Remembering Local Author, Activist, and Artist Nilla Childs

Last month, the Triad lost an activist, storyteller, and artist when the Winston-Salem based writer Nilla Childs died of cancer.

We celebrate Nilla by sharing her interview from 2012. Bethany Chafin spoke with her following the publication of her memoir Puzzled: 100 Pieces of Autism, Stories of a Determined Mother Who Never Gives Up on her Quirky Son. Childs' oldest son, Daniel, was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 23, and Childs' book highlights the everyday struggles and triumphs associated with the Syndrome.

Puzzled: 100 Pieces of Autism was a significant contribution to the literature on Asperger's. Childs was an advocate for autism education and services, and she worked closely with the iCan House of Winston-Salem. The Childs family has indicated that memorials can be made to Hope Presbyterian Church Deacon's Fund, the iCan House, or the Winston-Salem Street School.