Embracing my life with Aspergers
For me, learning I had Aspergers was a huge relief. An "OMG" moment... you mean there is a name for it?
I have always been different.
I find the ordinary world ridden with useless scents, sounds, noise, and people.
People that lie, manipulate and hate.
Manipulative people are a mystery to me. Why not just ask for what you need?
I have always been one to give people what they need. Not necessarily what they want, but what the need.
People don't need that loud blaring music or strong scented perfume. All it does is provide a distraction. One I can live with out.
When asked questions, I tell people the truth unaware that the truth is not what they want to hear. Kinda like, "do these pants make my ass look fat?" my reply might be, "no your ass makes your ass look fat."
Not exactly what people want to hear, huh?
I notice other behaviors and "oddities" that can now be attributed to Aspergers... not liking to be hugged by strangers; difficulty dancing with people other than myself.. I want to ask, "what do I do with my hands?"
I still get lost in my own head, my own home, my own neighborhood... but I'm finding my way... I may have gotten here a little later than most, but hopefully points are given for starting late and finishing strong.
My life with Aspergers is just beginning... I have much to do...
For now, that's all.Just me,
e
@ELyssaD™
Showing posts with label AFB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFB. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Powers That Beat by @ELyssaD™: Embracing my life with Aspergers
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Hands Clean - ELyssa Durant © 2012
via youtube.com
"Hands Clean"
If it weren't for your maturity none of this would have happened
If you weren't so wise beyond your years I would've been able to control myself
If it weren't for my attention you wouldn't have been successful and
If it weren't for me you would never have amounted to very much
Ooh this could be messy
But you don't seem to mind
Ooh don't go telling everybody
And overlook this supposed crime
We'll fast forward to a few years later
And no one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you've washed your hands clean of this
You're essentially an employee and I like you having to depend on me
You're a kind of my protégé and one day you'll say you learned all you know from me
I know you depend on me like a young thing would to a guardian
I know you sexualize me like a young thing would and I think I like it
Ooh this could get messy
But you don't seem to mind
Ooh don't go telling everybody
And overlook this supposed crime
We'll fast forward to a few years later
And no one knows except the both of us
I've more than honored your request for silence
And you've washed your hands clean of this
What part of our history's reinvented and under rug swept?
What part of your memory is selective and tends to forget?
What with this distance it seems so obvious?
Just make sure you don't tell on me especially to members of your family
We best keep this to ourselves and not tell any members of our inner posse
I wish I could tell the world cause you're such a pretty thing when you're done up properly
I might want to marry you one day if you watch that weight and keep your firm body
Ooh this could be messy and
Ooh I don't seem to mind
Ooh don't go telling everybody
And overlook this supposed crime
ELyssa Durant © 2012 || All Rights Reserved ELyssaD™
DailyDDoSe™ @ELyssaD™
http://elyssadurant.com
http://powersthatbeat.com
http://autismaid.org
UR - ELyssa Durant © 2012
via youtube.com
"UR"
burn the books they've got too many names and psychosis
all this incriminating evidence would surely haunt me
if someone broke into my house
suits in the living room
do you realize guys I was born in 1974
we've got someone here to explain your publishing
we know how much you love to be in front of audiences
hopeful you are
schoolbound you are
naive you are
driven you are
take a trip to new york with your guardian
and your fake identification
when they said "is there something anything
you'd like to know young lady?"
you said "yes I'd like to know what kind of people
i'll be dealing with"
precocious you are
headstrong you are
terrified you are
ahead of your time you are
don't mind our staring but
we're surprised you're not in a far-gone asylum
we're surprised you didn't crack up
lord knows that we would've
we would've liked to have been there
but you keep pushing us away
resilient you are
big time you are
ruthless you are
precious you are
ELyssa Durant © 2012 || All Rights Reserved ELyssaD™
DailyDDoSe™ @ELyssaD™
http://elyssadurant.com
http://powersthatbeat.com
http://autismaid.org
Monday, November 12, 2012
AutismAid™ Aware to Share Aware to Care || Autism Friendly Business,LLC™
via youtube.com
DailyDDoSe™ @ELyssaD™.
"American Girl"
Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin'
That there was a little more to life somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
And if she had to die tryin'
She had one little promise she was gonna keep
O yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Well it was kind of cold that night,
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by,
Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment
There he crept back in her memory
God it's so painful when something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach
O yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
"Second Chance"
My eyes are open wide
And by the way, I made it
Through the day
I watched the world outside
By the way, I'm leaving out
Today
I just saw Hayley's comet
She waved
Said, "Why you always running in place?"
Even the man in the
Moon disappeared
Somewhere in the
Stratosphere
[Chorus]
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
Please don't cry
One tear for me
I'm not afraid of
What I have to say
This is my one and
Only voice
So listen close, it's
Only for today
I just saw Hayley's comet
She waved
Said, "Why you always running in place?"
Even the man in the
Moon disappeared
Somewhere in the
Stratosphere
[Chorus]
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
Here's my chance
This is my chance
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
[x2]
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
ELyssa Durant © 2012 || All Rights Reserved ELyssaD™
http://powersthatbeat.com
http://elyssadurant.com
For more info about our agency please visit AutismAid.org or to become an affiliate visit http://www.autismfriendlybusiness.com/
Autism Friendly Business,LLC™ http://bit.ly/AutismAidAFB
Autism Friendly Business,LLC
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Question To Autism Parents:
Would you go out of your way or even spend a little more at an AFB instead of a 'regular" business?
