![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2022\/04\/RVF_autism-journey_alum_Lindseywithbooks.jpg\")
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At 28 months of age, University of Wisconsin-River Falls alum Lindsey Moreland was diagnosed with autism after showing classic signs including not responding to her name and banging her head into walls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was devastating,\u201d Lindsey\u2019s mom, Lauri Moreland, recalled. \u201cWe called it the death sentence. There was nothing good to read about autism. We were told by a social worker that Lindsey would probably live in an institution. Everything was what she was not going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 28, Lindsey has come to appreciate how autism has shaped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAutism is my superpower,\u201d Lindsey often notes. April is recognized as Autism Awareness Month.<\/p>\n
In 2011, Lindsey\u2019s junior year in high school, she saw Temple Grandin speak at UWRF. Grandin is an author, professor and public speaker on both autism and animal behavior.<\/p>\n
From there, her family decided it was time to tell Lindsey\u2019s story by using Grandin\u2019s example and finding acceptance of herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t always know why some therapies work for Lindsey and not for someone else,\u201d Lauri said. \u201cDon\u2019t judge people. You never know what a family is facing. Now we know life is better with autism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindsey, who lives independently in River Falls, is an author, motivational speaker and artist.<\/p>\n
Her most recent children\u2019s book, which she co-authored with her aunt, Linda Wagner, \u201cLittle Lindsey is a Picky Eater,\u201d is available at Target.com. Lindsey, who earned her associate degree from UWRF in December, works as a guest advocate at the Hudson Target.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to shop there,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cMy co-workers are really friendly and very accepting of who I am. Target accepts differences and also is inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n
At speaking engagements, Lauri, Lindsey and Lindsey\u2019s sister, Brittany Moreland, share their stories. Brittany has been diagnosed with epilepsy, mental health concerns and a learning disability.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy sharing our family story of living with autism and mental health concerns, I hope to inspire others to live, survive and thrive in today\u2019s society,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cI also am on a mission to spread awareness about bullying and to accept differences. Understanding each other better is a great way to share acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three will be speaking at UWRF from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, in North Hall Auditorium<\/a> on \u201cAutism: A Family Lives Beyond the Label.\u201d<\/strong> The event is free and open to all. It is hosted by the Disability Rights Education Activism Mentoring.<\/p>\n The first book the family published was in 2017. \u201cAutism: A Family Lives Beyond the Label the Lindsey Moreland Story\u201d has chapters written from different family members\u2019 perspectives. Lindsey writes of first learning she had autism, Britany, Lauri and Lindsey\u2019s father, Todd Moreland, grandma, Ida Feyereisen, and Wagner.<\/p>\n Wagner, a 1993 UWRF alum with a bachelor\u2019s degree in elementary education and a teaching certificate in elementary Spanish instruction, teaches 3rd grade in Hudson.<\/p>\n Wagner said she witnessed the challenges Lindsey\u2019s family faced as Lindsey grew up.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a mother, teacher and aunt, I searched for books that could help families with autism,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cI found very little and knew there was a need for more information in the autism world. Lindsey has worked hard to become a successful adult in a world that does not always understand the special needs of people with learning differences. The support she received along the way was tremendous from family, friends, therapists, teachers and even strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n Lauri asked Wagner to help tell their family story. The goal was to write it for the purpose of giving others hope and sharing their family’s struggles along the way. Lindsey volunteered in Wagner\u2019s classroom several years ago, and in one of Lindsey\u2019s classes at UWRF, she made a children’s book about having autism.<\/p>\n \u201cMy students at the time loved it and were very curious,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThey wondered why there weren’t more books about children with autism, specifically children’s stories. As a result, the idea for the Little Lindsey series was born. Lindsey helps me as a writer to understand how hard it was for her with certain day-to-day experiences. I test the books out on my students and family before we make final decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Lindsey also has another children\u2019s book \u201cLittle Lindsey Gets a Haircut.\u201d All the books are illustrated by Jodi Youngman, an artist from North Hudson.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the children\u2019s books would be educational and more from the standpoint if there was a child with special needs, it would help other children understand,\u201d Lindsey said.<\/p>\n The family is planning a third children\u2019s book at the end of this year where little Lindsey makes a friend.<\/p>\n Lindsey also creates graphic pencil, pen and ink, colored pencil and acrylic paint art.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing an artist is my gifted talent,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cI began to develop my talent around 13 years old. Unlike other children my age who were selling lemonade on the street corner, I tried selling my art. Although it didn\u2019t go as well as I hoped, I continued to pursue my art in middle school, high school, and beyond. The inspiration for my drawings comes from my passions. I am fascinated with the details of the Titanic, still life drawings, famous celebrities and animals. Depending on the topic, subject matter and my mood, these drawings help me communicate with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about Lindsey\u2019s story, view her artwork and learn more about her books, go to autismlm.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Written by UW-River Falls University Communications and Marketing<\/p>\n
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