Micaela Ellis will give a talk titled “Autism Through My Eyes” on Tuesday, April 30 from 4 – 5 p.m. in Education Room 1217 on the UC Santa Barbara Campus. This free, public talk is an open session of the Gevirtz School’s class ED 222A—Introduction to Exceptional Children, taught by Dr. Rachel Lambert.
Thirteen-year-old author Micaela Ellis shares her perspective on life as a kid with autism. While expanding perceptions of autism, she hopes to educate others on some of the challenges that people with autism might face and share the many opportunities for growth and learning that are available to children like her when they are respected and understood.
Micaela Ellis wrote her book Autism Over The Years: A Twelve Year Old’s Memoir as a way to share her experiences growing up with autism. She was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and a half and has spent the past decade learning, growing, and working to overcome the many challenges associated with this disorder. She is currently a seventh-grade student at a private school that specializes in educating children with unique learning profiles. In Micaela’s words, “I wrote this memoir because I want to show people how I see the world, as a person with autism. I want to explain how my life has been different from many other people’s lives, and how certain thoughts and ideas came into my mind that other people did not understand. I want to share why I did things that seemed strange to others... I want to put an end to the idea that autism is a disease that needs a ‘cure.’ I want to put an end to autism being a taboo subject.”