'I already do.Chances are it's a better business to begin with if they are that concerned about families,right?"-Michelle"I wish Mcdonalds and the other fast food places would do it,it would be awesome we would always go there instead of staying home"-Linda
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For more info about our agency please visit AutismAid.org or to become an affiliate visit http://www.autismfriendlybusiness.com/
Autism Friendly Business,LLC™ http://bit.ly/AutismAidAFB
AutismAid™ Aware to Share Aware to Care || Autism Friendly Business,LLC-TM http://bit.ly/AutismAidAFB
via youtube.com
DailyDDoSe™ @ELyssaD™.
"American Girl"
Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin'
That there was a little more to life somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
And if she had to die tryin'
She had one little promise she was gonna keep
O yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Well it was kind of cold that night,
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by,
Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment
There he crept back in her memory
God it's so painful when something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach
O yeah, all right
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
"Second Chance"
My eyes are open wide
And by the way, I made it
Through the day
I watched the world outside
By the way, I'm leaving out
Today
I just saw Hayley's comet
She waved
Said, "Why you always running in place?"
Even the man in the
Moon disappeared
Somewhere in the
Stratosphere
[Chorus]
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
Please don't cry
One tear for me
I'm not afraid of
What I have to say
This is my one and
Only voice
So listen close, it's
Only for today
I just saw Hayley's comet
She waved
Said, "Why you always running in place?"
Even the man in the
Moon disappeared
Somewhere in the
Stratosphere
[Chorus]
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
Here's my chance
This is my chance
Tell my mother,
Tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying...
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
[x2]
Sometimes goodbye
Is a second chance
ELyssa Durant © 2012 || All Rights Reserved ELyssaD™
http://powersthatbeat.com
http://elyssadurant.com
For more info about our agency please visit AutismAid.org or to become an affiliate visit http://www.autismfriendlybusiness.com/
Autism Friendly Business,LLC™ http://bit.ly/AutismAidAFB
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tampa's Warriors for Autism seeks to help parents of autistic children in the bay area, as Warriors for Autism does so nationally - Tampa Bay Times
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Story Tools Print this story Purchase reprints Contact the editor Email Newsletters [Photos by KATHLEEN FLYNN l Times]During an August Warriors for Autism camp at Horsepower for Kids, Zane Zigler, 8, rides Snowy, led by volunteer Christina Cruz.').attr('border', '1').attr('width', image.width).attr('height', image.height).attr('src', image.url).attr('alt', image.caption).attr('title', image.altText).appendTo('#article-slideshow-1244817'); totalImagesAdded++; } }); if (totalImagesAdded >= 2) { $('#article-slideshow-1244817').cycle({ fx: 'fade', speed: 500, next: '#slideshow-next-1244817', prev: '#slideshow-prev-1244817', timeout: 0, after: ssOnAfter_1244817 }); $('#slideshow-nav-1244817').show(); } else { // one image, so just statically fill in the credit and caption var _i = $('#article-slideshow-1244817').find('img:first'); $('#slideshow-caption-1244817').html(_i.attr('alt')); if (_i.attr('title') != '') $('#slideshow-photog-1244817').html('[' + _i.attr('title') + ']'); } }); }); function ssOnAfter_1244817() { $('#article-slideshow-1244817').css('height', this.height); $('#slideshow-photog-1244817').html( (this.title !== undefined && this.title != '') ? '[' + this.title + ']' : '' ).fadeIn(); $('#slideshow-caption-1244817').html(this.alt).fadeIn(); }
TOWN 'N COUNTRY
When Deena and Olando Rivera found out their son, Anthony, was autistic, they experienced the stress and grief that many parents in their position face.
But more than 10 years after their son's diagnosis, the couple has learned enough about dealing with the disorder to form a nonprofit organization to help support the local autism community.
"We had this lightbulb moment when we realized that after all the fundraising we did for other organizations, we still don't have the services that we needed for our family or the other families that were in the community," said Deena Rivera, founder and chief executive of Warriors for Autism. "We decided, 'well let's try to do this ourselves.' We know what we need better than anybody. We know from our friends what they need so let's give it a shot."
Warriors for Autism provides life-enhancing services for families. It provides a wide range of activities for autistic children and helps those in the autistic community integrate into society through group meetings, education, job placement, fundraising and community events.
The need for local autism support is great, said Kelley Prince, founder and president of Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay, pointing out that the area has the sixth-highest number of cases of autism in the nation.
"I feel that, several years ago, the general public was not very educated on autism as a disorder," Prince said. "Although there is more awareness today, it is still a foreign idea to many."
All that the Riveras knew about autism at the time Anthony was diagnosed in 2001 was from the Academy Award-winning movie, Rain Man.
"When you think about it, Rain Man was pretty high functioning," Rivera said of the movie's autistic main character, played by Dustin Hoffman. "He could speak, he could dress himself. He was somewhat self-sufficient . . . People would wish that their child was as highly functional as a Rain Man."
Anthony, now 13, also is high functioning. But autism symptoms and severity can vary from person to person, affecting their ability to interact and communicate with others.
The Riveras said they formed Warriors for Autism as a way to provide families the services and knowledge to help them cope, which is something that didn't come to them right away.
"The big organizations like Autism Speaks were among the first ones assembling meetings, so that's what we were drawn to," Deena Rivera said. "But it's always that reminder of how lonely and devastating it was back then that draws us to help other people."
During the summer, the group has hosted weekly camps for autistic children at a local farm called Horse Power for Kids. The camps educate children about exotic animals and allows them to interact. They enjoy a variety of activities, including swimming, arts and crafts, field trips and horseback riding.
Tammy Matson, of Clearwater, said the camp has given her son, Ryan, an opportunity to play with animals, which isn't something he would normally be able to do.
