Biography
I am an autistic adult who teaches, writes, and consults about autism and neurodiversity. My interests include autism research policy, effects of neurodiversity on behavior, and better services and supports for autistic individuals and their families. I’m a strategist and advisor to the Autism at Work initiative by which corporations gain competitive advantage by employing autistic people. For the past 12 years I have advised the United States government on autism strategy (HHS and DoD), neurodiversity in our national labs (DoE) and understanding autism in the Federal Courts.
I have accomplishments in diverse fields including writing; audio engineering; electrical engineering; automobile restoration; photography, medical ethics, teaching, and autism science.
Publications
General interest books:
Look Me in the Eye (2007) describes my life with autism.
Be Different (2011) is a prescriptive guide for developing the interpersonal and personal skills to succeed.
Raising Cubby (2013) a memoir of an autistic dad raising a son on the spectrum.
Switched On (2016) tells the story of brain stimulation and transformative change.
Academic books:
Contributor, Oxford Handbook of Co-Occurring Conditions in Autism (2019)
Contributor, Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement—stories from the front line, (2019)
Contributor, Technology Tools for Students With Autism, Boser et al, Brookes (2013)
Foreword, Science of Making Friends, Laugeson, Wiley (2013)
Foreword, Unstuck and On Target—An Executive Function Curriculum, Werner, Brookes (original edition in 2011 and new edition, 2018)
Scholarly articles:
Contributor, 2019/20 Annual updates to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Talking About Autism—language matters—Autism Research, 2019
Autism Prevalence and Outcomes in Older Adults—Autism Research, 2019
Co-author, The Gestalt of functioning in autism spectrum disorder: Results of the international conference to develop final consensus International Classification of Functioning—Autism, 2019
Contributor, 2018 Annual update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Contributor, 2017 Annual update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Kanner, Asperger, and Frankl, A third man at the genesis of the Autism diagnosis—Autism, 2016
Contributor, 2016 Update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Contributor, 2015 Annual update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Co-author, Ability and disability in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic literature review—Autism Research, 2015
Fixing Autism Research—MIT Technology Review, 2014
Contributor, 2014 Update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Co-author, Classification of Functioning and Impairment: The Development of ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder—Autism Research, 2014
Contributor, 2013 Annual update to the Strategic Plan for Autism—US Dept of Health and Human Services
Co-author, Statement on Autism and Violence—Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, 2012
Call Me Different Not Difficult, Students Who Challenge Us—Educational Leadership, 2012
Magazine articles of interest:
What is Neurodiversity? Psychology Today, 2013
Choosing a College when You’re Neurodiverse—Psychology Today, 2018
Presentations
Presentations: 2019 Fall convocation talk at Landmark College:
https://www.landmark.edu/center-for-neurodiversity/voices/2019-fall-convocation-john-elder-robison-speech
Different does not equal disordered, Landmark College, 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grFEM477OSs
Talking about neurodiversity at Lawrence Livermore National Lab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sCReEWBvYM