John Elder Robison

John Elder Robison is an autistic adult; author of Switched On; Raising Cubby; Look Me in the Eye, My Life with Asperger’s; and Be Different - Adventures of a Free-range Aspergian. John’s books are sold in a dozen languages in over 65 countries.

Robison is the Neurodiversity Scholar in Residence at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and an advisor to the Neurodiversity Institute at Landmark College in Putney, VT. He served two terms on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the US Department of Health and Human Services and other boards for the Dept of Defense, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. Robison grew up in the 1960s before the breadth of the autism spectrum was fully understood, so he was not diagnosed until age 40. After dropping out of high school, he worked in the music business where he created sound effects and electronic devices, the best known of which were the signature guitars he built for KISS. Later Robison worked on some of the first video games and talking toys at Milton Bradley.

After a ten-year career in electronics, he founded Robison Service where he oversees the restoration of classic European motorcars in Springfield, Massachusetts. Robison is also a trustee of the Eastern States Exposition, New England’s State Fair, and an accomplished performance photographer. He is a hiker, a music lover, and a world-class champion eater.