Sixteen-year-old author Micaela Ellis will visit the Ojai Library at 2pm on Saturday, June 4, 2022, to speak about her book, Autism over the Years: A Twelve Year Old’s Memoir. During this talk Micaela will share her perspectives on life as a young adult with autism.

While expanding perceptions of autism, Micaela hopes to educate others on some of the challenges that people with autism might face and share the many opportunities for growth and learning that are available to children like her when they are respected and understood.

Micaela wrote Autism over the Years as a way to share her experiences growing up with autism. She was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and a half and has spent over a decade learning, growing, and working to overcome the many challenges associated with this disorder. She is currently finishing up high school, learning to drive, and making travel plans with her family. As she writes in her book:

“I wrote this memoir because I want to show people how I see the world, as a person with autism. I want to explain how my life has been different from many other people’s lives, and how certain thoughts and ideas came into my mind that other people did not understand. I want to share why I did things that seemed strange to others… I want to put an end to the idea that autism is a disease that needs a ‘cure.’ I want to put an end to autism being a taboo subject.”

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146 or ron.solorzano@ventura.org.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Avenue in Ojai, CA. Hours of service are 10am to 8pm Monday through Thursday and 12pm to 5pm Friday through Sunday.