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Who Am I?

Suri Pacinelli

Journalist, health writer, and parent-turned-advocate

I started the special needs parenting journey scared, confused, and with a heavy dose of denial. Like most of us, I was raised to view the world through ableist lenses, and regarded most neurological differences as problems that required fixing. Eventually, after a few transformative years of special needs parenting—which led to the deconstruction of what I once considered “normal,” “good,” or “desirable”—I became a true convert of the concept of neurodiversity.

Who I am?

Suri Pacinelli

Journalist, health writer, and parent-turned-advocate

I started the special needs parenting journey scared, confused, and with a heavy dose of denial. Like most of us, I was raised to view the world through ableist lenses, which made me regard most neurological differences as problems that required fixing. Eventually, after a few intense and transformative years of special needs parenting—which led to the deconstruction of what I once considered “normal,” “good,” or “desirable”—I became a true convert of the concept of neurodiversity.

When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.

Max Planck.

When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.

Max Planck

Using the neurodiversity lens has allowed me to focus on ways to make our neurotypical world more accessible to my child, instead of molding her to fit one-sided models and narrow ideals. This involves an ongoing attempt on my part to understand her perspective and adapt my responses to her individual needs.

With my background in journalism and health writing, I’ve spent some time reviewing the academic literature and learning how my child’s neurodiversity influences the way she experiences things and performs in the world. In the process, I’ve familiarized myself with the different neurodevelopmental conditions and many of their overlapping manifestations and traits. This website is my attempt to share what I’ve learned in the past decade—not only intellectually but also emotionally.