"Plus, the group of kids are kids who are like him," she said.
Matson said her son has attended camps that aren't specifically for children with autism, and he would sometimes get left out "because he may act a little different and might do things a little different than the rest of the kids."
Susan Gettys, the director of education at Warriors for Autism, attests to the attention to detail autistic children need.
"It's a matter of knowing children, each individual child," Gettys said. "Deena says if you met one autistic child, you only met one autistic child."
Warriors for Autism operates on private donations and fundraisers. Donations from the New York Yankees Foundation have helped with the annual summer camps, and the couple also uses Olando Rivera's connections as a five-time world kickboxing champion to get contributions from area martial arts businesses.
"We've gone in for 10 years with autism and it's been a ride through trial and error in a lot of what we've done," Olando Rivera said. "But all we do is out of the kindness of our heart, because we want nothing but the best for our children."
On the Web
For more information, go to warriorsforautism.org
On the Web
For more information on the program,
go to warriorsforautism.org.
via tampabay.com
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Accommodations, Interventions & Modifications || AutismAid
Accommodations, Modifications & Interventions
Accommodating Students with Special Needs
From Sue Watson, former About.com Guide
See More About:
Modifications? Accommodations or Interventions? Here's a checklist of strategies to help you with the inclusional classroom which will assist in meeting the needs of all students.___ Special needs students are within close proximity to the teacher or the teacher's assistant.
___ I have procedures that are well understood by students to keep noise levels at an acceptable level. The Yacker Tracker is a worthwhile investment.
___ I have a special carrel or private location for test-taking and or seatwork for those requiring 'free of distractions' to enable success.
___ I have eliminated as much clutter as I can and keep distractions to a minimum.
___ I never present instructions/directions orally alone. I always provide graphic organizers, written or graphical instructions also.
___ Clarifications and reminders are given regularly as needed.
___ Needy students have agendas which I regularly have them, and myself refer to. Home/school communication is in place for those students requiring it.
___ Work is organized into workable 'chunks'.
___ My classroom expectations are clearly understood as are my consequences for inappropriate behaviors.
___ Extra assistance is provided when needed through a peer or myself.
___ Praise for 'catching them doing it right' occurs regularly.
___ Use of behavior contracts to target specific behaviors is in place.
___ My students are aware of my cueing and prompting system which helps them stay on task.
___ I never begin instructions/directions until I have my classe's undivided attention.
___ I allow additional 'wait' time for my special needs students.
___ I provide my special needs students with regular, ongoing feedback and always promote their self-esteem.
___ Do all of your learning experiences promote learning?
___ Do you provide activies that are multi-sensory and take into consideration learning styles?
___ Do you let your special needs students repeat instructions/directions?
___ Do you modify and or shorten assignments to ensure success?
___ Do you have methods to enable the student to have text written to him/her and can they dicate their answers?
___ Do you provide opportunities for cooperative learning? Working together in groups often helps to clarify misconceptions for learning delayed students.
To find out more about success in the inclusional classroom, click here.
Suggested Reading
Teacher Time Savers
How to support job seekers with autism || AutismAid
How to support job seekers with autismWe have developed this fact sheet to provide information and direction on supporting people with an autism spectrum disorder. It is a starting point for a range of matters you may wish to consider when offering employment related support to this group of job seekers.Note: Autism spectrum disorders will be referred to as autism throughout this document.
Understanding autism and its impact on job performance
People with disability are usually experts in their own needs, and will understand the impact of their disability on work performance and what workplace adjustments they may need at interviews, while training or on the job. However people with autism may not necessarily have a great level of self awareness in these areas and may require additional assistance with these matters in order to find and keep a job.
Autism is a developmental disability that impacts on key areas including social interaction with others, communication, information processing and the need for sameness (structure and routine). The degree of difficulty will naturally vary from person to person.
Social skill difficulties stem from an inability to read others and can include:
Communication impairments might involve limited speech or no speech, difficulty initiating conversation with others and a repetitive use of language. For some people with good verbal skills, their language can still be very concrete with a failure to understand abstract concepts.
People with autism require structure and routine in order to learn new skills and to perform well at work. When overwhelmed or stressed a person with autism may demonstrate repetitive behaviours, for example, become preoccupied with particular narrow subjects, unusual objects or engage in stereotyped or repetitive movements such as hand flapping. This is observed as a means of coping with their difficulties.
Autism is also strongly associated with intellectual disability though people with Asperger’s syndrome, commonly referred to as higher functioning autism, often have normal intelligence levels and the ability to undertake tertiary education. They may also exhibit exceptional knowledge or talent in specific areas, while remaining impaired in all key areas of development including social skill difficulties and the need for sameness and routine.
Areas of functioning important to employment may be affected and include:
People with autism are capable of learning although it will often take longer than others. People with autism often require alternative teaching methods and extra assistance. Be aware that some people with autism struggle to cope with loud and busy environments so reducing distractions, relocating the work to a quieter space or a noise reducing head phone may assist with learning. Some skills or knowledge may be too demanding or complex, or may require constant reinforcement.
Some people with autism live independently in the community but many live with family or in supported accommodation facilities. It is therefore very important to establish contact with family or carers, and if you have permission to talk to them, communicate with them to help you build an accurate picture of the work related abilities and limitations of any job seekers with autism on your caseload. The support of significant others is a very important element in gaining a successful employment outcome for your job seeker.
The Workplace Adjustment Tool contains further information on autism. The Workplace Adjustment Tool is a searchable database that allows you to search for ideas for workplace adjustments and solutions based on a particular disability and the type of job being undertaken.
