Liane Holliday Willey

Last updated
Liane Holliday Willey
NationalityAmerican
OccupationWriter
Notable workPretending to be Normal

Liane Holliday Willey is an American writer, researcher and advocate for people with Asperger's Syndrome. She has written several books on Asperger's Syndrome, including "Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome" [1] and "Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal." [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Education and career

Willey holds a doctorate in education, specializing in the fields of psycholinguistics and learning style differences. She is the senior editor of Autism Spectrum Quarterly and a speaker on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome. [4]

Diagnosis and advocacy

Willey was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 35, in 1999. Since her diagnosis, she has focused her academic research on females with Asperger's Syndrome and communication skills for people on the autism spectrum. She has also used her personal experiences with Asperger's Syndrome to advocate for better understanding and acceptance within the community. [5] [1]

Writing

Willey coined the term 'Aspie' in 1999 to refer to people with Asperger's Syndrome. [6] She is the author of several books on Asperger's Syndrome, including "Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome," "Asperger Syndrome in Adolescence: Living with the Ups, the Downs, and Things in Between," "Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal," and "Safety Skills for Asperger Women: How to Save a Perfectly Good Female Life." These books offer insight and guidance for those with Asperger's Syndrome and their families. [2] [4] [7] She also wrote the foreword for Rudy Simone's book Aspergirls, which was republished by the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. [8]

Personal life

Willey is married with three daughters. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asperger syndrome</span> Neurodevelopmental diagnosis now categorized under Autism Spectrum Disorder

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome, formerly described a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The syndrome has been merged with other disorders into autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is no longer considered a stand-alone diagnosis. It was considered milder than other diagnoses that were merged into ASD due to relatively unimpaired spoken language and intelligence.

The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), was a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. It was defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorna Wing</span> British autism researcher (1928–2014)

Lorna Gladys Wing was an English psychiatrist. She was a pioneer in the field of childhood developmental disorders, who advanced understanding of autism worldwide, introduced the term Asperger syndrome in 1976 and was involved in founding the National Autistic Society (NAS) in the UK.

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is a historic psychiatric diagnosis first defined in 1980 that has since been incorporated into autism spectrum disorder in the DSM-5 (2013).

Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), also known as Heller's syndrome and disintegrative psychosis, is a rare condition characterized by late onset of developmental delays—or severe and sudden reversals—in language, social engagement, bowel and bladder, play and motor skills. Researchers have not been successful in finding a cause for the disorder. CDD has some similarities to autism and is sometimes considered a low-functioning form of it. In May 2013, CDD, along with other sub-types of PDD, was fused into a single diagnostic term called "autism spectrum disorder" under the new DSM-5 manual.

High-functioning autism (HFA) was historically an autism classification where a person exhibits no intellectual disability, but may experience difficulty in communication, emotion recognition, expression, and social interaction.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism:

Dr Jacqueline Carol Jackson is a British writer who consults, counsels, speaks and writes on most autism issues. Her doctoral thesis, entitled 'Nurturing the Engagement of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder through Digital Polysensory Experiences', awarded from Coventry University, analysed the sensory differences of children with an ASD and the impact of the digital and built environment. Jackson consultants on the design of built environments and the impact of lighting and design on individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodiversities.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is a multinational publishing house headquartered in London. Founded as an independent publisher in 1987 by Jessica Kingsley, since 2017 JKP operates as an imprint of John Murray Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Societal and cultural aspects of autism</span>

Societal and cultural aspects of autism or sociology of autism come into play with recognition of autism, approaches to its support services and therapies, and how autism affects the definition of personhood. The autistic community is divided primarily into two camps; the autism rights movement and the Pathology paradigm. The pathology paradigm advocates for supporting research into therapies, treatments, and/or a cure to help minimize or remove autistic traits, seeing treatment as vital to help individuals with autism, while the neurodiversity movement believes autism should be seen as a different way of being and advocates against a cure and interventions that focus on normalization, seeing it as trying to exterminate autistic people and their individuality. Both are controversial in autism communities and advocacy which has led to significant infighting between these two camps. While the dominant paradigm is the pathology paradigm and is followed largely by autism research and scientific communities, the neurodiversity movement is highly popular among most autistic people, within autism advocacy, autism rights organizations, and related neurodiversity approaches have been rapidly growing and applied in the autism research field in the last few years.

