Tag Archives: autistic

Friendship – Another Myth Regarding Autism

Posted on April 16, 2013 by | 21 comments

My friend Ibby is here staying with us for a few days.  It’s a working visit, but that doesn’t take away from the joy we are all experiencing because she is here.  Who says work cannot also be a blast?

Emma and Ibby 

Em and Ib

I’ve spoken of Ibby many times on this blog (here, here, here and here to link a few) because Ib has, more than any single human being, done more to change my views regarding autism and my daughter than any other person.  I know that may sound hyperbolic, but it’s actually not.  It’s true.  Or as Ib would say, “Fact.”  And it is.  Fact.  Another fact is the gratitude I feel toward her.  Just tremendous gratitude for opening my eyes, not just to one thing, but to multiple things.  As an example, here is just one little thing that happened as a direct result of Ib.

Ib gently urged me to watch the documentary Wretches and Jabberers.  When I did not immediately watch it, she reminded me and again encouraged me to rent it.  I think she had to remind me three times, before I actually sat down and watched it.  And because I watched W& J, when I presented at the Autcom Conference last fall I went to hear Harvey, Tracy, Pascal and Larry’s presentation on supported typing and because I went to that presentation I had the idea that maybe, just maybe it might be the thing that could help my daughter communicate more reliably and because I had that idea I approached Pascal and asked if he was ever in New York City and because I asked him that, Pascal began helping us learn to support Em and because we started helping support Em I began to understand what presuming competence really meant and on it goes like the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” books, one thing leads to another and another and suddenly you look back and see that this person, this one person has influenced another (me) and the ripple effect is so far-reaching and beyond anything anyone could have imagined.

The Wretches and Jabberers example was just one example of one tiny thing Ib had a hand in.  I could name at least a dozen or more much larger examples, like the conversation (documented ‘here‘) we had about language and my daughter’s specifically and how sometimes she says things that seem completely unrelated to anything that’s going on, but how it is related, even if it’s not related in any way I can identify.  Sometimes it’s a leap-frog kind of association, often there’s an emotional component too, so when she suddenly blurts out, “No not going to see motorcycle bubbles” I now know Em is thinking about visiting her Granma in Colorado or is anticipating an electrical storm or watching the 4th of July fireworks display from the ranch. There’s excitement and maybe some anxiety and even fear and eager anticipation.   I know this now because Ib has helped me understand and has taught me how to “lean into” her words and not try to do a word for word translation.

Ib and I have been working on a book together about Autism, Inclusion and Friendship.  As a result I am thinking a great deal about friendships and relationships in general what they mean and how they develop and how the very definition of friendship is about inclusion and support and accommodation and giving each other slack and cheering each other on and appreciation and gratitude and being there for the other person.  It’s a mutual give and take and it’s reciprocal.  Relationships are basically what make this world and life worth living.  Ironically friendship was the thing I wrote about on this blog’s first entry.  It was what I wanted my daughter to experience, but feared she might not ever have, because I believed what I was being told about autism and that myth surrounding autism and being alone.

Over three years ago, when I started this blog, I wrote, “…hope that we may help our daughter Emma, now 8 years old, lead a life that includes deep friendships and the powerful bonds that result from being able to communicate with one another.  A life that is enriched by our interactions..  this is what I dream of for her..”   Who knew that not only would my definition of what constitutes “communication” completely change, but so would my mistaken ideas about my daughter’s ability to have friendships.  As an added plus Ibby is not only in my life, but in my entire family’s!

So yeah, Ib is really important to me.  I love her dearly; we do all the things friends do when they get together: confide in each other, laugh, hang out without having to talk, hang out and talk and talk and talk, cry, and when we aren’t physically together we stay in touch.  But as with all really close friends, Ib is in my mind and heart regardless of where she is.  I think about her and when we haven’t spoken for a few days we reach out to each other and connect, sometimes briefly if we’re both busy, but she’s always “here” in my heart.

As Ib has said, “Friendship is Fact.”

Vanilla cake with vanilla icing – made by Emma, Nic and me 

Ib's Cake

 

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Posted in Autism, Elizabeth J. Grace, friendship

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“Will She Be Okay?”

Posted on April 15, 2013 by | 31 comments

“Will she be okay?”  This was the question that went unanswered for the first nine years of my daughter’s life.  

“Will she be okay?” I asked every autism specialist, neurologist, pediatrician and anyone else who seemed vaguely knowledgable.  This question actually had almost nothing to do with the child I saw before me and everything to do with how I felt.  I so wanted reassurance.  I so wanted and needed someone to tell me she was going to be okay, whatever okay meant.  Whatever world “okay” occupied, I wanted to know, really know that my child was going to be embraced and fully in the “okay” of it all.  

“Will she be okay?”

Like the children’s story about the baby bird who’s fallen from its nest and asks all manner of creatures it meets “Are you my mother?” I desperately wanted someone to put their arm around me and say those seemingly magical and reassuring words – “Yes.  I promise.  She’s going to be just fine.”  But none did. So on I went, searching, trying every therapy, remedy, every crazy combination of vitamins, diets, homeopathy, naturopathy, healer, energy worker, cranial-sacral therapist, shaman, neurologist, developmental pediatrician, speech therapist, occupational therapist who held out the promise that all would be okay if only I did whatever it was they believed would make her “okay”. 

“Will she be okay?”  

