Abstract

In this personal essay, Mark Osteen uses the metaphor of a pas de deux to dramatize how caring for his autistic son has enriched his scholarship and teaching. In his early years as the father of an autistic child, Osteen’s parental and professional roles clashed, but gradually he learns to use what his son teaches him—particularly about nonverbal communication and multiple forms of intelligence—to develop a theory of empathetic scholarship and to enhance his pedagogy.