What Color Is Monday? How Autism Changed One Family for the Better

March 19th 7pm - Dover Middle School Renaissance Room

Join author Carrie Cariello as she explores the colorful world of autism in her reading. A mother of four boys and one girl, Carrie writes regularly about the challenges and joys of raising five kids, one of whom is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

During her talk, Carrie will not discuss anything to do with statistics, hyperbaric chambers, or a how to find pretzels that don’t contain gluten.

Instead, she will cover important scientific matters such as what it feels like to watch The Wizard of Oz approximately thirty zillion times, how to stay calm when your son pitches a giant fit at the barber’s, and why taking five kids camping is a very bad idea.

Carrie grew up in a teeny-tiny town in rural New York called Wingdale. She went on to get a Bachelors of Science in Political Administration from the State University of New York and a Masters in Public Administration from Rockefeller College and met a guy named Joe. They had a son named, Jack. He did not talk or babble or coo. He did not point. He did not have things like joint attention or gross motor skills or eye contact. What he did have was autism.

Carrie did not dream of becoming a writer as a little girl in Wingdale, New York. But over time, she learned she could best make sense of her long, frustrating days with Jack and his autism if she wrote about them.  Over time, writing has helped her separate the boy from his diagnosis and discover that she fiercely loves them both.

Carrie Cariello has been featured on WordPress’ Freshly Pressed site, The Huffington Post, Parents.com, and Autism Speaks.com. She has been interviewed by Fox News’ Manny Alvarez for a segment on Health Now which was broadcast nationally through Fox’s syndication network.