Author and family share perspectives in 'Autism: A Family Lives Beyond the Label'

Molly Guthrey, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 24—Lindsey Moreland was in the seventh grade when her mom told her she had autism.

"What is autism?" she remembers thinking.

She wondered: Was autism the reason she worried about who to sit by at lunch, or if she'd get picked last as a partner for school projects, or why she felt uncertain about how to make friends?

"I felt unaccepted, bullied and ignored," she says.

It's this middle-school memory that Moreland details at the start of the book she wrote with her family: "Autism: A Family Lives Beyond the Label: The Lindsey Moreland Story" (AutismLM, 2017, $15.39). Each chapter shares perspectives from different family members — from Lindsey's thoughts to those of her sister, Brittany Moreland; her mom and dad, Lauri Moreland and Todd Moreland; her aunt, Linda Wagner; and her grandma, Ida Feyereisen.

The collaborative book is now sold online at Target, where Moreland works, along with her other book, a children's picture book about a girl who doesn't want to get her hair cut. That book, "Little Lindsey's Haircut," was a collaboration with her aunt, Linda Wagner, and artist Jodi Youngman.

Now 27, Moreland has come to appreciate how autism has shaped her.

"Autism is my super power," she says.

It was Temple Grandin who helped her begin to reframe her perspective. Grandin is an author, professor and public speaker on both autism and animal behavior.

"After hearing her speak, I decided, 'I want to be just like her,' " Moreland says.

Grandin's example — as well as support from her family as well as Fraser, a local provider of services for those with autism and more — have helped Moreland find acceptance from the most important person: herself.

"I am completely happy to be who I am today," she says.

Who is she today?

Besides writing and working at Target, Moreland, who lives in River Falls, Wis., is a motivational speaker and an artist, too: Moreland, who is inspired by everything from still lifes to Frida Kahlo, is one of eight artists featured in Art for All's exhibit, "cliffs are poet(z)," through Aug. 28 at the Northrup King Building in northeast Minneapolis. Meet Moreland and the other artists at a reception on Aug. 5 (program at 6 p.m., with reception from 4 to 8 p.m.). More info at https://ici.umn.edu/. More about Moreland at Autismlm.com.