About Jeanette (Jeanie) McAfee
Brief Autobiography October, 2001
Finding it an uncomfortable, yet necessary task to write a short autobiography for this website, I have resorted to asking friends and family members to help by describing me. (I have listed the more mundane aspects of my background in the next paragraph.) I asked them to tell the good and the bad, and I think they have done a pretty good job of it. So here goes...
According to those who know me the best, I am someone who: sings in the kitchen, loves children and animals, is intense and focused (sometimes to a fault!) about subjects that are important to me, is slow to anger, likes a challenge, has a kooky sense of humor, and is determined to fix things that are wrong. So there you have it, right from the sources. For my part, I would add that I love to read, garden, hike, dance, and cross-country ski when I can.
As for the mundane stuff, I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and received both my B.S. and medical degrees from the University of California at Davis. After completing an internship in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital, Oakland, I spent several years providing general pediatric care to underserved children, and three years working with children of U.S. servicemen in Germany. While attending medical school, I met and married the man of my dreams, Keith. We have four wonderful daughters.
Ten years ago, our then ten-year-old daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with high functioning autism. One year later I left my clinical practice to spend more time with my children, and particularly to focus on Rachel’s special needs. During these past five years, I have done extensive research in the area of high functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, particularly focusing on treatment programs for individuals with these diagnoses. During this time, I was very fortunate to spend three months studying with Dr. Tony Attwood in Brisbane, Australia. While there, I also had the good fortune to follow two very talented and inventive “advisory visiting teachers” who specialize in autism as they made their rounds of several schools in the Brisbane area. I recently completed a book, Navigating the Social World, that provides a curriculum for teaching social, emotional, and behavioral skills to individuals with AS/HFA.