My Life Beyond Autism: A Mayo Clinic Patient Story: A Mayo Clinic Patient Story

Guillaume Federighi (AKA Hey Gee) is a French and American author and illustrator. He began his career in 1998 by exploring the world of street art and graffiti in different European capitals. After moving to New York, Hey Gee developed a reputation for a direct and instantaneous style of graphic design and illustration that brings out unifying ideas, creates distinctive characters, and affects all generations. He is also the owner and creative director of Hey Gee Studio, a full-service creative agency based in New York City. C. Ano was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old. Following his diagnosis, he and his mom spent their days playing and attending his early intervention sessions with different types of therapists, including an occupational therapist, a speech therapist and a floor time therapist. Being present and engaged with the care team was important to his mom to ensure that each member of the therapy team was the right fit for C. Ano, working toward goals that were supportive of his growth and not restrictive. C. Ano is 13 years old now. He loves drawing and being creative and has started his own comic book series. His favorite author/illustrators are Jeff Kinney and Dave Pilkey. He also enjoys creating original movies with his toys and has created a one-act play. C. Ano is a talented public speaker and aspires to be a movie director or an author/illustrator. He lives in Minnesota with his parents, younger brother and two dogs. Dr. Maja Katusic is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She specializes in autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay, with a special focus on investigating risk factors and outcomes in autism spectrum disorder. Her clinical expertise includes comprehensive medical evaluation and management of children who present for a wide range of developmental or behavioral concerns, including autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, intellectual disability, learning difficulties, ADHD, and disruptive behavior. When treating patients, Dr. Katusic is passionate about utilizing a patient and family centered approach to determine how to best serve the needs of her patients and their families. She was honored to work with the author on this unique project to help improve public understanding of autism spectrum disorder.