Autistic writer and humorist David Finch to speak
Posted by Andrew Careaga
Author David Finch, a former engineer diagnosed with autism as an adult, will speak at Missouri S&T on Nov. 5, 2014.
Author David Finch, a former engineer diagnosed with autism as an adult, will speak at Missouri S&T on Nov. 5, 2014.
David Finch, humorist and author of The New York Times best-selling book The Journal of Best Practices, which chronicles his life as an adult with autism, will speak about his experiences in a public presentation Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Leach Theatre on the Missouri University of Science and Technology campus.
Finch’s presentation – titled “Oh, You needed me to pay attention?” – begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Finch, a former semiconductor engineer, was married in 2003 and diagnosed five years later with Asperger syndrome, or functional autism. Now a full-time writer and speaker, he has written for The New York Times, Huffington Post and Slate. He also writes a relationship blog for Psychology Today.
His 2012 book The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband, is described on Finch’s website as “a candid story of ruthless self-improvement, a unique window into living with an autism spectrum condition and proof that a true heart can conquer all.”
Following Finch’s presentation, he will sign copies of his book, which is available for sale at the S&T Store on campus.
Finch’s visit to campus is sponsored by Missouri S&T’s office of counseling, disability support and student wellness. For more information about the event, contact disability support services at 573-341-6655 or dss@mst.edu.
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The “funny” thing is that usually, autists are described as devoid of humor. So I wonder. is he a “real” autist or can humor be learned by someone who, as the saga about autism goes today, lacks the mirror neurons to understand humor at its core? It would be interesting to hear Mr. Finch’s ideas about this puzzle.
My 13 year old son has Aspergers and he’s VERY funny… Everyone comments on how funny he is. Sometimes his “funny” isn’t but most the time it is… Some asperger’s may have a lower self humor but some like my son think of the craziest and funniest things because their minds go outside of a box we’ve never even considered! 🙂
*lower SENSE of humor. sorry. not enough sleep i guess!
The Journal of Best Practices is one of my favorite books! I’ve heard David and his wife on NPR before, they’re very funny. So excited for this event!
This is so cool! I learned so much from The Journal of Best Practices. My wife’s family lives nearby; I’m going to see if we can make it.
All my respect goes to this great man!
Once you’ve met one person with autism… you’ve met one person with autism. Having a sense of humor and being autistic are not diametrically opposed in anyway.