When we finally ended our campaign to cure our daughter, our campaign to help her accelerated.  But this didn’t happen in a vacuum.  We had support.  And the support we were given came from other Autistic people. In retrospect, had I known my friend Ibby, I would not have asked “will she be okay?”  Had I met Tracy Thresher, Larry Bissonnette, Jamie Burke, Jennifer Seybert or any of the other people I’ve had the good fortune to physically meet, I would not have felt the need to ask repeatedly whether my daughter would be okay, because I would have known she already was.  That question would not have occurred to me to ask, because these people, many of whom do not speak or more often than not do not speak, or as in Ibby’s case speak, but when stressed, is unable to, are living their lives fully and they certainly know joy.  Each of them has grown up in a society that underestimated them.  All of them have been doubted and had to prove their intelligence over and over to those who are unwilling to see the evidence before them.   

“Will she be okay?”

We, as a society, must stop forcing people we deem different or less than to prove their worth.  We, as a society, must look inward and start asking ourselves, not “will my autistic child be okay?” but “what can we do to accommodate Autistic people so that all can flourish and be included?”

In the end, that’s all I really want for both my children.  I want them to feel a part of a society that supports them. 

“Will my child be okay?”

She IS okay.  Right now at this moment.  It’s up to the rest of us to recognize this.

Em singing “Clumsy” for Ibby and Emily last night

Em's performance 

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Posted in Autism, Autism Acceptance, Parenting

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When Insights are Speculation

Posted on April 11, 2013 by | 14 comments

One of the things I’ve felt particularly confused by is why my daughter sometimes resists communicating.  My thinking has been – why would she resist doing the one thing that will help her get along in this world more than perhaps anything else?  The other day, I had a moment of clarity.  I came a step closer to “getting it”.  And now, I think I understand.  Not only do I think I understand, but I am able to identify and relate to that resistance, because, I realized, I do it too!  There are a number of things I resist doing, even while knowing that if I just did them I’d feel better and would be able to weather the vicissitudes of daily life a bit better.  I’d be happier, calmer, less anxious, and yet knowing this, intellectually understanding that this is true, does not make my resistance any less.

I know being mindful and in the present gives me clarity and a sense of calm, I do not otherwise have.  I know this, and yet find it extremely difficult to be completely present for more than moments at a time.  My daughter has little problem with this.  In fact, Emma is far more comfortable in the moment than anywhere else.  I remember when we were inundated with therapists coming and going during those early years of fear and panic.  Richard and I used to comment on the irony that Emma was completely present and in the here and now far more easily than we were and yet we were constantly encouraging her to talk about tomorrow or yesterday or any number of other topics that had little to do with NOW.    We were pushing her to move away from the bliss of this moment to join us in the fear and anxiety of the non-present moment, all for the sake of the larger picture, which in our minds was to have her join us in our world.  Even though our world was fraught with expectations, hopes, dreams, wishes and the inevitable disappointment those things often bring.

We used to joke that if we could bottle what Emma came to naturally we would have no cause for worry.  And that really is the crux of most conversations.  They are usually not about the here and now.  They are almost always about some other time, some other idea, some other person, some other concern that is not now.  And yet…  

I resist being in the present and Emma resists being pulled out of it.   And yet, we non-Autistics continue to insist our world is better, or superior even as many spend thousands of dollars going on spiritual retreats, reading books about meditation and going to workshops to teach us how to “sit”.  So the question I am now asking myself is this:  Can I find the grey area of encouraging Emma to communicate with me, something that is difficult for her and pulls her from the bliss of now, while giving her plenty of time to be present and just be?  And what about my own resistance?  Can I learn to meet Emma in her blissful place of now and resist the urge to go off in my mind to somewhere else?

Of course there’s always a danger in interpreting my daughter’s behavior as any one thing.  Her resistance, like mine, is probably made up of many things, and this could be just one reason.  Or I may have this entirely wrong and her resistance is about something that hasn’t even occurred to me.  Or perhaps it isn’t resistance at all and is something else or I may find, next time we type together and when I ask her why, she will tell me something I hadn’t considered.  And that’s the beauty of all of this, I can’t and don’t know until she tells me.  Until then it’s just speculation and me projecting my stuff onto her.   So that’s more for me to be aware of – seeing when and if I do that and understanding that I am.

Henry and I sharing a moment of laughter at Emma’s antics

H & A

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Posted in Autism, communication, Parenting

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Trashing Common Misperceptions About Autism

Posted on April 9, 2013 by | 54 comments

“Trashing Common Misperceptions About Autism and Autistic People and Creating a New World” – that’s what I first wrote as the title for this post, but it’s a mouthful and given the limit on characters on twitter, I revised it.

We just returned from Tampa where Richard, Em and I went to a screening of Wretches and Jabberers and to stay with my friend Lauri and her family, or as Em referred to it, “Have sleepover with Henry three.”  Which is an apt description because we spent three nights there.  Four days and three nights of paradise.  Four days and three nights of being with another family and a whole group of friends, new and old who didn’t judge, but rather embraced, a truly inclusive group, coming together, eating, laughing, connecting, talking and typing.  It reminded me a little of my experience at the Autcom Conference this past fall, except it was far more intimate and this time my husband and daughter shared the experience with me.  For four days we were given a glimpse of paradise.   A little peek into what our world could be like, but isn’t…  not yet.

Many people believe, erroneously, that Autistic people aren’t as interested in having friends, developing relationships or crave having mentors as we, non-Autistics.  Those people have never seen Henry’s smile when he is around his mentor and friend, Tracy.

Henry & Tracy@USF

Those people who doubt, didn’t witness Emma’s tears last night when we returned home and she made me promise we would see Henry again and have another “sleepover” with him and his family.  They did not witness Henry and Emma’s laughter and joy from being around each other.

Em and Henry hanging out together by the pool

E&H -Friends

Larry takes Emma’s photograph – perhaps the single greatest compliment a person could receive.  (Amy Sequenzia is in the background.)

