My Life Beyond Autism: A Mayo Clinic Patient Story: A Mayo Clinic Patient Story

Combining 36 pages of full illustrations with a first-hand account of living life as a child with autism, this book provides a humbling and inspiring look at how an autism spectrum disorder affects children.

Tracy likes to draw, make movies and play, just like other kids. She also has autism spectrum disorder. This means she processes many everyday situations differently, such as making friends. Over time, she's learned tricks for communicating and coping when things are hard for her.

Follow along as Tracy gives a peek at what life is really like for someone living with autism and how she discovered life beyond this common disorder.

Children's voices are rarely heard amid the complexity of modern medicine. That's why every story in the My Life Beyond series stems from the imagination and experience of a Mayo Clinic patient. The books were developed through collaboration between these patients, Mayo Clinic physicians and author-illustrator Hey Gee. Through this unique lens of inspiring real-life experiences, the series explores how children view illness, challenges and recovery.

One in fifty-four children in the U.S. are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder--which includes autism, Asperger's syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder--but their experiences with this condition are rarely shared. With 36 pages of full illustrations, My Life Beyond Autism brings the reader into the world of a child diagnosed with autism to show how children with this condition view their disorder and work through common behavioral challenges.

The "My Life Beyond" graphic novel book series is published in collaboration with Fondation Ipsen.

Author: Hey Gee
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press Kids
Published: 03/15/2022
Pages: 36
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.31lbs
Size: 0.08h x 0.10w x 0.24d
ISBN: 9781893005778
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2022 pg. 44

About the Author
Guillaume Federighi AKA Hey Gee is a French and American author and illustrator. He began his career in 1998 by exploring the world of street art and graffiti in different European capitals. After moving to New York, Hey Gee developed a reputation for a direct and instantaneous style of graphic design and illustration that brings out unifying ideas, creates distinctive characters, and affects all generations. He is also the owner and creative director of Hey Gee Studio, a full service creative agency based in New York City.

C. Ano was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old. Following his diagnosis he and his mom spent their days playing and attending his early intervention sessions with different types of therapists, including an occupational therapist, a speech therapist and a floor time therapist. Being present and engaged with the care team was important to his mom to ensure that each member of the therapy team was the right fit for C. Ano, working toward goals that were supportive of his growth and not restrictive. C. Ano is 13 years old now. He loves drawing and being creative and has started his own comic book series. His favorite author/illustrators are Jeff Kinney and Dave Pilkey. He also enjoys creating original movies with his toys and has created a one-act play. C. Ano is a talented public speaker and aspires to be a movie director or an author/illustrator. He lives in Minnesota with his parents, younger brother and two dogs.