Anita was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of fifty. She graduated from Columbia University in New York City with a master of science degree in Nurse Anesthesia in 1988. Anita has been working full-time ever since as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, specializing in anesthesia for neurosurgery, organ transplants, and orthopedic joint replacement surgery. Anita is an internationally recognized autism activist and member of Autism Society of America’s Panel of Autistic Advisers.

Anita is honored to have been a speaker at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City for World Autism Awareness Day 2017, and recently at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC.

Her husband, Abraham, also has autism. They opened their wedding to the public to show that individuals with autism have a need for love, relationships, and marriage just like everyone else. The event attracted international media attention, including People and Good Morning America.

Anita is on a mission to enable everyone with autism around the world to receive the best healthcare. She combined her autism and thirty years’ experience as a medical professional to write the book The Complete Guide to Autism & Healthcare to reach this goal. She sees the need to educate all health care providers about autism and how to best communicate with individuals on the spectrum, enabling providers to provide quality care to this rapidly growing population. This book was recently awarded the prestigious TEMPLE GRANDIN LITERARY AWARD from the Autism Society of America, for the book having the greatest impact on the autism community. This book has also made its way into medical schools as part of required reading for fourth year medical students.

Anita is pioneering into a new frontier for those on the autism spectrum with her new book BECOMING AN AUTISM SUCCESS STORY. An excerpt from the Foreword by Dr. Tony Attwood, world’s leading expert on Asperger’s/Autism says, “Anita’s book is a bridge between our knowledge of the neurology of autism and the latest scientific theories of neuroplasticity. The methods she taught herself, leading her to success, need to be integrated into the school curriculum, job coaching and therapy to facilitate skills that have previously been so elusive for those who have autism.”

Anita has another award-winning book, Temple Grandin: The Stories I Tell My Friends. Anita speaks at numerous autism conferences around the country with Temple Grandin.

Anita also became an internationally published military aviation photojournalist and got a flight in an F-15 fighter jet at Eglin AFB 33rd Fighter Wing, and a flight in a Navy TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter at NAS Whiting Field. Anita also got to spend time with the world’s most elite flight demonstration squadron , the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at their squadron at NAS Pensacola.

Anita’s biggest accomplishment in life was taking her mother’s advice to use the power of the mind. It was that power which enabled Anita to break free of so many of the constraints of autism to have a successful 30+ year career, a happy marriage, and fulfilling life. Now she is inspiring others to unlock the power they have within.