A family's journey with Autism
Feb 21, 2024 11:00 AM
Teresa Hedley
A family's journey with Autism
Teresa Hedley is a teacher, an author and the mother of three young adults, one of whom is Erik, 25, with autism. What’s Not Allowed? A Family Journey with Autism is Teresa’s memoir about life with autism.
Erik is a part-time student at NIC and volunteers at Today and Tomorrow Childcare Centre and at the Puntledge Fish Hatchery. Erik was diagnosed with autism at age six. He has been a national autism self-advocate since he was seventeen.
Erik and Teresa will present three questions they are often asked about autism:
1. What is autism?
2. Are there misconceptions about autism? / What does the public need to know?
3. How do I connect with someone on the autism spectrum?
Both Erik and Teresa will answer each question, giving you two perspectives—one from the shoes of autism, and one from a parent supporting a child–now adult–with autism: a “He Says, She Says” format.
In addition, Erik’s visual thinking will be represented with objects drawn from a Mary Poppins bag. You will hear as well as see the presentation.
Following the three questions, Erik will present the speech he gave on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill in 2016–about the power of belief and believers in our lives.