- Asperger's syndrome
- autism
- cognitive impairment
- pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified
Put the person first
When developing a job search plan or offering post-employment support, it is necessary to be flexible and treat each person with autism individually. Tailor your approach to individual needs and capacities and focus clearly on each person’s goals and abilities. This should also entail reassessing and adapting plans and support as necessary, linking people with relevant specialist services.
Tapping into existing support networks may also assist in realising vocational ambitions. Use current and valid assessments and reports (school, medical, rehabilitation and work capacity) to help you gain a full understanding of the person’s strengths, barriers and any assistance they will require along the road to employment.
Pre-employment strategies
You can assist job seekers with autism to find suitable and sustainable employment by developing, with the person and significant others, an individualised pre-employment plan that incorporates a discussion of the following:
- a job development strategy covering resumes, interviews and job search techniques, including the job seeker’s role and your role in these activities
- consideration of disability disclosure
- requirements for workplace adjustments or modifications
- consideration on post-placement support needs.
Job search
Sometimes people with autism may express strong views about jobs in which they could succeed. These ideas arise from their limited understanding of options or what is involved in a particular job. Consequently, it is crucial to carefully explore each job seeker’s work skills and interests through personal discussion, checking any previous employment referees or talking frankly to work experience teachers.
For those with limited or no recent work experience, it may be beneficial to arrange work experience or voluntary work to assist in determining future job choices.
This process of exploration may also help determine whether a person will be able to work for full wages or be paid productivity-based sub-minimum wages through access to the Supported Wage System.
Most job seekers will benefit from personal involvement in preparing suitable resumes, and using a range of jobsearch methods. However, most people with autism will need assistance to write resumes, arrange interviews and to contact employers. Reverse marketing, consisting of job creation or redesign approaches prior to advertising, may be the best method to use with many in this group. A good rule of thumb is to involve a person to the maximum level of their abilities in the whole job search experience.
Job interviews—support and interview tips
When it comes to actual job interviews or face to face meetings with employers, many people with autism will often struggle to compete for jobs with other candidates. Consequently they may benefit from advocacy support at interviews or meetings to fully understand the job requirements and sell themselves to a prospective employer. This may include help with explaining individual training and support needs or employer incentives that may be available (for example, wage subsidies, supported wages).
Importantly, as an interview support you can also encourage an employer to avoid complex or ambiguous language, to rephrase questions if they are not initially understood, or to compensate for possible information processing difficulties while also allowing enough time for responses to interview questions.
All job candidates, whatever their interview skills, can benefit from interview practice opportunities and from understanding what job interviews entail from start to finish. Also make sure the job seeker has a good understanding of what are acceptable and legally permissible interview questions in relation to their disability.
Disclosure issues
There is no single answer to the question of disability disclosure for people with autism.
For some this may not be a critical issue as their disability will be obvious. In this case it may be a matter of working out a way of discussing a person’s disability and abilities with prospective employers in a manner with which they are comfortable.
For a small number of higher functioning people with autism or Asperger’s syndrome, disclosure can become a real issue that warrants careful consideration. Sometimes the disability may not be initially apparent in an interview or on the job and may even be perceived as odd behaviour or eccentricity. This can often lead to labelling by co-workers. While it is always the person’s choice to disclose, in this case appropriate disclosure strategies may be vital to ensure that the job seeker receives the support and training they need to make the job placement succeed.
Post-placement strategies
Job commencement—on site training techniques and tips
Starting a job can be a testing time for any new employee but for many with autism, given their particular difficulties, there may be the need for extra training assistance and support in addition to any employer incentives you may arrange. This will vary depending on the employee, the severity of the disability, the complexity of the job and the nature of the workplace. Such training could include:
The ideal situation is when the employer takes ownership of employee induction and training, but for new employees with autism they may need your advice and assistance to get it right. The following is a series of tips on effective training for such employees, though keep in mind that every person is unique with their own capabilities, limitations and learning styles:
For higher functioning people with autism or Asperger’s syndrome more of an emphasis should be placed on initial social skills and behavioural training appropriate to the particular workplace and the various co-workers with whom they will interact and communicate with on a regular basis.
Ongoing support
Once an employee with autism has commenced work and been given all the necessary initial assistance and training, you can increase their chances of maintaining this employment by providing ongoing support as it is required. Ongoing support requirements and the way this support is delivered should be discussed with the employee. Ongoing support may include:
More information
For information and step by step instructions on the financial help available to employers of people with disability, including the application process, visit:
The following fact sheets, developed for service providers, are also a useful resource:
via jobaccess.gov.au
Autism Today - Survival in the Workplace || AutismAid
Survival in the Workplace
by Stephen Shore
Because most of us must work for a living, attention to surviving in the workplace is vital. I shall report my experiences.
First Jobs after College and Fitting in.After receiving my bachelor's in Music Education and Accounting & Information Systems I set forth to work in a medium sized Certified Public Accountants firm. Boy was that a mistake. I went to work at an accounting firm, from which I was let go after three months.
I spent hour after hour preparing financial statements by hand for the auditing of mutual funds; so much so that I got tendonitis of the wrist. As the low man on the totem pole, I would spend much time verifying the work others had done. Even though I had just graduated as an honor's student with a bachelor's degree in the field, I often felt my coworkers were talking in another language when they explained procedures and where different documents were located. It seemed as if I had been dropped into a foreign culture. I felt like I needed to be shown step by step in a discrete manner to get a grasp of what was expected of me. No one was willing to do that for me.
I was closely supervised and was expected to fit in with all of the accountant/business employees. The business uniform is the suit and tie… which drove me nuts. I can't stand to wear a tie. The only way I could survive was to ride my bicycle from where I lived (about 7 miles) to work and enjoy the out-of-doors for an hour and a half each day. It took 45 minutes to get to work this way as opposed to the 2 hours by public transportation. Made sense to me.
