Integrated Autism Consulting
Thank you Cameron and Cheryl for coming to Integrated Autism Consulting for the interview about Cameron’s transition journey. Congrats on graduating and we wish you the very best!
An Inside Story by Cameron Rice
As interviewed by Cheryl Millett
‘Never Give Up or Lose Hope’
"Is THIS what I think it is?" Erik's eyes twinkle. His dimples emerge, playful.
"That depends," I smile, slightly teasing, "...what you think it is..."
"I think you know what I think," he whispers, dimples escalating. A huge smile is brewing, threatening to erupt. He bites it back. This is better than Christmas.
"And I think YOU know what it is," I reply.
It is like we have uncovered buried treasure, and in fact we have. We have discovered the former Erik, and there it lie, silky and green and vulnerable on his bed. We both gaze at it, savouring it, marvelling and remembering.
Read more: ASD SNAPSHOT 23: "JUNGLE BOY: MY FORMER SKIN, REDISCOVERED"
" When life's special moments - with Erik and autism - offer themselves up, I write them down. I call them 'ASD Snapshots'... Here is one about Erik's New Years resolution... and his capacity for absolute empathy... Which, of course, you know 'absolutely exists'... :) " -Teresa
The Transition to Life Kitchener Waterloo course was a great success! We would like to congratulate the Transition to Life Kitchener Waterloo participants for their involvement in the program and for all of their hard work and dedication.
Graduates, please keep in touch! We always love to hear updates on what you are up to!
Read more: Congratulations to Transition to Life Kitchener Waterloo Participants!
We wanted to extend a big thank you to Margaret Spoelstra, Executive Director of Autism Ontario, and Ross Woledge, from Odgers Berndtson, for all of the fundraising support they have contributed to make Transition to Life Kitchener Waterloo a success! Mrs. Spoelstra and Mr. Woledge attended the Transition to Life ceremony and presented participants with certificates. Below is thank you letter given on this night by one of our participants.
Q: So, you're an author. Tell us about the book.
A: Minority is set in a dystopian future where a cruel government rules the city and mutants are outlaws. But a group of young adult mutants and anti-heroes are fighting against this corruption to win back their rights.
Q: Not too many teenagers can say they're published a book, what got you started?
A: I remembered reading in Chickadee magazine about Nancy Yi Fan, who wrote her first novel when she was 12 years old, so I knew it was something I could do too. And I've been writing stories since Grade 7.
Q: Any inspiration in terms of other books?
A: One book in particular that influenced me was Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. It is also about mutants in a dystopian future, so that was interesting. But I found he had too much talking and not enough action. I wanted to write a book where the characters were developed by what they did. If they're saving someone or fighting, that's character development. Sitting around talking about how strong you are − that's just boring.
Read more: An Interview with Transition to Life Graduate Patrick Taylor