(Photo of Eric Garcia by photographer Kristin Herbruck) One of the people I love most in the world is autistic. They have shaped who I am in profound ways and made my life far richer, more interesting, and even more fun. I’ve never felt that they needed to be “cured,” even when it has been challenging to figure out how to support them best. Neurotribes author Steve Silberman helped shift how we think about autism by sharing a well-researched historical perspective. Today’s interviewee, Eric Garcia, wrote a book that takes this conversation even further by combining his personal experience as an autistic man with his understanding of public policy as a DC-based political reporter. His book, We’re Not Broken; Changing the Autism Conversation , urges us to focus not on how autism might be “cured,” but on how we can better support autistic people so they can lead fulfilling lives. When did you first realize you were autistic and when did you finally accept and embrace that identity? H
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