Biography

Alison Hamilton is a social worker, recovering journalist and parent of a 19-year-old daughter with autism and her younger sisters, neurotypical twins. She writes about life as an autism parent on her blog, Real World Autism.

She holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and worked at newspapers in Texas and Florida before leaving journalism to pursue a master’s degree in social work at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. She got early experience providing individual and group therapy at an outpatient addiction facility and a social service agency before moving to Maryland.

Within a year, with newborn twins and an autism diagnosis for her older daughter, she embarked on a journey that she considers her bonus, uncredited clinical training. By the time the twins started kindergarten, she had taken crash courses in advocacy, juggling professionals, understanding medical and educational jargon, and behavior management. She also managed to squeeze in some work as a school social worker, primarily in inner-city schools in Washington, DC, before transitioning to a private practice. She has been a co-coordinator of TACA Maryland since 2009.