We are delighted to help Karole Kurtz let people know about her fascinating story in our latest autism guest post.  Ms Kurtz has written a story which she feels could be of great help introducing neurotypical children to the world of autism.

Kurtz writes ” I’m an aspiring author and school psychologist with several years of experience working with students with various special needs.  My latest young adult novel, while falling within the romance genre, also has a strong focus on sibling relationships and family dynamics in a family with an Autistic child, and contains what I feel are important messages about tolerance, acceptance, and advocacy.

My story, “How To Say ‘I Love You’ Out Loud” is currently posted on the SWOON Reads site, which is associated with Macmillan Publishing.  It is easy and free to create an account and read stories on the SWOON site.

I feel very strongly about appropriately and authentically representing the experience of families with an Autistic child! I’d be so incredibly appreciative of anyone who’d be willing to read my story and leave constructive feedback.  I also believe my story would be a wonderful conversation starter for neurotypical siblings to read.  The story is appropriate for a wide audience of Young Adult readers, but I’d still encourage parents to review it first.

For anyone interested, here is the direct link to my story:

 

http://www.swoonreads.com/m/how-to-say-i-love-you-out-loud

Thank you so very much for your time, and it’s my sincere hope that you find a message of value in this story.

Excerpt:

“There have always been plenty of reasons to keep quiet,” I admit. “Phillip can be embarrassing at times. Because I’ve seen how often people reduce Phillip to his disability, I worry about being reduced in the same way, as his sister and nothing else. I hate the idea of being seen as weird, crazy, or psycho by association. I kept my distance because it seemed easier at the time, but I’ve started to learn that might not be the case.” I find myself thinking of Erin… and Alex. “The distance has cost me and it has cost my brother.”

 

I hang my head and stare at the wood grain of the podium platform, trying to will away the tears I worry about forming in front of my eyes. “There’s another reason why I think I’ve kept my distance from Phillip. Autism, his limited speech…they don’t just keep Phillip trapped inside another world, apart from us. Somehow, in a way I haven’t fully come to understand yet, his Autism keeps us locked away from him, too. It’s hard to give my heart to my brother. It’s really hard to say the words “I love you,” when you know you’ll likely never hear them back.”