Larry takes Em's photograph

They weren’t there to hear Emma tearfully say last night, “Please Mommy.  Go back to Florida tomorrow?  Play with Henry again soon?”

Just because someone cannot or does not express with words their love for another in the way we might expect, does not mean they do not feel it.

Many believe that if a person doesn’t speak, or speaks with a great deal of scripting and echolalia they are not interested in communicating or have little to say.  Those people have never witnessed a typed conversation between those so-called, “non-speaking” or atypical speakers.

Harvey, Tracy, Pascal and Larry, the stars of Gerardine Wurzburg’s documentary, Wretches and Jabberers

H,T, P & L.

Emma, being the consummate performer that she is, could not resist occupying the seat Larry vacated during a break at the University of Southern Florida, the day before the screening, where she wrote for all to read – “My mom and dad hope to meet more people like Larry and Tracy.  Wow(*!)  I am stirring up a crowd(*.)  time to work with people at home in new york to show them it is the intelligent emma there…”  *punctuation was added by me for the purpose of this post and indicates the smile Em gave and the pause she took between typing “crowd” and “time”.

Harvey, Tracy, Pascal & Em @ USF

Em Types@USF

Many people are surprised to learn that even those who do not speak can have wonderfully nuanced senses of humor, can enjoy deep, meaningful friendships, have a great deal to say and are often far more profound than most speaking people are in any given 24 hour period.

A conversation between Tracy, Henry and Emma about getting on board the “inclusion typing train” the night before the Wretches and Jabberers screening.  Tracy is to Henry’s right and out of the picture frame.

H &E type

Tracy, Henry and Emma make a “pitch” to Academy Award winning director, Gerardine Wurzburg who was standing nearby!

Em types

Em takes Gerry Wurzburg’s photo 

Gerry Wurtzburg

Many people assume Autistics have intellectual limitations commensurate with their “severe” and “moderate” labels, yet given appropriate accommodations this idea has been proven wrong again and again.  Yet another reason those labels are not only meaningless, but actually damaging.

Tracy types in answer to a question from the audience about the impact the documentary and meeting monk Hogan has had on his life.

Tracy @ W&J screeening

Many people believe inclusion of Autistics in schools will “bring the other children down” and that inclusion in society will be harmful, when the truth is the opposite with many studies proving this.   (Why this even needs to be proven, is something I am still trying to wrap my mind around!)

Mary Schuh (director of development and consumer affairs at the National Center of Inclusive Education Institute on Disability) and Henry at the Wretches and Jabberers screening at the Tampa Theatre, April 6th, 2013.  Henry is now attending the public school near his home.

Mary & Henry

These are only a few of the beliefs people have when it comes to autism and Autistic people.  Yet, if people were able to witness a weekend such as the one we just experienced, I guarantee their minds would be changed and we would be one step closer to creating a new world.

*Emma approved this post.

54 Comments

Posted in Autism, Autistic Role Models, inclusion

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Those Who Influence..

Posted on April 5, 2013 by | 14 comments

There have been a number of Autistic people who through their writing or by meeting them have greatly influenced my thinking and radically changed how I view autism.  Through their writing and/or our direct interactions I began to question everything I thought I knew.  I began to see that so much of the information I’d been given was false.  It was because of these people that I have a level of understanding about the problems with *functioning labels, the problematic issues surrounding *segregating Autistic children from other non Autistic children not only in the classroom, but in life.  I have a better understanding about how *important the words used to describe autism and Autistic people can do tremendous damage or, conversely shift the conversation to one of better understanding and progress.

*I have put related posts below for each of these topics.

All of this brings me to Ibby.

Ibby was/is someone who radically changed my thinking, and continues to change how I think about autism and my daughter.  I have written about Ibby before ‘here‘ and ‘here‘.  We met at a disabilities conference not quite a year ago, where she was presenting.  Ib has changed my life.  I don’t know how else to describe someone who is not only a close friend, but who has patiently advised me, explained things that I didn’t understand, didn’t judge me, never shamed me, but instead was kind, loving, compassionate and very, very patient with me.  For those of you not familiar with Ibby, I hope you’ll go to her blog and read her writing.  If there is one thing I would like to see change regarding autism”awareness”, it is that the public become familiar with Autistic people like Ibby, who are tirelessly speaking out and patiently trying to bridge the massive gap between public perception surrounding autism and Autistic people, and reality.

There are a number of people who have been crucial in influencing me, Ibby is one of them.

Related topics

 

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Posted in Autism, Autism "Awareness", Elizabeth J. Grace

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What I Wish I’d Been Made Aware of When My Daughter Was Diagnosed With Autism

Posted on April 4, 2013 by | 127 comments

What follows are some of the things I wish I’d been told (and given) when we learned Emma was Autistic.  These are the things, in retrospect, I wish all those doctors, specialists, pediatricians, therapists and people who dedicate their lives and careers to autism had told me, but did not.  I believe our lives would have changed dramatically had we been told even a few of these things.  It is my hope that for those of you who may be at the beginning of your journey with an Autistic child, this list might help you avoid some of the many, many mistakes we made and a great deal of unnecessary pain.

1.  Seek out the work of Autistic people ~ most of the work I’ve listed was not available when my daughter was diagnosed, but it is now.  Take advantage of all that is out there, these people are leading the way.  If I had to choose just one thing that has had the single greatest impact on my life and the life of my daughter, it is these people.  My gratitude to all of them doesn’t come close to covering how I feel.  I have compiled an extensive list of blogs and books written by Autistic people as well as a couple of documentaries that are a MUST WATCH!   on the “Resources” page on this blog.  Please go take a look.

