Category Archives: Lessons from Omar

What I Have Learned From My Brother With Autism

Everything I Need To Know About Being An Association Executive I Learned From My Brother with Autism

At the recent Great Ideas Conference by the American Society of Association Executives, I was asked to give an Ignite presentation. This is a 5 minute presentation with 20 slides in a PowerPoint, on a timer so that each slide is up for 15 seconds. I decided to present an idea I’ve been nurturing for 20 years, since I’ve been in graduate school. This idea is about the lessons that I’ve learned from Omar. Below is my result.

As you can see, this is a testament to my brother. What I loved about this presentation was the opportunity to merge my two worlds, the autism world and the associations world. I am grateful to ASAE for the opportunity to give this presentation and share my affection and admiration of my brother.

Siblings

People often ask me why did I become a psychologist.

And the answer is simple – I wanted to learn more about autism because I have a brother with autism.

Omar, March 2013

Omar, March 2013

When I was younger, autism was pretty rare, and because I was embarrassed by Omar, I kept quiet about him. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve learned a lot more about autism, and autism has become more mainstream and less hidden than it used to be. My friends and colleagues are always very interested to hear about Omar.

Many of my blog posts will revolve around Omar. I’ll include stories about being a sibling. But I’m most excited to share what I have learned from Omar – I’ll call these posts “Lessons from Omar”.

Omar continues to be my inspiration.

Welcome to Doctor Nabil’s blog!

My name is Nabil El-Ghoroury and I am a psychologist with personal and professional expertise in autism spectrum disorders. In addition to having 20 years of experience with individuals with autism, I have a brother with autism. His name is Omar and he is two years younger than me.

In this blog, I hope to write about a variety of topics:

Summarize current research on autism spectrum disorders
Health disparities and autism
Thoughts on interventions in autism
Media representations of autism spectrum disorders

But I also plan to write about some personal topics:

Lessons from Omar – important lessons I’ve learned from Omar
Personal stories – reflections on having a sibling with autism

I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Wilkommen, bienvenu, welcome!