By Marc W. Polite
Greetings my readers. Happy Writers Wednesday. Today, we hear from Carol Engler. Carol is the author of “Aaron’s Story: One Wrong Turn“. Read below to find out more about the story she is sharing with the world.
Polite On Society: For people who are just hearing of you, who is Carol Engler? Tell us about yourself.
Carol Engler: I will soon be 72 years old, was born in New York City and have been writing since the age of 5. When I was 13 years old, we moved to Los Angeles, Calif. and I wrote articles about the “rock stars” of our day for the local teen magazines and newspapers. I interviewed and published stories about The Monkees, Alice Cooper, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Grass Roots, The Chambers Brothers, The Moody Blues, etc. You get the idea…
I went to college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff (majoring in journalism, of course.) I was hired in 1971 by The Yuma Daily Sun as an investigative reporter and have lived in Yuma ever since.
POS: What motivated you to publish Aaron’s Story: One Wrong Turn?
CE: Wow – what a great question! After having been through so much pain, stress and angst with my son, Aaron, for 25 long years, I realized how extremely helpful ALL the people were in my life … the members of the Arizona Tourette Syndrome Assn., all the mental health professionals, Aaron’s school teachers and counselors, his few but loyal friends – it literally took an entire village to help him survive day to day.
I wanted other parents to know that there is help out there and that it’s OK to reach out for assistance. I initially thought I was Super Mom and could do it all on my own – WRONG ANSWER!!
POS: You talk about neurodivergence in your writings. What is one thing that you believe people do not understand about neurodivergence?
CE: Many neurodivergent individuals experience different emotional and behavioural symptoms and yet they do share some commonalities. Their struggle with reading and writing in school is never ending. They cannot cope with crowds, loud noises or everyday social situations. The scenarios we would consider “normal” are overwhelming and in some cases, catastrophic for them.
POS: How does your experience as a former newspaper reporter aid you in telling a story that is so close to your heart?
CE: I learned early on in my newspaper career that humor is the absolute key to getting people to open up to you. During my hundreds of interviews over the years, I would strive to put people I was interviewing at ease with some jokes or funny comments. With Aaron’s book, I called myself the “Erma Bombeck of Mental Health” because I told his story with both humor and tears.
POS: If there is a single lesson that you would want parents to take away from Aaron’s Story, what would it be?
CE: DON’T EVER GIVE UP!!! If the answer is no, then you’re just not talking to the right person!