The Girl Behind the Curtain: A Journey Inside the Nooks and Crannies of Autism

Amy Gravino
January 11, 2016

Girls and women on the autism spectrum face unique and specific challenges that are often misunderstood and rarely addressed. A clinical emphasis on boys with autism, as well as a dominant male narrative in autism literature, means that girls and women with ASD struggle to have their voices heard and acknowledged. Amy Gravino's presentation will shed light on the experiences of girls and women with autism through the telling of Amy's personal story of growing up as a young woman on the autism spectrum, and will impart strategies to give parents insight into understanding and empowering their children.

Amy Gravino, M.A., is a Certified Autism Specialist and the president of A.S.C.O.T. Coaching. Amy offers college coaching services for students on the autism spectrum and autism consulting for individuals and families. Amy is a professional speaker, and has presented to numerous audiences on a variety of topics, including girls and ASD; growing up on the spectrum; bullying; ASD and transition; and her specialty, autism and sexuality. She also serves on the Awareness Committee of Autism Speaks; the Self-Advocate Advisory Board for the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation; and co-facilitates the Morris County chapter support group meetings for ASPENNJ. Amy's writing has been published in a variety of outlets, including the textbook Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, the Reader’s Digest book The Best Life Stories, and “Autism Spectrum Quarterly” magazine, the official blog of Autism Speaks. She is now authoring The Naughty Autie, a memoir of her experiences with dating, relationships, and sexuality from the firsthand perspective of a woman on the autism spectrum.