Riding my bicycle to work and changing into my suit in the basement of the office was too weird for them. The personnel officer told me that I had better take public transportation and arrive at the office in my suit. Thinking back to that time I realize that I could not have chosen a place that was more conservative and conformist had I tried. Probably all financial institutions are like this. After a while I spent most of my time in their library reading business reference books as the supply of work seemed to dry up. On occasion, I would seek out work from other coworkers, or drop into one of the senior manager's office for a chat.
An assignment with a fellow accountant at the firm didn't work out well at all. I could never really understand what he wanted and he seemed irritated at the things I did. The bank where we worked was overheated. In response to that I would often open the window and take off my shoes when I was sitting at the desk out of view of other people. He didn't like that at all. While auditing a ledger I mentioned to him that it was difficult to read some of the numbers.One day the personnel officer called me into his office and told me he was letting me go. He said that I just didn't seem to fit in and suggested that there may have been a disability that I had failed to disclose to him when I interviewed for the job. That disability may very well have been there. To me, however, it was something of the past and it never occurred to me that accommodation may have been needed. I just thought I was stupid because I didn't "get it." Getting fired was very humiliating and embarrassing to me. With a fuzzy, heavy feeling in my head I gathered my belongings and left.
My next job was at a large bank as a portfolio accountant. I made trades for, received interest and dividends for, and created regular financial reports for $750,000,000 of pension fund money. I had now learned better how to blend into the business world. They tolerated my riding my bicycle to work. However, I was miserable being involved in the business culture.
In addition, the assumption that I had left the bullies behind in junior high school, was incorrect. They were here too. Save for friends from India and Ethiopia, I kept to myself. I simply was not interested in spending the day yacking about team sports and how much a certain couch cost. I stayed at this large bank for the next year and a quarter but was unhappy there. I love the study of business, accounting and taxation but I cannot stand working with the people who choose these areas for their careers.
I left this job after 15 months to teach business at the vocational and college level.
The strange thing is, that I find the STUDY of business, taxes, the stock market, etc. fascinating. I also enjoy TEACHING business subjects; but not as much as teaching music. I just can't tolerate working with the personality types who are attracted to this field.A Better Fit
I realized that teaching was for me. There was no close supervision with someone watching my every move. My supervisors and students were closer o accepting me as myself then in any previous position. They actually respected that I rode my bicycle to work. My next place of employment was at a finishing school for secretaries. A warning like what is issued by the robot on the TV show Lost in Space should have gone off in my head: Too strict a dress code… I was let go from that place after two years.
The Best Fit
When I got my job as professor of music and computers in January 1994, I new I had found my niche. I could do what I loved and expend much less energy trying to blend in. As long as students are happy, learning what they are supposed to, the administration is happy too.
There are some people there who respect what I do for the school and serve as mentors. They inform me of potential political blunders I may be about to make and are ready to help bail me out if I get into trouble. It is often difficult for me to read the political wind of things and I'm terribly susceptible to bully-types that cross my path.
Those of us in the Fine and Performing Arts are frequently expected to be somewhat quirky and that suits me fine! By the way, I don't have to wear a tie! Some people at work may sense that I'm different but most of the school community has no true sense of what I'm really about.
After this trip through various places of employment some things became clear to me. To survive as a full-time employee of an organization, these tenets must be followed by me.
1. I must know myself well enough to know where in the workplace I fit in. I seriously misjudged that as I entered the business world. The conformity along with the suit & tie thing just doesn't work for me.
2. Close supervision of my day-to-day activities doesn't work for me. I do much better if I'm given a task and a period of time to figure out what must be done, usually in a way that it hasn't been done before.
3. Find a mentor or mentors I can trust. They can save your employment life.
4. Having an interest in a particular field doesn't mean that it is good for me to work in.
5. There is more to life than work. [[Really?]] Yup! I'm still learning that.
My work at the college, however, was circumvented by a politically oriented challenge that I was unable to meet. As new full-time faculty member at this school, I had the full backing and support of my dean in teaching my classes along with course and curriculum development. Upon her direction and with the approval of the chair of my department, I set out to restructure the music area degree offerings and add new courses to the curriculum. Where it was only possible to declare a general major of music, my idea was to create different options within that degree. My sense that students would more readily identify with a specific program rather then a general music degree came to fruition as the number of declared music majors doubled soon after the change was implemented.
After following the bureaucratic maze of policies and procedures along with much collaboration with other faculty and staff, the restructured program was approved by an all college vote. Within this victory for my department and the others involved were sown the seeds of destruction for my continuing as a professor at this school.
Subtle Social Situations Rear Their Ugly Heads
There was a long-term faculty member, who held much power, that felt put out by my failure to consult with him in the restructuring plans. This person taught a single music class, had been in the college for almost two decades, and was very influential in determining academic policies within the institution. As I was new to the college, it never occurred to me to consult with the chair of another, seemingly unrelated, department as I went about my plans to reconfigure the music program.
While I did confer with other members of the music department as I went about these modifications, I should have expanded my inquiry towards additional people who were working within the music department. Perhaps my over reliance on the documented organization chart rather than the informal organization led to my overlooking this person.My not sensing this situation, combined with the challenges of my not being able to read subtle social situations (office politics), resulted in this person's initial displeasure with my working at the college. Unaware of the gravity of the situation in this person's mind I never took steps to make amends for my transgressions towards him. From that point on he was always at the ready to oppose further plans for developing the music department.
