My Autistic Awakening

Rachael Lee Harris spent her early childhood locked in an autistic fog. Then began a journey from her fragmented world to one in which things began to make sense, to become clearer. Rachael's determination to take her place in society led her down many paths, from beauty therapist to Catholic nun, from mother and wife to divorcee and working mom. Today, she is a psychotherapist specializing in helping others on the Autism Spectrum. Rachael's story explores areas such as schooling, family relationships, employment, travel, and faith culminating in monastic life, motherhood, dating, and marriage. Through her story, we get a more "rounded" positive vision of how an autistic life can develop and insight into the benefits of being "on the spectrum" alongside the very real picture of its challenges. Addressing the "culture of disability" and negativity that surrounds so much of the public perception of the Autism Spectrum, Rachael presents a more moderate and perhaps more "objective" assessment of her own life experiences, as well as the potential for others on the spectrum. In a climate where the Autism Spectrum is sharply divided between the extremes of "genius" on the one hand, and the "challenge of co-morbidities" on the other, My Autistic Awakening seeks the "middle ground" where many of those on the Autism Spectrum actually dwell.