In the previous article, Introducing autism whisperer: Lea M. Hill and ‘The Society of Sylphs, an introduction was made to author, Lea M. Hill. Lea has a deep affinity for children on the autism spectrum and is highly in tune with them. Heretofore unknown author, Lea M. Hill, brings her very special talent as an intuitive to the world of autism awareness and fantasy literature. Lea's website, www.SylphSociety.com, is a safe website where kids from 5-18 can showcase their original fantasy stories and artwork. It also has a blog, interesting creative links and an excerpt from her forthcoming book, The Society of Sylphs. The following is a brief interview with her:
Kathleen: Hello Lea and thank you so much for consenting to this interview. From the moment I understood your writing project I was absolutely intrigued. This is a fictional story about ethereal beings called ‘sylphs’ and one particular sylph’s interactions with a little boy with autism whose name is Eddie. First, tell me a little about how your story concept came to be, and then give just a little bit of detail.
Lea: Thank you, Kathleen, it's my pleasure. I had been thinking about writing a book for a while, but
didn't know what it was going to be about. Then late one afternoon in 2007, I was heading to an appointment and had a little time to kill, so I sat on a wharf in Salem, MA, watching the boats go by. There were fishermen all around me, chatting with each other, and I looked up towards the setting sun and admired a fantastic mass of cumulous clouds quickly heading my way. Just then I heard one of the fishermen say, "Hey, look at that!" and I turned around and coming at us from behind was a black wall of thunderstorm clouds with sheets of rain pouring out. The fishermen were scrambling to pack up their things, but I sat there for a few minutes and watched, before my eyes, the two masses of clouds converge. Then as they came together above me, I saw (in my mind's eye), sylphs flying around.
didn't know what it was going to be about. Then late one afternoon in 2007, I was heading to an appointment and had a little time to kill, so I sat on a wharf in Salem, MA, watching the boats go by. There were fishermen all around me, chatting with each other, and I looked up towards the setting sun and admired a fantastic mass of cumulous clouds quickly heading my way. Just then I heard one of the fishermen say, "Hey, look at that!" and I turned around and coming at us from behind was a black wall of thunderstorm clouds with sheets of rain pouring out. The fishermen were scrambling to pack up their things, but I sat there for a few minutes and watched, before my eyes, the two masses of clouds converge. Then as they came together above me, I saw (in my mind's eye), sylphs flying around.I didn't know much about sylphs at the time, but heard they were fairies of the air and were first written about in ancient Celtic mythology. As I did some reading and internet research, my main character, Luranna began to emerge. I had read somewhere that sylphs don't like to interact with humans, but can deliver messages. So I decided that my book was going to be about a coming-of-age sylph who learns how to deliver messages.
Of course, I didn't realize until later that I was really writing about myself, since developing my skills as an intuitive medium, I learned to deliver messages, too!
Kathleen: On your website Lea, you say that you are an intuitive who specializes in communication with autistic people. Can you eleborate a bit on that, and particularly with how you first became aware of this and perhaps some instances of how it has manefested and been made use of?
Lea: Sure. My connection with people with autism spectrum disorders developed (and continues to develop) along with the writing of my book. Prior to which, I was an intuitive medium, but did not have much knowledge of, or experience with autism. I was writing about the sylph, Luranna, in a scene where she meets a human boy, but I needed a reason why only he could see and hear her. Then the thought came to me that it would make sense if the boy is a nonverbal autistic, that way their communication would be just between them.
Once I determined that Eddie was a nonverbal autistic, I researched everything I could about autism, from both the scientific and spiritual views. Then Eddie's character began to emerge and he's now the "other" main character of the story. I am still reading as much as I can about autism, such as books by Temple Grandin, Bill Stillman, and Ellen Notbohm, and news articles from resources such as Examiner.com.
Well, with all the reading I did about autism along with my intuitive practice, something must have "gelled" in my brain, because one day I met a woman who's son is a limited-verbal autistic. He was not physically there while we were talking, but suddenly he "showed up" there in front of me and started communicating with me telepathically. You can imagine my hesitancy to stop and tell this woman, who I had just met, that her son had appeared and was standing there talking to me!