For my first three years at this school I enjoyed a well-established support system that encompassed colleagues as well as administration ranging from the dean all the way up to and including the president of the college. Despite the attempts of the faculty member I had offended, along with his cadre of who supported his wish to have me let go from the position of music professor, the administration saw that I was continuing to make a substantial contribution to the college and kept me on. Some of these contributions to the college included the doubling of declared music majors and the donation of almost $40,000 of musical equipment to the school via grant proposals.
Unfortunately, over these three years, the support base I had established with the administration and other faculty eroded away as they left the college for various reasons. Lacking this support, the offended faculty member was able to get the school to conduct a nationwide search for the music position I had now held for three years. Two national searches were mounted. With the first, I was one of the top three candidates for the position. Another person was chosen but declined the position. The second time, I received the greatest number of votes from the search committee. Despite the search committee's recommendation of my candidacy for the position I had already held for three years, along with the agreement from the dean of the department, the music position was suddenly terminated.
Emotional Aftermath
This greater than one year process of losing this job has been very painful to me. For a time that I thought, like the others at this college, that I had a good shot a chance for having a job for life that I could enjoy. This position seemed to be a dream. I could do what I loved and there was time to pursue my interests in other areas such as autism, bicycles and other areas. Losing the job, in spite of following all the procedures I thought necessary to retain the position, was a blow to my belief that by adhering to the rules I could attain my goal to keep this position.
As this long drawn out process continued, I realized that losing the job was indeed to become a reality. I needed to do something to sublimate the energy created by the angst of the looming possibility of becoming unemployed.
This made me very angry towards the perpetrators responsible for my job loss. As this seemed so terribly unfair to me, with much trepidation, I filed legal action with governmental agencies and with the union. It seemed, since the school was had so blatantly gone against the teacher's contract, I should be able to win my position back. I was very reluctant to do request assistance from the teacher's union as confrontation is very difficult for me. I suspect that confrontation is very difficult for me because it involves strong, unpredictable emotional behaviors and reactions. Being a person that likes things to be scripted out before they happen, the unknowns of confrontation can be very frightening.
The result was an additional year, and no more, of employment. Even though I was still working and the actual prospect of joblessness was yet to occur, I experienced a big change in attitude towards my place of work. Until this time, aside from my wife and family, I gave this position first priority insofar as devoting my time and energy. Because I received such positive feedback from the president of the school and other superiors, I felt what I did there was good and needed by the school.
After realizing that the school - or specifically, a few key people -- did not view me on that basis, I chose to redirect my energies elsewhere. It no longer seemed to be necessary to be friendly with most of the people there and certainly no need to perform any job functions that were beyond what was described in the teacher's contract. It was these additional things beyond the bare teaching and advising students that gave me a lot of satisfaction of doing a complete and good job.This caused me to withdraw emotionally from the school that was previously a source of so much pleasure. The position became a mere shell of its former self. I did as I saw many other teachers do: arrive, teach, help the students, and leave. It was very difficult changing my work philosophy here to this minimalist approach as it is my nature to continually work towards making the school a better place for the students. Seeing that there was no future here made anything that related to continued development of the school irrelevant.
Whereas this position had been a source of enthusiasm and energy for me; it now was an emotional drain. Suddenly I realized a possible reason why others at this institution seemed to put just a minimal effort there. Perhaps they too, had been burned by office politics and felt unappreciated.
Onward and Beyond
I have finished writing Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome (2001, Autism Asperger Publishing Company). Using the autobiographical form, my observations from working with people on the autism spectrum and other realizations are woven throughout the book. I am now happily enrolled in a doctoral program in special education with a concentration on helping people on the autism spectrum reach their fullest potential.
Currently, when not working with people on the autism spectrum and studying, I teach computers and statistics at various colleges in Massachusetts.
Excerpted from Shore, S. (2001). Beyond the wall: Personal experiences with autism and Asperger Syndrome.
Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.
Autism Asperger Publishing Company Beyond the Wall is at http://www.asperger.net/wall.htm.
Beyond the Wall is available at Amazon.com.
via autismtoday.com
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Telling the difference between autism and Aspergers || AutismAid
Telling the difference between autism and Asperger’s
Author
Disclosure Statement
Nicole Rinehart receives funding from NHMRC
The Conversation provides independent analysis and commentary from academics and researchers.
We are funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA, Canberra, CDU, Deakin, Flinders, Griffith, La Trobe, Murdoch, QUT, Swinburne, UniSA, UTAS, UWS and VU.
Founding Partner of The Conversation.
Articles by This Author
20 March 2012 Five myths about autism 17 August 2011 One-in-five risk of sibling autismWhile they share some traits, Asperger’s and autism are separate disorders.
Parents often breathe a sigh of relief when their child takes his first step, speaks her first word, and can spontaneously read his mother’s facial expression.
For children with autism, they might take the first step like all other children, but the first word and emotional communication might be a long way off. In some cases, it may never come.
The journey is different for a child with Asperger’s disorder. The first word may be early, followed by an explosion of language. Soon parents start wondering whether he might be gifted.
But these thoughts quickly become sidelined by concern as the child enters school and seems to struggle with friendships, play, and seems rigid and obsessive, despite a fantastic vocabulary.
Parents may become concerned because their child just never seems to be able to hit the mark socially, emotionally, and academically. And there is something unusual about the intensity of the child’s interests which seem to take over their life.
Our current psychiatric manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) Fourth Edition, catagorises autism and Asperger’s disorder as separate disorders. This is based on the very different challenges these young people face with language, and cognitive development.
But soon this will change, and the two disorders will be grouped under one umbrella term.
Understanding the difference
There is no clear biomarker or genetic test which can define or separate autism and Asperger’s disorder.
