Lisa Jo Rudy is the mother of Tommy, age 12, diagnosed with PDD-NOS -- an autism spectrum disorder. She is also a professional writer, researcher and consultant. Lisa and her videographer/photographer husband, Peter, live in Massachusetts. Their son, Tom, is homeschooled and their daughter, Sara, attends public school. Lisa is working on a new book, entitled, "Out-of-School Learning and Your Child with Autism," due to be published by Jessica Kingsley Press in March, 2010. She is available as a speaker for conferences and events, and may be contacted at lisa@lisarudy.com for specific details.

Experience:

Lisa is an active autism advocate, writing for and speaking at various autism-related events and programs. She is also a leader in program development for children on the autism spectrum, having spearheaded the creation of a summer camp program for children on the spectrum in collaboration with the Philadelphia-area YMCA.

In 2004, Lisa led a panel presentation on "Welcoming Children Who Learn Differently" at the annual Association of Science Technology Centers conference, and authored a paper on the same topic for a publication of the American Association of Museums.

Since 1992, Lisa has developed hands-on, interactive educational materials for clients including The National Science Foundation, The National Geographic Society, Space Telescope/NASA, and the Smithsonian Institution. She also writes for major publishers including CNN.com, Time, and Scholastic.

Education:

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in the Humanities from Wesleyan University and a Master's Degree in Divinity from Harvard University. She also holds certificates from The Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL).

From Lisa Jo Rudy:

What made Einstein, Mozart and Turing great? Could it have been their autism spectrum disorders? At About.com, we have the ability to pool our knowledge to help every individual on the autism spectrum achieve their own greatness!

References:

• Lisa Jo Rudy
  More about my work as a writer and consultant.
• Explorations Unlimited LLC
  We offer videography and editorial services.
• Homeschool Unit Studies Materials for All Kinds of Learners
  Homeschool unit studies and resources tested by "our" homeschoolers.