Asperger syndrome (AS) was formerly a separate diagnosis under autism spectrum disorder. Under the DSM-5 and ICD-11, patients formerly diagnosable with Asperger syndrome are diagnosable with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The term is considered offensive by some autistic individuals. It was named after Hans Asperger (1906–80), who was an Austrian psychiatrist and pediatrician. An English psychiatrist, Lorna Wing, popularized the term "Asperger's syndrome" in a 1981 publication; the first book in English on Asperger syndrome was written by Uta Frith in 1991 and the condition was subsequently recognized in formal diagnostic manuals later in the 1990s.

Several factors complicate the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (AS), an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like other ASD forms, Asperger syndrome is characterized by impairment in social interaction accompanied by restricted and repetitive interests and behavior; it differs from the other ASDs by having no general delay in language or cognitive development. Problems in diagnosis include disagreement among diagnostic criteria, the controversy over the distinction between AS and other ASD forms or even whether AS exists as a separate syndrome, and over- and under-diagnosis for non-technical reasons. As with other ASD forms, early diagnosis is important, and differential diagnosis must consider several other conditions.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) describe a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the DSM-5, used by the American Psychiatric Association. As with many neurodivergent people and conditions, the popular image of autistic people and autism itself is often based on inaccurate media representations. Additionally, media about autism may promote pseudoscience such as vaccine denial or facilitated communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudy Simone</span> American author

Rudy Simone is an American author of books on Asperger's Syndrome.

<i>Aspergirls</i> 2010 non-fiction book by Rudy Simone

Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome is a non-fiction book written by American author Rudy Simone. It was published in 2010 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. The book is about women and girls who have Asperger syndrome and their experiences. It was written to help girls and women who have been diagnosed with Asperger's.

Gunilla Gerland is a Swedish author and lecturer on the topic of autism. Her written works include Secrets to Success for Professionals in the Autism Field: An Insider's Guide to Understanding the Autism Spectrum, the Environment and Your Role and her autobiography A Real Person: Life on the Outside.

The history of autism spans over a century; autism has been subject to varying treatments, being pathologized or being viewed as a beneficial part of human neurodiversity. The understanding of autism has been shaped by cultural, scientific, and societal factors, and its perception and treatment change over time as scientific understanding of autism develops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Cook O'Toole</span> American writer

Jennifer Cook (formerly O'Toole) (born October 24, 1975) is an American author and speaker. She is known for her six Asperkids books, which have been translated into six languages and include the winner of the Autism Society of America's Book of the Year Award. Her memoir Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller, a "Best Book" title winner by Publishers Weekly, and named a "Best Memoir" and one of both the "Best Autism Books of All Time" and "Best-Selling Autism Books of All Time" by BookAuthority. She is the on-camera autism expert in Netflix's series "Love on the Spectrum US."

Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome is a book written by Liane Holliday Willey, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, that offers insight into the experience of living with Asperger's syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behaviors and interests. The book was first published in 1999 and has since been updated, in 2014, with an additional 15 years of reflection by the author on living with Asperger's syndrome.

Brenda Smith Myles is an American author and researcher on the topic of the autism spectrum. As of 2021, she has written more than 300 articles and books on autism spectrum disorder. She was once found to be the world's second most productive applied researcher in ASD, by the University of Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pretending to Be Normal by Liane Holliday Willey - Book Review". Divergents Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. 1 2 "Asperger Syndrome in the Family: Redefining Normal - The Nile". www.thenile.com.au. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  3. Sentinel, Jondi Gumz | Santa Cruz (2015-03-06). "Author Liane Holliday-Willey shares her life with Asperger's". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Weldon, Laura Grace. "Asperger Self-Help Author An Aspie Herself". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  5. Thomas, Rebecca (2015-03-30). "Liane Holliday Willey Talks About Autism, Her Books and More". Detroit and Ann Arbor Metro Parent. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  6. "Barrett, l'Asperger e quei capolavori mancati". La Stampa (in Italian). 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  7. "Liane Holliday Willey, Ed.D. | CIP Autism & LD Transition Programs" . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  8. Shtayermman, Oren (2014-10-01). "Rudy Simone Forwarded By Liane Holliday Willey, Aspergirls: Empowering Females With Asperger Syndrome". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 44 (10): 2667–2668. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1740-4. ISSN   1573-3432. S2CID   254569472.