”Voices of Autism” Anthology Shares Real-Life Accounts of 40 Patients and Caregivers

– LAURA SHUMAKER, LOCAL AUTHOR, PUBLISHES STORY IN ANTHOLOGY–

LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA, MAY 11, 2008 - Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S.  As more is learned about the disorder, more resources for patients and caregivers are being developed.  One of these resources is a new anthology, Voices of Autism: The Healing Companion: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength, which chronicles the stories of more than 40 families living with autism including LAURA SHUMAKER, a resident of Lafayette.

follow THIS LINK

San Francisco Chronicle
January 15, 2006
Link to original article

Do you want me to come in with you while you get your haircut?” “No,” replies my 19-year-old son Matthew. “I want him to think I drove here by myself.”

When I suggest that he remove the junior sheriff sticker from his T-shirt before he goes in, he refuses.

“I want him to think I take care of bad guys.”

San Francisco Chronicle
October 21, 2007

Link to original article

“I’m ready now.”I turned to look at my son Matthew, who is twenty-one and autistic. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen looking pleased with himself, wearing grass-stained socks and sandals and a clean striped shirt tucked into shorts cinched up high with a belt. His handsome face was clean, but there were several spots he had missed while shaving that morning. His sandy blonde hair was combed straight forward in a most unflattering Dumb and Dumber sort of way.

Follow this link to purchase a copy.

I am very proud to be a contributor to this follow-up volume of the Wednesday Writers best selling collection of essays. The book will be launched in May, and proceeds will benefit the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center at Alta Bates Hospital.

Something That Matters is a wonderful collection of heartfelt first-person essays about lives
in transition as moves, both inner and outer, scatter us into second acts.
The anthology showcases midlife women’s true tales about everything from
sex, love, and long-time marriage to divorce and widowhood, from raising and
launching children to redefining work lives and caring for aging parents
–while adventuring and savoring life’s pleasures along the way.

PRAISE FOR WEDNESDAY WRITERS

link to original article July 2007

For KQED Perspectives, follow this link.

“A 200+ page scholarly, footnoted research study from Harvard or Stanford will not have a fraction of the impact that Laura Shumaker’s essay’s have.”

Richard Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed.
“How Difficult Can This Be?”

“It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success” (Touchstone/Simon and Schuster). www.jimlavoie.com

Contra Costa Times 6/17/06

“My dad is going to kill me!” my friends used to say when we got caught doing something we shouldn’t, like chewing gum or passing notes during Spanish class. I didn’t like to screw up and disappoint my parents, but let’s face it, no one is perfect, and my dad knew it.

“You never know when you’re going to need an adhesive!” he joked about the gum, then quickly moved on to the story about the time he wet his pants after being caught passing notes himself.