Holliday Willey

First Name: 
Liane
AWN Title: 
Advisory Board
Photo: 
Sharon

Liane is an accomplished Writer, Editor, Communications Consultant for people with ASD at B.R.A.I.N.S. Inc. in Grand Rapids Michigan, a mother and wife. She helps others to understand the importance of accepting the diversities of people as an inspirational and motivational speaker. With a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, Liane seeks to help others realize their full potential by sharing with them how she learned to rise above the challenges of her life to settle into a new understanding of the person she is today. In her own words she describes herself as "Happy, healthy, and well balanced." 

Liane has been featured in The USA Today, Psychology Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Kansas City Star, Register-Guard, The Grand Rapids Press, and many other major newspapers in addition to several on-line sites such as ABC News and Newsweek.  She has been a guest on several national and international radio shows including Radio 4 BBC and Wisconsin’s NPR. Liane was also one of the experts on the Peabody Award nominated special produced by The Infinite Mind radio productions. Liane has also been featured in two videos ASPERGER SYNDROME: CROSSING THE BRIDGE (Michael Thompson Productions, 2001) and ASK ME ABOUT ASPERGER SYNDROME (Michael Thompson Productions, 2001). Her first book, Pretending to be Normal, was featured in the feature film Adam, and was an inspiration for the film Normal Folk (in pre-production).

Liane is active in her community. She serves on several professional boards including Imperative Pictures, a Los Angeles based film company dedicated to the production of mainstream movies focusing on a variety of diversity issues; The Asperger Association of Michigan; The Asperger Syndrome Coalition of the United States (ASK-US); The Equest Center for Theraputic Riding, and More Able Autistic People (MAAP). In addition, she and her husband started a scholarship for psychology students interested in studying pervasive developmental disorders, at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Liane has over fifteen years of experience teaching at the university level. She is currently the the owner of Kirkshire Farm, a consultant to Behavioral Resources And Institute for Neuropsychological Services (BRAINS), Senior Editor for Autism Spectrum Quarterly and the webhost of Aspie.com, a site dedicated to the understanding and support of Asperger Syndrome.


Latest Tweets