Hello, my name is John
I was really dead to participation in the world until December 10, 2010. On that day, at 7pm, I met Laura Poorman and my life changed. You see, I have suffered with severe autism for all of my 21+ years. Now I can communicate my thoughts, talk to my doctor, begin to learn real advanced schoolwork, and participate with family and friends.
Really, I had that ability all along, but the inability to communicate prevented my engagement. This remains true for many like me. This website is dedicated to them.
I will be adding to this website regularly and inviting others to participate. Special attention will be paid to competence issues and how we measure intelligence. I hope you enjoy this. My own intelligence and that of many others like me has always been there. We need to cure faulty interpretations of autism and get medical research to help us with our neurological wiring.
Thanks for visiting.
Available as a Kindle download on Amazon.com.
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P.S. I have just finished writing a new book entitled From Autism’s Tomb: 10 Secrets that Transform Everything, which will be published very soon.
In the book, I reveal life secrets that I discovered in my journey out of the profound Silence that holds us all. These secrets are not just for nonverbals or those on “The Spectrum”; they shape every person’s reality and potential. Yet most of humanity is unaware of them because of the depths of isolation required for discovery. I also share how embracing these discoveries has enabled me to grow from the depths of despair and resignation to a life of gratitude and accomplishment.
For more information about my book, as well as other books, poems, and essays I have written, visit my new website, JohnSmythAuthor.com. (opens in new window)
I missed most of my educational opportunity being placed in “Life-skills” with some others like me and some who are more truly unable to answer the questions. We “learned” the ABCs, how to tell time, and how to count money and listen to stories over and over again, year after year. For two years, I was also in Applied Behavior Therapy and Verbal Behavior Therapy. I’ll write about these experiences in the future. Some of my old friends are still stuck in silence.
