Understanding Autism

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Lorna Catford, Ph.D. is a longtime friend and Sonoma State University psychology department colleague. I first got to know Lorna quite a few years ago when she was working on her Master’s at Sonoma and she took my class in Myth, Dream, and Symbol. In that class, she became very interested in The Hero’s Journey. Later, after getting her Ph.D. at Stanford University, she began co-teaching with Dr. Michael Ray a very popular class on Creativity in the Stanford Business school. During this period she also wrote an excellent book applying the model of the Hero’s Journey to everyday life and to the challenges of the business world. Some years back, Lorna returned to Sonoma State to become one of our most talented and energetic teachers. She is, herself, the mother of an autistic child. Out of that painful and challenging experience, she has created an award-winning program that trains and utilizes university undergraduates as in-home helpers for families dealing with autism.