With some families' diagnostic journey beginning in late primary school or even in secondary school, differentiating between autism and Asperger’s disorder can be difficult.
In the absence of an extensive developmental history of language and social development, two normally intelligent young people, one with autism, the other with Asperger’s disorder, both presenting with social difficulties, and a history of repetitive, stereotyped behaviour, may appear to have the same struggles.
The common challenges and interests may even be the bedrock for a wonderful friendship between a child with autism and Asperger’s disorder.
The dilemma with this differentiation has fuelled a debate in clinical and academic circles spanning two decades: are autism and Asperger’s disorder the same disorder and should be “lumped” together diagnostically, or should we continue to “split” them.
To overcome the clinical confusion between a diagnosis of autism and Asperger’s disorder, the working party for the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual has recommended that Asperger’s disorder be incorporated with autism under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).
Origins of autism and Asperger’s
Autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943 when he studied 11 children who seemed to relate better to objects than people.
Kanner said if these children eventually developed language skills, it was likely to be characterised by echolalia (repetition of words or syllables), pronoun reversal (referring to themselves as others have referred to them), and concreteness.
One year after Kanner defined autism, Hans Asperger published a description of children with the condition “autistic psychopathology”.
Asperger described a child who was precocious in learning to talk and often talked in a pedantic way about a topic of particular, circumscribed interest.
Asperger also observed that these children produced stilted and repetitive speech, which appeared to lack intonation. He noted that they were interested in social relationships, but lacked the ability to understand the rules of social behaviour.
Asperger noted that his group of patients moved in a “clumsy” way.
Despite the many similarities between Kanner’s and Asperger’s patient groups, Asperger disagreed that his disorder was a variant of Kanner’s autism.
Splitting
We have only known about Asperger’s disorder since 1981 when Hans Asperger’s work was translated into English (refer to Rinehart et al, 2002 for complete historic references).
Asperger’s disorder did not appear as a separate disorder in standard diagnostic manuals until version four of the DSM series, only 16 years ago.
Looking back I can recall several young people I knew in my community who had significant social and communication difficulties, but were very bright and verbally able.
These young people were not diagnosed with any mental health disorders but were marginalized and seen as the “quirky kids” or eccentric, and had an underlying sadness.
There is no doubt the inclusion of Asperger’s disorder in DSM-IV-TR has positively impacted on the lives of these young people who are now better understood for their individuality, and have the support of wonderful organisations and support groups.
Categorising Asperger’s disorder as a milder type of autism is problematic because it implies that life is less challenging for a child with Asperger’s disorder compared to a child with autism.
But in some cases, young people with Asperger’s can suffer from more severe anxiety and depression than their peers who have been diagnosed with autism – and there is nothing mild about clinical anxiety and depression.
The Asperger’s label has also served as an important guide to help parents successfully link their children to fulfilling and rewarding social settings, activates, and later, careers.
Lumping
The label change comes as some new discoveries are being made to better understand the disorders, including brain differences and subsequent diagnostic and treatment tools.
Melbourne researchers are using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to show that cortical inhibition, a common brain process that allows the suppression of brain cell activity, is impaired among young people with high-functioning autism, but not among young people with Asperger’s disorder.
The movement pattern or gait studies conducted at Monash University have shown that children with autism have a particular style of walk. Given that children walk before they develop social skills, understanding early walking patterns might expedite autism diagnosis.
The different life journey a child with Asperger’s disorder may take compared to a child with autism, together with other brain and psychological differences, may inform the future development of assessment tools, biomedical and other treatments for each disorder.
And who knows, in the future there may be a stronger scientific basis to argue against the lumping of the autism and Asperger’s disorder diagnostic category. Only time will tell.
Rinehart, N. J., Bradshaw, J.L., Brereton, A. V., Tonge, B.J. (2002). A clinical and neurobehavioural comparison of high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36, 762-770.
http://theconversation.edu.au/telling-the-difference-between-autism-and-asper...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
CONCEPT-BASED INFORMATION: What Works? || AutismAid
CONCEPT-BASED INFORMATION: Sources of Use-able Ideas from Scholarship & Practice Models
Finding What Works For Your Child, Your Family, Your Autism Program Out of a Sea of Research
The tough thing about finding what will work for your child and family is that first you must define what you means by WHAT WORKS? Are you looking for a treatment that will cure Autism at any cost? Are you looking for something that will fit into your life and home and that you can manage with the resources you have available? Are you looking for something medical to try or a strong educational program? Are you looking for methods to teach new skills or to manage negative behaviors, or both? Therefore your first goal is to define what you mean when seek an answer to this question. Therefore, the purpose of this Autism Information page is provide you with a map of the "where" questions that can help new families and novice providers find the kinds of use-able knowledge we need, expect, and want to access to meet our needs to help people with Autism:
Where can I find use-able information about how to become a positive influence for people with Autism and our family and service providers?"
The two most important goals for those of us who must live, work, and cope with Autism are to 1) find and learn about effective intervention models and 2) to identify our shared human needs and how those specific resources match to who we are as individuals and members of diverse groups. This web page is designed to offer a launch pad for when you are ready, able, and willing to explore these realities of the world of Autism. Know that it can take years to make that journey, because this long hard trek always takes us across the entire able spectrum of human development and back again many many times. This is why being a family or service provider to people with Autism across our life spans is not just a job, it is an "outer-able-space" adventure. So get ready for take off!