2. Autism is not a disease.  Read Don’t mourn for us by Jim Sinclair.  This may take some time for you to understand.  It’s okay.  Get the help and support you need so you can better help your child.  Try to think of autism in the same way you think about any groupings, a Mac and a PC, fiction, non-fiction, memoir and young adult, a shirt, a pair of pants, shoes and socks, a microwave and a gas heated oven.  Autistic, Neurotypical, Allistic, (or my personal favorite, coined by a friend) NT-NOS, we are all human beings.   Try not to judge one over another.  Judgment will not help you help your child.

3.  Presume Competence.  (This ‘post‘ helps explain what presuming competence means.)  If a therapy and/or professional does not approach your child with a presumption of competence, please consider finding one who does.  Tremendous long-term damage can come from not presuming competence.  Rethink how you view communication.  Listen to your child, not just to words, but to body language, facial expressions.  You may be surprised by the ways your child is communicating despite not being able to do so verbally.  Teach her to point with her index finger, first with support if needed and as time goes on, fade the support. Give her the appropriate tools and support so that she can learn to type or communicate by pointing to a letter board.    There are many wonderful iPad apps that can help with this.  Begin with sequencing games and colored tiles, or if she’s musical, notes.  Join them together to make patterns.  Show her first, have her mimic.

4.  Do not speak of or about your child as though they cannot and do not understand or hear you  (read Barb Rentenbach’s book for more on this).  This is something we did without thinking for years.  Sadly it is not the only regret I have, but one of many.  Still it is worth repeating.  Chances are your child can and does understand what you’re saying even if they do not show any signs that you recognize.

5.  Throw out everything you think you know and question everything.  There is a massive amount of misinformation/myths disguised as truth and fact regarding autism.  You may hear people say things like “They are in their own little world,” or “they are imprisoned behind their autism” these phrases are perhaps an accurate reflection of what non-Autistic people feel about the Autistic person in their life, but they serve to divide rather than unite and ultimately serve none of us. Be suspicious of anyone who says they know what causes autism or how to “treat” it.  Disregard any organization that describes autism and your child as tragic, an epidemic, a burden or any other word generally reserved for warfare.  If you read or hear something that causes you to feel fear, walk away, it is most likely inaccurate and intended to make you afraid.  None of us are able to help our children when we are terrified.  Fear can cause us to make decisions we will later regret.

6.  Set your child up to succeed.  My daughter is extremely sensitive to criticism.  Saying “No!” or criticizing her does not help her learn, but instead makes her feel badly about herself.  Encourage her with smiles and by asking her to try again.

7. Do not try to make your Autistic child behave like a non Autistic child, instead encourage your Autistic child to be the very best ______ (fill in your child’s name) they can be.  For more, read ‘this‘.

8.  Avoid comparing your child to any other child, Autistic or otherwise.  I have struggled with this one and continue to.  All I can say is, this is a work in progress. I hope one day to “know” this and refrain from doing it as it gets me into “compare and despair” thinking faster than anything else.  Emma is Emma.  She is best served when I remember this fact.

9. We parents are fallible.  We will make mistakes.  I’ve made dozens.  I wish I hadn’t made quite so many.  But I have.  If there is one thing I know without a doubt it is this – I will make mistakes, I am human.  I can admit my mistakes, tell my daughter how sorry I am, make a living amends to her by doing everything in my power not to repeat the mistake and continue to move forward without beating myself or anyone else up.  As my wise mother once said, “Show and tell your children over and over how much you love them, and one day they will forgive you.”

10. Get to know Autistic adults.  One of the single biggest misperceptions surrounding autism is that autism is only seen in children.  Autistic adults are often our best teachers and  many of them are leading the way so that our children’s lives might be better than their own.  These people are courageously and tirelessly pushing back against the deeply ingrained prejudices, biases and misperceptions that are rampant within our society.  (See #1)  It is my goal to honor these people who have beaten a path ahead of my daughter so that she may more easily live in this world that so often will not and does not accommodate her or give her what she needs to flourish.  They are speaking out, let’s all get behind them and give them the microphone so that more can hear what they are saying.  One day, the person holding that microphone might just be your child!

The year after Emma was diagnosed ~ 2005

Em - 2005

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Posted in Autism, diagnosis, Parenting

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Autism Awareness?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by | 27 comments

It’s interesting to note that the word awareness, when paired with the verb “to be” as in – be aware, is easily visualized and thought of as, “beware” which dramatically changes the meaning.  It no longer is a word of benign information, but instead is a word of caution and fear.  I do not think this is a mistake.  I know it’s cynical of me, but I think Autism Speaks, the single largest organization involved in Autism and the creator of the “Autism Awareness” campaign, chose their wording carefully.  I’d like to think I’m giving them more credit than they deserve, but for a company that spends more on PR than they do on actually helping families and those who are Autistic, I don’t believe I am.

My awareness of autism has dramatically changed over the years.  It has changed because of the information I’ve found and been given.  In the beginning, my information came from books, autism organizations, various professionals, a couple of neurologists, our pediatrician; surprisingly the more “credentialed” the person was, the more likely they were to admit how little they actually knew about autism.  In retrospect this was my first real lesson in awareness – beware of organizations and those who believe they “know” all about autism, whether that is the cause or which specific methodologies, treatments or therapies your child will be best served by, because they do not know, despite how vehemently and persuasively they may speak.

As time went on, I became increasingly aware of my own misery.  The common misery supposedly shared by us parents, dominated the conversations surrounding autism.  I became fixated on the “fact” that autism was the cause of my misery and set about removing it from all our lives.  This is where awareness took me.  This was what I knew and understood.  But this is not the sort of awareness I want to be a part of.  This is not the kind of information I wish I’d gotten, nor is it the information I hope other parents and families will receive.  Those first few months after receiving the diagnosis are critical.  How we talk about autism and by extension our Autistic child changes all that we then do and where we focus our energies.

