Parenting on the Spectrum

Books, movies, television shows, and blogs that discuss how best to raise autistic children often come for the perspective of allistic—or, non-autistic—caregivers. But what about the perspectives of parents and guardians who are themselves autistic? To find out, join us for a live discussion with Dr. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu as we explore the gifts, insights, and wisdom that come along with being an autistic parent to autistic children. This is an Autistic Alliance Month event.

Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD(c), MA (she/they) is a global advocate, educator, and autistic person of color in a neurodiverse, multicultural, serodifferent family. A prolific writer, consultant,and social scientist/activist whose work focuses on meaningful community involvement, human rights, intersectional justice, and inclusion, Morénike is a Humanities Scholar at Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Co-Chair of the Women’s HIV Research Collaborative, and a member of several executive boards.

Morénike has been an invited speaker at the United Nations, the White House, and numerous peer-reviewed international conferences in addition to contributing author/editor of several publications, abstracts, and books focusing on community engagement, intersectionality, disability, advocacy, and inclusion. Publications of note include the first anthology on autism and race ​All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism​, a 2021 edited collection from Beacon Press ​Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity​, and the forthcoming ​Neurodiversity en Noir: A Collection of Black Neurodiverse Voices​ from Jessica Kingsley Publishing (2022). Follow Morénike’s work at: ​https://MorenikeGO.com