Knowlege Sources and Knowing What is True
Academic Literature: These are sources of formally gathered scientific, theoretical, historical, and particular case research that have been reviewed and selected by scholarly publications. These sources are then fact-checked, well-established, peer-reviewed, and so, more credible sources for your determining the value of information about the nature, diagnosis, treatment and intervention for your use. Know that these sources will not agree on their findings.Common Knowledge: These are sources of the informally gathered and shared information that most people believe to be true. This information may or may not have originated with academic literature. It may or may not be fact-checked, well-established, reality-tested, and so, more or less credible. You will often have to test your common knowledge beliefs about human development and Autism against reality and scholarship to learn if it is true and use-able. It may or may not be.
Community Publications: The Autism community has many organizations and groups that are free to gather and publish information that they may feel is in the best interests of the whole Autism community and/or its own organization. Again, to know whether the information an organization puts out is in our communities best interests and your individual use of best practices, you will have to truth-test it. This is why getting connected to an Autism consultant that you trust, who uses professionally established sources of intervention methods, and who connects you to other families who are successfully using that method is very important. They can help you find your well of Autism community resources.
SEE OUR RESOUCE LINKS FOR SOME EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS:
Companies Publishing Catelogs of Books for Autism Family Members
Future Horizons 1-800-489-0727 www.futurehorizons-autism.comAutism Asperger Pub. Co.1-877-AS-PUBLISH www.aspergers.net
Autism Resource Network 1-952-988-0088 www.autismshop.com
Individual Ancedotes and Intervention Promotions: Members of the Autism community often publish stories of our personal experiences with certain interventions which, most often, are about phenomenal successes. They can often be found in bookstores, public libraries, and the catelogs above. These formal biographies and informally researched autobiographies usually come in the form of stories which may link themselves to scholarly literature, common knowledge, or community bases of knowledge about early Autism interventions, academic achevement of students with Autism, or case stories of professionals overcoming the mutual impacts of Autism as they discovered new forms of interventions. These stories may also be published in a way that links them to the promotion of certain intervention methods, models, groups, or products. These sources of information need to be sorted out carefully in terms of how well they link to well-established scholarship, true common knowledge about Autism, and sound community knowledge. If we do not abuse or confuse these four forms of knowledge, then we will be fine. If we do we put ourselves and people with Autism at risk of harm, or loss of best practices.
Threshold's sources and resources links are organized by these four categories to help you see the links and the gaps that can exist between these four kinds of use-able and used knowledge that is out there. Ours is not a comprehensive listing, but rather, a representative sampling that includes key scholarly handbook references and some of the more popular resource catalogs available. These texts can begin to build your own network on more solid ground.
This need for Autism community networking relates to the nature of Autism always having been a highly specialized and rare developmental condition. No one is trying to hide, or deny you finding resources, we are all just embedded within the Autism world--which can seem invisible to the new family or novice provider still in your own world. You need to quickly find a parent or professional peer guide who is experienced in the Autism resource terrain of your area, to help you travel deep within your region's own Autism community. Therefore, you MUST find "your people" both where you live AND where you would move, before you can accurately assess the NEED to move far from home for help. Looking at our RESOURCE provider referral links can offer you a network model (of Oregon--not a greater place to move at all now) of how to find them in your area. The whole point of this web site is to help new family members who are our children's sources of care providers and novice teachers, who may be our students primary sources of services, get basic, intermediate, and advanced information and/or references for and referrals to basic best Autism practice principles and effective well established Autism intervention models.
Where can I find information about effective Autism intervention options?
First, do not try to find it on your own, it will be impossible to find timely and you can waste years. Find an Autism consultant and an Autism family support group to more quickly guide you to the knoweldge we all need to live, work and cope with Autism over our life spans and work places. Second, be aware that there are more than one kind of information source and different types of knowledge to be found within each one. To help new families and novice service providers we have created an model of how the two main intervention approaches may be kept separate or combined in different ways to create five basic intervention paths for individuals to choose from as we begin to walk.Where did these best practices and three model interventions that work come from?
Meta-analysis (research that looks at a body of research on a population or topic) of the last twenty years of research has repeatedly revealed similar sets of Autism Best Practice (see link) principles which are shared by all effective program approaches across The 3 Models (see link) approaches to Autism intervention.There are three broad categories of intervention practices models for both people with, and without, Autism across the educational and mental health provider fields. They are: 1) Behavioral, 2) Developmental, and 3) Eclectic. In this section, we provide general information describing the nature, research design and implementation outcomes of the three models, which may be used to meet the needs of people with Autism. While Threshold is a Develomental model provider (which is the focus of the Developmental and A.D.A.P.T. links below and Our Practice Model links row, we fully support of a family-centered options choice approach, we have included a range of family and service provider literature and expertise Sources on various intervention models and mutual Community provider referral source networks as well. You can find information on all these related links on our homepage table.
Each of these three models may still have proponents and opponents who strongly advocate for how, or disagree that, only their approach can provide the “best” Autism Intervention outcomes.
In reality, each of these three models has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own cost-to-benefit ratios which parents and teachers can evaluate and match their program styles and goals. Each of the three model follows a set of core provider values that spring from very different epistmological (formal knowledge-based) foundations that then frame their unique philosophical, theoretical and practice frameworks. They each offer some different and some universal sets of strategies and methods that must be incorporated into our daily life and work to succeed. Research confirms that family-centered options and life-span planning are optimal. So families must match our needs, values and beliefs in relationship to our living, working and coping with Autism to the model that best suits us, more than matching one to our child. Because our children will only benefit from those strategies we are the most ready, able and willing to provide across settings. Provider systems may then best lead by getting our organizations into ethical and effective followership to our families in offering best Autism practice program options.
http://understandingautism.org/uaorg_2CONCEPT/UAORG_5whatworks.html
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