About Sam

Bio:  Marcelle Ciampi, M.Ed. (aka Samantha Craft)

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Marcelle Ciampi (aka Samatha Craft) a respected autistic author and community advocate, is best known for her writings found in the well-received book Everyday Aspergers. A professional educator, she has been featured in various literature, including peer-reviewed journals, Autism Parenting Magazine, The Mighty, Project Aspie, Art of Autism, and Different Brains. Marcelle works as the Senior Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and as the official Ambassador at Ultranauts Inc. (ultranauts.co), an engineering firm with a neurodiversity-hiring initiative, and is a consultant for Uptimize and Spectrum Fusion. A contributing author of Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism, Marcelle speaks globally on the topic of neurodiversity. She also serves as the founder of Spectrum Suite LLC, the co-founder of the Spectrum Lights Inclusion Summit, co-executive of LifeGuides for Autistics (neuroguides.org), and a contributor and advisor to autism organizations and conferences internationally. Some of her works, especially The Ten Traits, have been translated into multiple languages and been shared in counseling offices around the world. She resides in the Pacific Northwest U.S.A. with her sons and life partner.

“Everyday Aspergers is an unusual and powerful exploration of one woman’s marvelously lived life. Reminiscent of the best of Anne Lamott, Everyday Aspergers jumps back and forth in time through a series of interlocking vignettes that give insight and context to her lived experience as an autistic woman. The humor and light touch is disarming, because underneath light observations and quirky moments are buried deep truths about the human experience and about her own work as an autistic woman discerning how to live her best life. From learning how to make eye contact to finding ways to communicate her needs to being a dyslexic cheerleader and a fraught mother of also-autistic son, Samantha Craft gives us a marvelous spectrum of experiences. Highly recommended for everyone to read — especially those who love people who are just a little different.”

~ Ned Hayes, bestselling author of The Eagle Tree

Written a few years back when this blog (my 3rd blog) was started.

Whenever I see the word “About” I hear the Hokey Pokey in my mind… and turn yourself around…that’s what it’s all about! So now I am in a circle putting my right hand in and my right hand out. Dang visual memory and dang connection to song lyrics. Tis my life. Bouncing random words with their own personality, agenda and ‘irky-ness.’

I shall forgo the boring rambling intro and tell you straight up:

1. I make up words.
2. I eat chocolate for breakfast.
3. I take myself FAR too seriously.
4. I had to delete the word boy-toy in reference to my genius Aspie boyfriend, as I’d thought you’d take it the wrong way.
5. 
6. My Non-Aspie (former) husband with Spock-like traits remains a cool dude.
7. I thought about leaving out ‘former’ to confuse you.
8. I have three teenage sons and don’t know how I survived the earlier years, like when I came home to find the babysitter (we couldn’t keep any around) pacing the room as my three-year old streaked naked with a broken bowl over his head and a stream of his second full roll of toilet paper trimming the hallways and living space as his two older brothers cheered him on. That and the time my two youngest barricaded themselves in a room to block their brother with a fire poker from getting in.
9. Thousands know me by Sam, and I actually answer to Sam and turn around when I hear the name Sam and refer to myself as Sam. And use Sam’s Facebook page. But that’s my pen name and my real name is Marcelle. (It’s not French. I am named after my stunningly beautiful great aunt in Malta). So I kind of feel like I am taking over a made-up-person’s identity.
10. Everyday Aspergers is my other awesome blog with over 1,200 pages of prolific writing. I still don’t know what alien form took over my brain.
11. I am psychic, empathic and often times a pain in the ass–not like a cyst or boil or hemorrhoids, not even a pimple, but more liken to a small tag in your underwear that irritates you to no end because you have sensory issues. But now that I think about it if I am ‘in’ your ass does that suppose I am more like a polyp?
12. I plan on returning to a happy-flappy state asap, either that or a looney state, or perhaps crazy naked-running-in-the-street stage. Something to that degree.
13. I am all pruney from spending far too much time in a deep pool of self-analysis.
14. I can write the most deep complex shit you’ve ever read and it all comes out in one sitting without editing. In case you doubt it here is PROOF.
15. I am going to go force myself to sit in the sauna now, only because if I don’t, I won’t shower. And it’s been 3.5 days since I showered. I have a shower phobia.
16. But before I do that I am going to MAKE my Aspie man read this out loud, so I can 1) process 2) laugh and 3) make sure I haven’t over-shared, but I am thinking I really need an NT (some of my best friends are NT…lol) to tell me if this is appropriate, but since most of you are Aspie I am assuming it’s all good.
17. I am just going to keep on assuming it’s all good in general.

All the best to you ~ Sam (Named after Samantha in the series Bewitched, a fictional character who could wiggle her nose and make shit happen.)

This is me at 4. I loved to eat green apples and play in the gutter.

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