Overview

Host Lori Boll speaks with Kathi Silva, author of ‘Extraordinary Experiences: Tales of Special Needs Abroad,’ a book about living with special needs as expats. Kathi wrote this book as a way to share stories and help others prepare for adventures overseas while parenting their neurodiverse children.

Kathi shares about her experiences raising her autistic twins overseas in multiple countries and her wishes for international schools from the lens of a parent.

Kathi’s Book: Extraordinary Experiences: Tales of Special Needs Abroad

BIO

Kathi and her husband joined the Foreign Service when their autistic twins (now 22) were two years old. They have lived and coordinated education and support services for their twins in the U.S., France, South Africa, Venezuela, Serbia, Uruguay, Uganda, and Switzerland, with each country providing a different perspective of how neurodiversity is perceived and handled. In 2019, Kathi produced and edited ‘Extraordinary Experiences: Tales of Special Needs Abroad,’ a book about living with special needs as expats, as a way to share stories and help others prepare for adventures overseas. She has also written for the Foreign Service Magazine to advocate for more support for families with special needs children.