About the Author

Sam Farmer is an information technology consultant, neurodiversity community self-advocate, writer/author, public speaker and adviser for Floreo, a company that leverages virtual reality technology in teaching life skills for neurodiverse individuals. Diagnosed later in life as autistic, he writes blogs and articles, records podcasts and presents at libraries, conferences and for corporations and autism community organizations, sharing stories and thoughts as to how one can achieve greater happiness and success in spite of the obstacles which try to interfere with these pursuits.

Farmer’s first book, A Long Walk Down a Winding Road: Small Steps, Challenges, & Triumphs Through an Autistic Lens, as well as his other writing and public presentations, comprise what he calls his “paying it forward mission,” inspired by his deceased parents’ collective legacy. His mother as a social worker, his father as a doctor, and both of them as loving parents and as loyal friends, gave so much of themselves to others, including Farmer and his brothers. When his mother passed away, he could no longer pay her back for all she had done to help him move forward, so he decided instead to pay it forward to others who might benefit from his ideas and insights, and to do so in her memory. The paying it forward mission intensified after the passing of his father a year later, soon after which he began work on A Long Walk Down a Winding Road.