Amy Maureen Murphy

I was born with Aspergers, as was my father, grandfather, possibly my great-grandmother, and my oldest son. My son, at 10 years old, was the first family member to officially receive the Aspergers diagnosis. As the neuropsychiatrist relayed the signs and symptoms, I realized that I had been living all of my 40 years Autistic. It took over two years to fully research and comprehend what it meant to be on the Spectrum. As a mother, I voraciously consumed information to try and help my son. At 60 years of age, I feel that I have gained some understanding and knowledge. As I work to put my every day struggles into words, I better understand my abilities and disabilities. Some of the most challenging times for me are when I go mute and lose the ability to speak. Burnouts, shutdowns, and meltdowns are the trifecta of hurdles I must navigate around and avoid when possible. Putting words to confusing experiences has helped me. Maybe my words can help others, too. I am also a Survivor of Intergenerational Incest and a Childhood of Prostitution at the hands of my parents and paternal grandmother. I speak about my experiences to break the family cycle of childhood sexual abuse and to shed light on this most unpleasant topic which affects millions of children and adult survivors. I speak out because I can. Talking and writing about my abuse is the only way that I can heal. I write so that someone knows who I am and what was done to me. I refuse to keep the family secrets any longer. I have spent four decades holding them inside. No more. These books are my story, my life, my collection of experiences. I am real.