Autism did not cause me to be miserable.  I was concerned and I was scared, but my daughter’s neurology was factually not what frightened me, it was what I was being told about her neurology that terrified me.  Had someone said to me when we were still trying to get her out of diapers when she was seven years old – “it’s going to be okay, here are a couple of different things you can try, but remember most people do get out of diapers, eventually” I would have felt a little calmer.  Had someone said to us when our daughter was six years old, “read to her age appropriate material, teach her age appropriate lessons” I might have felt confused, I might have had a great many questions, but I wouldn’t have felt the fear I felt when we were informed she could not possibly be placed in a school with her same age peers.  Had someone said to us when we first received her diagnosis, “presume competence, she can and will learn, but she will learn at a different pace, she will learn differently than you might expect” I might have felt concern, but I would not have felt the kind of despair I felt when I questioned whether she was capable of learning at all.

If we want to have more awareness about Autism then let’s have it come from those who are actually Autistic.  Because if you are like me, these are the people who will change your views and shift your mind away from the “tragic” to the far more helpful information that might actually help you help your child.  The kind of information that opened our minds to different forms of communicating, different ways of learning, all those things that have actually aided us in helping our daughter.  Our judgments about her neurology and all it meant to us and her, did not help us do anything but feel more fearful and miserable.

Below is a small list of people I know and am in touch with.  I’ve provided a link to their blog, book(s) or film to each of their names.  I will feature more people who have helped me in my growing awareness during this month of April.  I’ve separated those who can speak, but depending on the circumstances lose speech, with those who mostly do not speak, but ALL communicate.  Want to become aware?  Read their words.

Non-Speaking Autistic:

Amy Sequenzia, Barb Rentenbach, Peyton Goddard, Emma, Tracy Thresher, Henry Frost, Tito Mukhopadhyay

Autistic:

Ibby Grace, Gareeth, Kassiane, Paula Durbin-Westby, Landon Bryce, Julia Bascom, E., Renee, Judy Endow, Michael Scott Monje Jr.

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Posted in Autism, Autism "Awareness", Parenting

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The Audio Book is Finished!

Posted on March 29, 2013 by | 7 comments

Barb’s audio book is finished!  Ol’ Barb had me quoting Shakespeare, Stephen Hawking, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others, as well as her own words…  It was an incredible process, with me wearing headphones, seated in front of a microphone in the sound room (or as I called it – the cave), while Barb and Lois (with Chad, the wonderfully upbeat and accommodating sound/tech guy sat in an adjoining room with a huge picture window so we could see each other) gave me direction, sometimes with hand signals, but more often with Barb typing her instructions, which Lois then read.  Chad alerted me to any technical issues that arose such as when a word sounded scratchy or slightly garbled or if I forgot a word or said a word incorrectly.  All in all it took more than 20 hours, probably more than 30 all told to record.

I am told the audio version of I might be you will be available for purchase and your listening pleasure by next week, but I will leave a link here when I have one.

In other news… I am doing a webinar on Parenting Toward Acceptance, Monday April 1st at 4:00 PM  for DIR Floortime, ICDL with Brenda Rothman, Mother and Blogger – Mama Be Good and Melody Latimer, Mother, Blogger – AS Parenting, Autistic Self-Advocate and Director of Community Engagement, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, ASAN.  I will leave a link Monday morning when I have one.  Until then have a lovely weekend everyone!

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Posted in Autism, Barb Rentenbach, i might be you

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Directed by Barb

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | 7 comments

Barb is a wonderful director.  Here’s an example of yesterday’s adventures and challenges for this verbal, literal-minded, non Autistic as I did my best to embody Barb in all her mischievous, non verbal, antics as described on page 56 of her book, I might be you.  This passage took me more than thirty minutes to get right:  “Freedom.  But the mission is far from complete.  No middle-class chain-link fence to hop and then pay dirt.  No, Sir, our musty mansion sits on acres of green, rocky earth dramatically sloping to the Tennessee River.  I take ever caution to avoid a tumbling fate.  Even the most mischievous princesses don’t swim in dirty water – Southern daddy saviors or not. I assume my most stable forty-five-degree stance and horizontally hike to the neighbors’ inviting castle, remove restricting PJs, and let the fun begin.

 “I think, Wow!  The water is so cold it may make my heart stop.  This sure beats picking or rocking stimulation.  I consider holding off on my 3:00 a.m. phone call-evoking mimicry because I fancy enjoying a longer prerescue soak.  Alas, my scrawny self control fails me again and I sound off with a loud medley of “”you are not going,” “You can’t get in the mail truck,” It’s a fire,” and other such bizarre phrases the sleeping wealthy find disturbing when emanating from their private estate.”

This isn’t a silly story about some southern belle with far too much time on her hands who is up to no good because she’s bored and wants to piss Mom and Dad off.  No, this is a description of Barb’s elopement in the middle of the night to skinny dip in a neighbor’s pool.  It’s funny, but it’s also not funny.  It’s poignant and powerful and yet it says as much about us “normals” as Barb describes those who are not Autistic, as it does about Barb.  Straddling that precarious razor-sharp edge of self-deprecating humor while not holding back any punches is what Barb does best, but say these lines out loud without the right balance of self-reflection, honesty, desperation and rage as well as humor and all those beautiful words Barb painstakingly wrote are lost.

So after each sentence I would glance up waiting for Lois to give me the thumbs up signal before moving on.  On that particular passage there were no thumbs up.  Instead I could see Barb’s bent head as she madly typed things like, “AZ you’re doing great.  But you have to give this more power.”  or “okay AZ you’re taking it too literally, you need to loosen up.” or “Again.   Not so monotone.” And so I would do it again.  And again.  And again.   And again.   At one point I had the thought – I’m not going to be able to get this.  But then I looked over at Barb rapid fire pointing at the letter board and I thought, Damn it.  I will get this.  I have to.  For Barb.  I have to get this right for Barb.  And then I’d take a deep breath and try again.  Because she has trusted me with her words.  She has given me the greatest privilege a person could give another, she has asked me to be her voice.  And that.  That is the single biggest compliment I have ever received from another human being.  And I’ll be damned if I don’t do her words justice.

As a quick aside, y’all (that’s for you, Barb) will be pleased to know I whipped through Chapter 7, which is entitled:  Autistic Sex:  For a Terrible Time, Call.  Because when the words are raunchy that whole upper crust, uptight, WASPY thing works beautifully and it’s funny just because the two are a perfect blend  of lewd and classy, which is… funny.

Em shows Lois how to jump on a pogo-stick

*Em on the pogo-stick

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Posted in Autism, Barb Rentenbach, i might be you

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The Barb Show…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by | 6 comments

I’ve written before ‘here‘ and ‘here‘ about how I don’t always get jokes.  It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor, it’s just that a great many jokes are hard for me to understand why other people find them funny.  Jokes or anything that starts with the words “Two” (of anything) “walk into a bar…”, or The Onion, (I can’t tell you how many times Richard will thrust some headline from the Onion at me, only for me to say, “wait, what?  I don’t get it.  Why is that funny?”) fall flat.  At this point, Richard now tells me jokes or shows me things that he knows I won’t laugh at because he finds my response as funny if not funnier than the actual thing.  Apparently humor is all the more so when someone is completely clueless. I’m good at that – playing it straight.  

For those who follow this blog, you know by now that I am in the recording studio all week recording Barb Rentenbach’s terrific book, I might be you.  Barb has a wonderfully nuanced and, at times, sarcastic wit.  I can do sarcasm, and wit for that matter, except, as it turns out, when I’m reading aloud someone else’s words.  In addition to this challenge of mine, when I’m nervous, my blue-blooded-upper-crust-WASPy heritage becomes even more pronounced.  So when I’m reading some of Barb’s naughtier bits, not only do my cheeks turn quite pink, I also pretty much stomp all over the delivery of a number of her otherwise humorous sentences.  Because if you read a sentence that is funny as though it weren’t and said it straight, carefully articulating each word as though doing an exercise in drama class, the humor is completely and utterly lost.  The only analogy I can think of that captures this is, imagine reciting the Commodore’s 1977 hit song, Brick House.  “She’s a brick —– ‘ouse, mighty, mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out…” but instead of saying the words as they were meant to be read, carefully articulate each word as though reciting a psalm in church.  I think that gives you an idea of what happened a couple of times in the recording studio.

Fortunately I do have a sense of humor and can laugh at my fumbling.  Barb and Lois were kind and patient.  Even when I had to repeat the sentence until I got the inflection right, they did not fall on the floor in hysterical laughter or poke fun.  I’m grateful to them.  Really.  Because truthfully, that had to have been pretty funny to witness.  The good news is, I was able to get it right… eventually, which is important because this book, this incredible book by Barb and Lois deserves to be heard as it was written, with elegance, eloquence, poignant power, laced with self-deprecating humor.  Every few moments I’d look up to see Barb beaming at me and Lois giving me an enthusiastic thumbs up and I would continue reading feeling exuberant and grateful to be involved in such an incredible project.

Barb showing Em encouragement later that afternoon.

Barb Rentenbach

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Posted in Autism, Barb Rentenbach, i might be you

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The Final Day With Soma and A Word About Methodologies

Posted on March 15, 2013 by | 38 comments

Yesterday was the last day of Soma Mukhopadhyay‘s 4-day training.  I wrote about it ‘here‘, ‘here‘, and ‘here‘.  Soma packs an enormous amount of information into four days.  She discussed everything from neural pathways of the brain to which parts of the brain are used during specific activities, to how to devise lesson plans and ways to physically position oneself in relation to the student.  There were so many surprising moments, but one that I never could have anticipated, was how helpful it was to learn about the actual brain function during moments that are emotionally charged or OCD.  Learning some of the basics in brain function demystified a great many things in a way I hadn’t before considered.

Given what we now know, and granted it isn’t much comparatively speaking, but is so much more than we knew even twenty years ago, it is astonishing that certain older therapies continue to be popular and used for autism.  Two of the most destructive phrases used with an Autistic person are the dreaded, “Look at me!” and “Use your words!” I cannot list how many times Emma has been instructed to “use your words” only to do so and be ignored.  It seems those who say “use your words” really mean, “use the words I want to hear”.   Add to that the insistence that an Autistic student have “quiet hands” and not stim because it is believed learning cannot take place while stimming even though by removing the stim no learning can or will take place because we’ve just taken away the one thing that was allowing the student to stay focused and attend, even if it did not “look” that way to us.  We non Autistics have a tough time understanding anything or anyone who is vaguely different from ourselves.  Before we start calling ourselves “experts” in Autism, we might want to become “experts” in our own neurology first, at least we’d have a better handle on our own limitations and see how those can so easily dovetail into how we are interpreting what we’ve decided is “the truth” about someone else.

I have written about methodologies before on this blog.  There are some that I find more troubling than others, but in the end, the thing I care about more than anything else is: is it helping my child?  Is she learning?  Is she safe?  Will the short-term gains be at the cost of long-term pain and even trauma?  What is this doing to her self-esteem?  Is respectful interaction being modeled?  Is she being humiliated, shamed, made to feel badly for the way her brain processes information?  Is she being taught by people who believe in her ability to learn?  Are her teachers believing her capable and giving her the tools she needs to flourish and be all that she can be?  Is she assumed to be competent or is she being forced to prove her competence?  Is she being taught the same equation, story, concept and terms over and over?  Is she seen as a human being with the same rights as any other person?  Would YOU want to be treated the way you are treating and teaching this person?

I don’t care what the methodology is, who created it or how many people believe in its efficacy, if it isn’t taking these questions into account, I am not interested in it.  I do not care what others believe, I don’t care what the “experts” say, I don’t care how many letters a person has after their name or who created the methodology or the various papers and/or books the person has written, if the methodology is not attempting to consider these other ideas, I am not interested in it.  I, as a parent,  am not invested in any particular methodology unlike so many schools.  And for that reason I have far more leeway than most schools do, to keep trying different things until we (I’m including my wonderful husband) find the thing or a combination of things that will best help our daughter learn, grow and become all that she can be.  In the end that is what we care about more than anything.

This weekend I will create a lesson plan for my daughter with age appropriate materials for next week’s  RPM session.  I am hoping I will be able to demonstrate, at least some of what I’ve learned, to Emma’s therapist and her teacher.    But I also know I will make mistakes, I do not expect that after four days of an intensive training I will do Soma’s method well, but I think I have a fairly good understanding of the basics so that I can start, at least, trying.

Wish me luck!

Soma Mukhopadhyay – March, 2013

3Soma

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Posted in Autism, Rapid Prompting Method, Soma Mukhopadhyay

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“Autistic People Are…”

Posted on March 2, 2013 by | 10 comments

*Following on the heels of the tremendously successful “Autistic people should…” flash blog last Saturday, today’s flash blog has bloggers adding their thoughts to “Autistic people are…”

Autistic people are…   

human beings.  

with the same rights as anyone else.  

equal.  

as diverse as those who are not Autistic.  

Autistic people are.  

Welcome to the human race.  

Now let’s start treating them as such.

For some history and the flash blog link, click ‘here‘.

As a direct result of last Saturday’s flash blog and thanks to the hard work by Yes, That Too, Unstrangemind and many other Autistic bloggers, this happened – Google Changes Policy for Autism 

While those policies have not yet gone into effect, it is hopeful news and a wonderful first step.

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Posted in Autism, human rights, neurodiversity

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A Witness to Her Own IEP Meeting

Posted on February 26, 2013 by | 31 comments

This morning we went to Em’s IEP meeting…  with Emma.  I wrote about this ‘here‘ last week.  It was the first time we’ve done this and while Em chose not to add any goals when asked at several points during the meeting, she did express interest in speaking with me during our typing session together, later.  So I intend to talk with her about what was covered and see what she might like to add or discuss.  Most importantly, she was there to witness and hear the thoughts others have regarding her academic goals for the coming year.

At one point she began parroting every word I said.  It was like being in an echo chamber.  I looked over at her and it reminded me of when I was a kid and my siblings and I would do this to make each other laugh.  I do not believe this was the reason Em was doing this however.   Both Richard and I felt she was trying hard to show that she was listening and an active participant.   A few times when one of us directly asked her  whether she agreed or had anything to add she scripted, “Bertie kitty!  You have to get off the table.”  Or some other equally, (seemingly) unrelated script about my old cat who died five years ago.  I kept reminding myself that Em’s language default is a set of scripts.  The scripts may or may not be related to the conversation, but are most definitely an indication of intent and interest in being part of the conversation.

For almost an hour Em sat in her favorite chair during the meeting.  Not once did she try to get up and go somewhere else.  Not once did she indicate she wanted to leave.  Not once did she say anything to show upset or stress.  I was proud of her.  And I was glad she was there, not because she added any specific goals to the IEP, she did not, but because she was present and witness to a conversation regarding the coming year’s goals for her.   And her presence matters and changes the conversation, even if just slightly, it makes a difference.  As Richard and I continue to move forward in our journey to give our daughter the tools she needs to help us help her, this is an important first step.  I had no expectations going into this meeting regarding her input.  I had no idea what would happen or if she would want to leave.  All I knew was that I gave her the choice to come or to stay with her class and she asked to be present.  So she was and for that I am very grateful.

More will be revealed…

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Posted in Autism, IEP Meeting, Individualized Education Plan

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The Tug of The Unknown

Posted on February 21, 2013 by | 12 comments

Ever since Em was first diagnosed I have looked to others to tell me what was best for her.  I have read countless opinions.  I have read hundreds of articles written by self-appointed Autism experts, educators and therapists.  I have listened to organizations, I have consulted doctors, neurologists and developmental pediatricians.  Emma has had quantitative EEGs, hearing tests, vision tests, colonoscopies, endoscopies, x-rays, and more hospital visits than any child her age should have to endure.  She has been prodded, poked, examined, questioned and discussed.  She has had more “professionals” come and go in her short life than I have in my entire 52 years.

A year ago I began meeting Autistic adults and what they were saying and describing first hand wasn’t what all those experts, doctors, educators and therapists had been telling me.  In fact what Autistics were telling me was often in direct opposition to what all those other people said.  The more I listened to what Autistics said and how they experienced their childhoods and life now as adults, the more I saw how wrong most of the professionals were.  It’s not that any of the Autistic people tried to predict what my daughter would be like as an adult, or that I came away believing I’d just met an older version of my daughter, but I’ve gained a clearer picture of autism and I am not as afraid as I once was.  As a side note, I have yet to meet a single Autistic adult who has assured me my daughter would be just like them, quite the opposite in fact.  Each and every person I’ve personally been in contact with has made a point of saying they are not representative of any Autistic child.

When I went to the Autcom Conference in Maryland last fall I met a great many older Autistic adults.  People who are in their 40’s and 50’s, some had been institutionalized, others lived in group homes, some lived with their aging parents, others lived independently, but all were Autistic and while it was surprising to meet so many (the hidden Autistic adults that our society knows almost nothing about)  it was a relief too because the fear I had and to a lesser degree still have about autism falls away the more time I spend with those who are Autistic.

My fear is about the unknown.  My greatest fears are those I create in my mind.  I have to remind myself of this on an almost daily basis.  I have tremendous fear.  I have always been fearful.  Long before I had children or got married I have lived with fear.  Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of relationships, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of being hurt, fear of hurting others, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of life, fear of being.  You name it and I can figure out a way to fear it.  I have mornings when I wake up and feel fear like a second skin shrouding my body and mind.  There are days I cannot shake it.  There are days when the best I can do is get up and just put one foot in front of the other.  There are days when I cannot even acknowledge how scared I am.  A good day is when I keep doing the next thing that needs to get done and not say or do anything hurtful to anyone who crosses my path.  Those are the days when the image of myself is that of being covered in a thick cloak.  I keep my head down, keep to myself and do my best to not cause others pain.

Then there are the days when even that is too challenging a task.  Anger is almost always the result of tremendous, debilitating fear.  This is just one reason why I so vehemently object to the way in which autism is depicted in the general population.  Just about everything that is currently written by non-Autistic people regarding autism is fear based and increases fear.  And where there is fear, anger is not far behind.  Fear and anger cause many to behave in ways they wouldn’t, were they not feeling terrified and/or enraged.  Fight or flight.  I do both, sometimes within minutes of each other.  Neither is particularly helpful.

I know I still have a tendency to look to the “next thing” that will help my daughter.  I know this is what I have a tendency to do.  I am trying to trust myself and her more.  I am trying to remember that I don’t always know what will help and, as it turns out, neither does anyone else, but I can make sensible, informed decisions.  I am trying to accept that no one can predict with absolute knowledge what will occur in the future.  I am trying to parent my children with respect for who they are, what their interests are and not what they may or may not become.  I am doing my best to be present, to enjoy the moments of joy.    When I go off into future, fearful thinking, I try to gently pull myself back to the present without admonishment and judgment, but rather lovingly and with kindness for my own faltering, uneven progress.

Em – 2002

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Posted in Autism, fear, Parenting

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The Signs of Neurotypical Spectrum Disorder – A Parody

Posted on February 11, 2013 by | 76 comments

*This is a parody

The following “red flags” may indicate your child is in danger of having Neurotypical Spectrum Disorder (NSD).  If your child displays any of the following, take them immediately to an allistic or non- neurotypical pediatrician or family doctor for evaluation.  Caught early enough many children have shown dramatic improvement.  Studies show that intensive early behavioral interventions can and do help these children flourish giving them the opportunity to become honest, creative, non compliant thinkers who will not be overly concerned with amassing wealth by any means necessary or driven by self-serving desires and wants.

  • Emoting and peculiar noises when confronted with adults who make ridiculous faces and sounds at them by six months
  • Excessive self involvement by nine months
  • Excessive “babbling” seemingly to gain attention  by 12 months
  • Pronounced back and forth gestures such as pointing at random objects, reaching, and waving at anyone who smiles by 12 months
  • Difficulty occupying themselves, requires others to “entertain” them almost constantly
  • Tremendous number of words, particularly farm animals, the noises those animals make, peculiar songs about spiders crawling up drain pipes, and the various ways in which a bus and it’s parts work by 18 months
  • An abundance of ego based two-word phrases such as “I want”, “I need”, “I go” or phrases using “me” by 24 months
  • Peculiar and inappropriate play with representational objects, such as pretending to feed a plastic doll air, or make the doll “drink” from miniature tea cups by 36 month
  • Fascination with fairy tales about people falling into endless stupor, only to be woken by a complete stranger’s kiss or meeting someone on a horse and riding off with them, without getting to know them first
  • Overly concerned with what others think otherwise known as having a “herd mentality”
  • Overly compliant and especially eager to please any adult, even if the adult is a complete stranger
  • Rote and often dishonest answers to questions such as “how are you?”
  • Generalized dishonesty often used to get one’s way by 36 months
  • Inability to remove emotion from disagreements
  • Uses language to deceive by 50 months
  • Mob mentality – tendency to become influenced by those they believe to be in power by 50 months
  • “Group think” does not question, but follows what is considered to be the majority thinking
  • Making fun of, laughing at or showing fear toward any who appear different than themselves (this can include those with a different neurology, skin color or even nationality
  • Difficultly staying present.  Constantly thinking about the future or past.
  • Easily “bored”

It is imperative that you seek help for your child if you suspect they are at risk.  Though Neurotypical Spectrum Disorder can be mildly to severely disabling, NT Speaks has numerous resources for families whose children may be suffering and afflicted.  You will be relieved to know NT Speaks employs not a single neurotypical and no Neurotypicals are on their advisory boards.  In fact we do not consult, listen to, or speak with any who are on the neurotypical spectrum as we have learned they have a tendency to be dishonest, will do anything to be “liked” and are almost always self-serving.  We are a non-profit whose goal is to cure neurotypicals.  All our research dollars go toward funding pre-natal testing and cures for this terrible crisis our world is currently facing.  Do not let your child become a burden on an already beleaguered society.   Let us help you.  Call us at 999-9999-9999 (en Espanol 999-9999-9990) or email saveusfromtheapocolypse@neurotypicalspeaks.org

*This post is a parody.  However the wording is almost identical to the wording used by many organizations that claim to want to “help” those who are Autistic.   

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