Susan Senator

Background

About Susan Senator

Currently and for the last five years I've been writing a monthly piece for Psychology Today. I became a writer to raise public awareness of what parents like me face; back then the number of kids on the Spectrum was only just beginning to balloon, and society was simply not prepared. I worked as an education columnist for our local paper and also began writing pieces for the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and eventually wrote three books on autism and the family. My articles on Special Olympics eventually brought me to a White House dinner in July 2006. My three autism books are: Making Peace With Autism; Autism Mom's Survival Guide; and Autism Adulthood. I am currently finishing writing my first mystery novel,"Last Dance." On a local level, when I discovered that our school system had no autism programs, I ran for School Committee, where I served for five years, on several initiatives, one of which was the Legislative Subcommittee. I have been very politically active in my state and town, joining and founding various parent and advocacy organizations, holding forums at the State House and lobbying with our Arc on budgetary issues. On a national level, I have been giving workshops and keynotes to autism and disability professionals and parents like me, and always, also learning from them – and above all, learning from my son. Specialties: Any and all writing work, public speaking in parenting and autism, sibling issues and autism, and living with autism.