I still didn't think it was much more than a strange encounter until a short time later when I met her son, Joe (not his real name), in person and felt an immediate, clear connection with him. Even though on the outside he did not appear to be interacting with anyone in the room, he was communicating with me about his thoughts and feelings. I felt an overwhelming unconditional love emanating from him.
Kathleen: That must have been an extremely powerful moment…for both of you. Now where do you see the story going? Are there sequels in queue and if that is the case will the main characters remain in place?
Lea: Ah, yes... I don't think I could possibly tell Luranna and Eddie's stories in just one book. There is still so much that I need to learn - and they'll both be learning it along with me as I continue to write! Typically, first time authors are told to "write what you know", but I choose to "write what I need to learn" and watch it unfold before me. It makes for slower writing, but, wow, the benefits are great.
Kathleen: Yes it sounds as though your story is a living process that unfolds itself as you go along! I have a question regarding causation of autism. I generally veer more toward ‘what is helpful NOW’….but does your sensitivity give you an idea of a person with autism’s cause, and is what you see along the lines of a medical intuitive?
Lea: I don't think we'll ever find one particular cause of autism, but my belief is that they are here on the planet as teachers. I believe that they teach the rest of us (neuro-typicals) about a lot of things, but most importantly about unconditional love. When you think about it, there are no two cases of autism exactly alike, which is why we refer to a whole spectrum of autistic disorders. If there were, we'd put them all in a box, so to speak, label it, and treat them all the same way with the same medication, therapy, etc. The fact that each person with autism is so different, forces us to look at the individual and determine treatment that is specific to him or her.
Kathleen: How would you like to see your work affect the autism awareness community in general? What do you believe the ‘purpose’ of your literature is….if it is other than pure enjoyment, and where do you look to see this project further down the road?
Lea: My wish is that, throughout the world, autism is brought to a level of awareness that, as Bill Stillman states, "we always presume intellect". I hope that my book, which includes some real messages I've delivered as an intuitive medium (although changed to protect privacy), offers insight into what a person with autism might be thinking and feeling.
My book is a fantasy novel for young readers (ages 9-14) and I think the ultimate message of the story is that we all need to develop our own means of self-expression. Although I always suspected that I was psychic as a child, I did not accept that part of myself and develop my skills until I was an adult. That is probably the main reason why I connect so well with people with autism, as well as many neuro-typical kids, is that for most of my life I held back from expressing my emotions because of fear.
The world is a better place when we each shine our own light and allow others to shine theirs.
What an excellent place to leave off and an excellent message to share. Please look for the first work of Lea M. Hill, The Society of Sylphs, to be released in the near future.
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Comments
Holy Christmas! That was an amazing post.
Fascinating!
Keep up the good work!
Thank you :) See more at www.SocietyofSylphs.com
Lea is amazing.
As a father to six children on the spectrum I too feel that these children are here to teach us to be better and unconditional loving people. VERY interesting story idea that sounds totally believable.
I don't think any one person should be called the "Autism Whisperer", let alone a person who allows him/herself to be marketed as "Autism Whisperer". There is no one who knows these children better than their parents. And furthermore, there is no one type of therapy that seems to do better with children who have autism, even amongst siblings. No two autism cases are the same.
I'm just weary of anyone who claims to be 'intuitive' with autism children. There is too much advantage to be taken by that person, especially in the monetary department.
Hi Cookie123,
I understand your concern. Many have obviously found the recent rise in autism diagnosis as an opportunity to market autism “fixes”….some valid and some questionable. I believe the object of Lea’s fictional story, however, is best stated in this portion of our interview…..which offers a personal perspective regarding the high value these folks have for the entire community, rather than implying any “fix” is required……
Lea: I don't think we'll ever find one particular cause of autism, but my belief is that they are here on the planet as teachers. I believe that they teach the rest of us (neuro-typicals) about a lot of things, but most importantly about unconditional love. When you think about it, there are no two cases of autism exactly alike, which is why we refer to a whole spectrum of autistic disorders. If there were, we'd put them all in a box, so to speak, label it, and treat them all the same way with the same medication, therapy, etc. The fact that each per
(continued from previous post)
The fact that each person with autism is so different, forces us to look at the individual and determine treatment that is specific to him or her
Thank you for contribution to the ongoing conversation of autism awareness.
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