a privileged few, and how she has connected with the Autistic community for support.
Rakshita Shekhar is a self-diagnosed teacher of Autistic students in India. She holds a master’s degree in intellectual and developmental disabilities from University of Kent, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore, India. She has over 10 years of experience facilitating learning for children and adults, across socio-economic categories and support needs, and currently teaches autistic students with a focus on developing their self and social identity. She has presented research on inclusive education in national and international forums. This is the first part of her two-part interview on self-diagnosis. This week she shared her professional background and her journey to figuring out her real passions despite continued failure to obtain an autism diagnosis from medical professionals.
