WANTED
turned around . You ’ re not a monster , and you ’ re not invisible . You ’ re just imperfect . And now , you ’ ll also find that you are very , very sick .
Self-harm isn ’ t about attention-seeking . It ’ s about control . The reality is that there are a lot more things in life we can ’ t control than those we can . You can ’ t engineer every conversation or job or date or class . But you can be one-hundredpercent in charge of how you respond to your triggers .
Lastly , do not say “ I ’ m fine ” when you ’ re not . No matter how alone you feel — no matter how to-blame you believe you are — you aren ’ t . I ’ m telling you this from personal experience , my friend . You deserve — you need — real people in your life who aren ’ t afraid of sadness . Real people — parents , siblings , counselors , teachers — who will come closer when you cry . Who will put a hand softly on your shoulder or wrap you in a hug and say , “ No , you ’ re not . And I ’ m still not leaving .”
SUZANNE “ BEANE ” CHANESMAN
FOR CREATIVE & DETAIL-ORIENTED DESIGN
www . beanedesign . com info @ beanedesign . com
TM
Jennifer O ’ Toole is the creator of Asperkids LLC , and author of the internationally-bestselling Asperkids book series ( 2012-15 ). Jennifer has been appointed to the Autism Society of America ’ s Advisory Panel , recognized as one of the “ World ’ s Top Aspie Mentors ,” and is the winner of the Temple Grandin Global Contribution Award . She ’ s been featured in Scientific American , advised the President ’ s Council at the White House and collaborated with Sesame Street on their first autistic character . Jennifer is the mom of three ( awesome ) Asperkids , and proudly , is an Aspie , herself .
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ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses