Autism in General
Autism is a label applied to individuals who display unusual behaviors resulting from their brain performing differently than what most people consider the norm. It is a neurological disorder causing the brain to interpret information differently than everyone else. There are a number of disorders that actually fall under this spectrum of Autism encompassing from Low Functioning Autism to High Functioning Autism (HFA), as well as Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), and Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). Some professionals also believe that Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) are also under this umbrella of Autism but that is still in great debate at this point.
Some of the characteristics that are commonly found with those on the spectrum include:
Unusual Interests
Unusual Social Interactions
Unusual Physical Movements
Unusual Reactions to Object, People, and/or Situations
Unusual Speech and Language
Unusual Abilities
“Unusual” meaning out of traditional patterns… you can find more detailed info here… http://www.thegraycenter.org/identifyingachild.cfm
Asperger’s Syndrome
I was diagnosed with AS in 2005 at the age of 34. Those with AS do tend to get overlooked due to their speech abilities… there is not usually an alert at a young age keying in on the inability to speak. Rather, those with AS tend to have more of a “Little Professor” speech…Gosh I don’t know how many times I have been told that I am a little professor while growing up. (LOL) And My speech patterns, I am told, do change… there are times when I don’t sound like the “little professor.” I am realizing now how I imitate other peoples pattern of speech at varies times and situations according to how I subconsciously think I need to for the given situation. That is how I socially cope with the apparently inability to pick up on those hidden messages that Neurotypicals (NTs) [non-autistic or non-aspie (those with Asperger’s Syndrome prefer Aspie many times)] give out with their body. I have probably had more English classes than most English majors… and hense I have worked really hard at my writing skills. I was lucky enough to get a 9th grade English teacher who inadvertently taught me how to “see” a paper and to turn words and writing into a math formula…otherwise I would probably have not made it through college. Heck I was the only one who got an A (my first A by the way in that class) on a paper I did about Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach…because I was the only one to get that the story was about being different and not following the crowd. I think I had first hand experience to help me with that one. That is the paper that changed my social communication life. From there…writing became a communication tool that I began to have confidence in. I also began being a Jr camp counselor about that time… and for the first time I really began socializing… not just another body in an organized program… of course my socialization was with the 5 and 6 year olds that I took care of… (I didn’t get anyone my age nor did I get the other counselors) but that was a start. To this day I still prefer my socialization to be with animals or 5 year olds but I have probably graduated to a better interaction with my peers as long as it is within an organized setting…like playing a board game, or camp activities, or even group therapy… but to just go to a party where you simply sit and talk about nothing relevant…forget it. I would much prefer to be at home by myself with the computer or a good book or creating artwork. I have also found my artwork not only to be an outlet for my feelings which I have no feeling words for… but also a “icebreaker” so to speak. If I am in a group setting and I am working on one of my paintings… inevitably someone will ask me a question about it or about the topic of my drawing and that gives me something relevant to talk about and then I have my guide to open up some to others. I actually like to talk to people… I just never know where to start. And this so called irrelevant chit chat like the weather just doesn’t make any sense to me. I mean if you want to know what the weather is like…look outside for pete’s sake… why do you have to state the obvious just to say something… quiet is nice too.
I am finding that many of these things are very characteristic of Aspie’s.
Here are a few links that I have found that really explain the specifics of Asperger’s Syndrome very well…
The Discovery of "Aspie" Criteria
By Carol Gray and Tony Attwood, M.Sc., Ph.D., MAPS., AFBPsS
http://www.thegraycenter.org/sectionsdetails.cfm?id=38
Asperger’s Syndrome Characteristics
http://www.rogernmeyer.com/adult_acts_and_consequences_as_characteristics.html
What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
By Robert Morgan for Tony Attwood’s Website
(click the link to this topic…I can’t link directly there)
http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/
Sensory Issues on the Spectrum
Many people do not realize just how much sensory issues impact those of us on the spectrum… these sensory issues many times go overlooked but are the primary reason for the “odd” behaviors that result. There are actually 7 sensory systems…not the usual five we are taught in school.
Touch
Taste
Smell
Sight
Sound
Vestibular – Balance http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/vestibular.htm
Proprioception – Movement: knowing where your body parts are http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/proprioceptive.htm
Individuals on the spectrum can be over or under sensitive to these systems… but the confusing part is when they are both. I an under responsive to touch most of the time…but if you came up from behind and gently touched my shoulder or ever reached to touch my face or even come near my face… I am over responsive… I used to play sports (especially soccer) just for the thrill of colliding with another player. And I was extremely clingy with my camp counselors growing up to a point where I would get into trouble and I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing. My subconscious reached out and basically got my needs met… I wasn’t getting enough information from my skin for my body to know where the parts of my body where… I still have that difficulty… I am always wiggling in my seat. However, there is help… I have been doing a Therapeutic Listening Program http://www.abilitiesinfo.com/therapy_listeningsensoryint.html that helps greatly to modulate most of my senses…and when I do it properly I even get hungry appropriately… see my body gets hungry but the message doesn’t seem to get to my brain to know that I am hungry or sometimes it tells my brain I am hungry when I am full… etc. I have to be reminded to eat regularly…but this listening therapy helps regulate that much better.
If you are interested in more help with the sensory issues I highly recommend an Occupational Therapist… one that specializes in sensory modulation/sensory integration. They can do a sensory profile and recommend the intervention(s) which might work specially for you or your child.
Sensory Issues related websites:
What is Sensory Integration?
http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/Sensory_integration.htm
The Sensory Processing Disorder Network
http://www.sinetwork.org/
I just want everyone to know that there is hope for those of us on the spectrum… we are individuals and Aspies can become more independent than they think. I am currently in intensive therapy for trauma and it is helping me to deal with the trauma related to being undiagnosed for all of these years. I am also looking into obtaining a service dog…to help me get around with less anxiety…particularly for crossing streets that can be confusing and overwhelming to me. I was inspired by this fellow’s article on Service Dogs for those with Autism…
SSigDOGs - Social Signal Dogs & Orientation Guides for Autistic People
http://web.syr.edu/%7Ejisincla/dogtasks.htm
I have done lots of research on the web and I store my links to my sources on Kaboodle… here is a link to a few of my pages on Autism, AS, and related information
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/autism-awareness.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/autism--sensory-integration.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/asbergers-syndrome.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/addressing-special-needs
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/service-animals.html
Threads found on Christian Forums where you can post comments
What is Asperger’s Syndrome
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497079-what-is-aspergers-syndrome.html
Asperger’s Syndrome Characteristics
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497827-aspergers-syndrome-characteristics.html
Sensory Processing Issues on the Spectrum
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497365-sensory-processing-issues-on-the-spectrum.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding the Tactile System
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509477-sensory-issues-understanding-the-tactile-system.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding the Vestibular System
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509481-sensory-issues-understanding-the-vestibular-system.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding Proprioception
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509474-sensory-issues-understanding-proprioception.html
An Article I wrote for "Parents of Children with Autism" Newletter in my Area
http://www.christianforums.com/t2462424-an-article-i-wrote-for-parents-of-children-with-autism-newletter-in-my-area.html
Sensory Issues: Dealing with Crowds
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509369-sensory-issues-dealing-with-crowds.html
I am blessed with Asperger’s Syndrome
http://www.christianforums.com/t2418393-i-am-blessed-with-aspergers-syndrome.html
Autism is a label applied to individuals who display unusual behaviors resulting from their brain performing differently than what most people consider the norm. It is a neurological disorder causing the brain to interpret information differently than everyone else. There are a number of disorders that actually fall under this spectrum of Autism encompassing from Low Functioning Autism to High Functioning Autism (HFA), as well as Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), and Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). Some professionals also believe that Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) are also under this umbrella of Autism but that is still in great debate at this point.
Some of the characteristics that are commonly found with those on the spectrum include:
Unusual Interests
Unusual Social Interactions
Unusual Physical Movements
Unusual Reactions to Object, People, and/or Situations
Unusual Speech and Language
Unusual Abilities
“Unusual” meaning out of traditional patterns… you can find more detailed info here… http://www.thegraycenter.org/identifyingachild.cfm
Asperger’s Syndrome
I was diagnosed with AS in 2005 at the age of 34. Those with AS do tend to get overlooked due to their speech abilities… there is not usually an alert at a young age keying in on the inability to speak. Rather, those with AS tend to have more of a “Little Professor” speech…Gosh I don’t know how many times I have been told that I am a little professor while growing up. (LOL) And My speech patterns, I am told, do change… there are times when I don’t sound like the “little professor.” I am realizing now how I imitate other peoples pattern of speech at varies times and situations according to how I subconsciously think I need to for the given situation. That is how I socially cope with the apparently inability to pick up on those hidden messages that Neurotypicals (NTs) [non-autistic or non-aspie (those with Asperger’s Syndrome prefer Aspie many times)] give out with their body. I have probably had more English classes than most English majors… and hense I have worked really hard at my writing skills. I was lucky enough to get a 9th grade English teacher who inadvertently taught me how to “see” a paper and to turn words and writing into a math formula…otherwise I would probably have not made it through college. Heck I was the only one who got an A (my first A by the way in that class) on a paper I did about Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach…because I was the only one to get that the story was about being different and not following the crowd. I think I had first hand experience to help me with that one. That is the paper that changed my social communication life. From there…writing became a communication tool that I began to have confidence in. I also began being a Jr camp counselor about that time… and for the first time I really began socializing… not just another body in an organized program… of course my socialization was with the 5 and 6 year olds that I took care of… (I didn’t get anyone my age nor did I get the other counselors) but that was a start. To this day I still prefer my socialization to be with animals or 5 year olds but I have probably graduated to a better interaction with my peers as long as it is within an organized setting…like playing a board game, or camp activities, or even group therapy… but to just go to a party where you simply sit and talk about nothing relevant…forget it. I would much prefer to be at home by myself with the computer or a good book or creating artwork. I have also found my artwork not only to be an outlet for my feelings which I have no feeling words for… but also a “icebreaker” so to speak. If I am in a group setting and I am working on one of my paintings… inevitably someone will ask me a question about it or about the topic of my drawing and that gives me something relevant to talk about and then I have my guide to open up some to others. I actually like to talk to people… I just never know where to start. And this so called irrelevant chit chat like the weather just doesn’t make any sense to me. I mean if you want to know what the weather is like…look outside for pete’s sake… why do you have to state the obvious just to say something… quiet is nice too.
I am finding that many of these things are very characteristic of Aspie’s.
Here are a few links that I have found that really explain the specifics of Asperger’s Syndrome very well…
The Discovery of "Aspie" Criteria
By Carol Gray and Tony Attwood, M.Sc., Ph.D., MAPS., AFBPsS
http://www.thegraycenter.org/sectionsdetails.cfm?id=38
Asperger’s Syndrome Characteristics
http://www.rogernmeyer.com/adult_acts_and_consequences_as_characteristics.html
What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
By Robert Morgan for Tony Attwood’s Website
(click the link to this topic…I can’t link directly there)
http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/
Sensory Issues on the Spectrum
Many people do not realize just how much sensory issues impact those of us on the spectrum… these sensory issues many times go overlooked but are the primary reason for the “odd” behaviors that result. There are actually 7 sensory systems…not the usual five we are taught in school.
Touch
Taste
Smell
Sight
Sound
Vestibular – Balance http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/vestibular.htm
Proprioception – Movement: knowing where your body parts are http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/proprioceptive.htm
Individuals on the spectrum can be over or under sensitive to these systems… but the confusing part is when they are both. I an under responsive to touch most of the time…but if you came up from behind and gently touched my shoulder or ever reached to touch my face or even come near my face… I am over responsive… I used to play sports (especially soccer) just for the thrill of colliding with another player. And I was extremely clingy with my camp counselors growing up to a point where I would get into trouble and I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing. My subconscious reached out and basically got my needs met… I wasn’t getting enough information from my skin for my body to know where the parts of my body where… I still have that difficulty… I am always wiggling in my seat. However, there is help… I have been doing a Therapeutic Listening Program http://www.abilitiesinfo.com/therapy_listeningsensoryint.html that helps greatly to modulate most of my senses…and when I do it properly I even get hungry appropriately… see my body gets hungry but the message doesn’t seem to get to my brain to know that I am hungry or sometimes it tells my brain I am hungry when I am full… etc. I have to be reminded to eat regularly…but this listening therapy helps regulate that much better.
If you are interested in more help with the sensory issues I highly recommend an Occupational Therapist… one that specializes in sensory modulation/sensory integration. They can do a sensory profile and recommend the intervention(s) which might work specially for you or your child.
Sensory Issues related websites:
What is Sensory Integration?
http://www.thechildrenscenteraz.org/Sensory_integration.htm
The Sensory Processing Disorder Network
http://www.sinetwork.org/
I just want everyone to know that there is hope for those of us on the spectrum… we are individuals and Aspies can become more independent than they think. I am currently in intensive therapy for trauma and it is helping me to deal with the trauma related to being undiagnosed for all of these years. I am also looking into obtaining a service dog…to help me get around with less anxiety…particularly for crossing streets that can be confusing and overwhelming to me. I was inspired by this fellow’s article on Service Dogs for those with Autism…
SSigDOGs - Social Signal Dogs & Orientation Guides for Autistic People
http://web.syr.edu/%7Ejisincla/dogtasks.htm
I have done lots of research on the web and I store my links to my sources on Kaboodle… here is a link to a few of my pages on Autism, AS, and related information
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/autism-awareness.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/autism--sensory-integration.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/asbergers-syndrome.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/addressing-special-needs
http://www.kaboodle.com/uniquetadpole/service-animals.html
Threads found on Christian Forums where you can post comments
What is Asperger’s Syndrome
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497079-what-is-aspergers-syndrome.html
Asperger’s Syndrome Characteristics
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497827-aspergers-syndrome-characteristics.html
Sensory Processing Issues on the Spectrum
http://www.christianforums.com/t2497365-sensory-processing-issues-on-the-spectrum.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding the Tactile System
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509477-sensory-issues-understanding-the-tactile-system.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding the Vestibular System
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509481-sensory-issues-understanding-the-vestibular-system.html
Sensory Issues: Understanding Proprioception
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509474-sensory-issues-understanding-proprioception.html
An Article I wrote for "Parents of Children with Autism" Newletter in my Area
http://www.christianforums.com/t2462424-an-article-i-wrote-for-parents-of-children-with-autism-newletter-in-my-area.html
Sensory Issues: Dealing with Crowds
http://www.christianforums.com/t2509369-sensory-issues-dealing-with-crowds.html
I am blessed with Asperger’s Syndrome
http://www.christianforums.com/t2418393-i-am-blessed-with-aspergers-syndrome.html