Class birthday party for Kelt.
Day 134
Another birthday keychain.
I was reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and came across a section about love. Christopher could define it, but couldn't describe it:
" 'I love you very much, Christopher. Do you understand?'
I didn't know whether I understood. So I said, 'I don't know.'
And Father said, 'Christopher, do you understand that I love you?'
And I said, 'Yes,' because loving someone is helping them when they get into trouble, and looking after them, and telling them the truth, and Father looks after me when I get into trouble, like coming to the police station, and he looks after me by cooking meals for me, and he always tells me the truth, which means that he loves me" (p. 87).
I wish it was that simple! Since people with autism interpret things literally, this excerpt made me question Kelt's notion of love. Is the concept too abstract to understand? Even though it's fictional, I decided to watch Mozart and the Whale, which is a love story about two people with Asperger syndrome that takes place in Spokane. A quick synopsis:
I wish it was that simple! Since people with autism interpret things literally, this excerpt made me question Kelt's notion of love. Is the concept too abstract to understand? Even though it's fictional, I decided to watch Mozart and the Whale, which is a love story about two people with Asperger syndrome that takes place in Spokane. A quick synopsis:
Isabelle meets Donald at a support group that he leads for people with autism. Donald understands his disability and how to adapt and doesn't like being autistic, which is why he started the group. Isabelle has a different perspective; unlike Donald, she accepts her diagnosis and considers her personality unique, eccentric, and fun. She immediately likes Donald and asks him out. Even though they have a difficult time communicating and understanding other people’s emotions, their similar perspective and way of thinking creates an environment of understanding and acceptance. They encounter some problems involving Isabelle and her insecurities with men, but they get through it with Donald’s love and persistence. By the end of the story they learn to trust each other and accept their differences as gifts that make them unique rather than characteristics that classify them on a spectrum.
I hope Kelt eventually meets a person like this. Even though love is abstract and confusing, I think most people struggle with it, not just people with autism.
Day 133
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELT!!
1 / 14 keychains that Kelt got for his birthday.
Gluten and casein (dairy) free Rice Krispies cake.
Favorite present overall!
Reading one of his new history books.
Kelt loves the smell of plastic.
1 / 14 keychains that Kelt got for his birthday.
Gluten and casein (dairy) free Rice Krispies cake.
Favorite present overall! 
Reading one of his new history books.
Kelt loves the smell of plastic. "My birthday was pretty good.
I got 14 new keychains and 11 new bobble heads.
Now I have 144 bobble heads!"
I got 14 new keychains and 11 new bobble heads.
Now I have 144 bobble heads!"
Day 131
"My memory is like film. That is why I am really good at remembering things, like conversations I have written down in this book, and what people were wearing, and what they smelled like, because my memory has a smelltrack which is like a soundtrack" (p. 76).
-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeI was excited when I read this because it perfectly describes Kelt, especially the part about the smelltrack. He has a photographic memory that can remember the smallest details. For example, he always notices when I move a keychain. I try to do it secretly and put it back where I found it, but he always knows. Besides being visual, he also has an amazing sense of smell, which seems more accurate than his photographic memory. He'll smell something that instantly triggers a memory, which can go as far back as the 90s (born in '93).
Day 130
Bellingham Herald photo by Katie GreeneToday was the Northwest Conference Championship.
Kelt's team lost, but got 2nd overall and he won 11-2!
Kelt's team lost, but got 2nd overall and he won 11-2!
Day 128
Monday, January 24, 2011
This news report is about a boy with autism that Microsoft labeled a cheater because he repeatedly beat its online games in 3-4 days. This story reminded me of an excerpt from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In this section Christopher describes his similarities with Sherlock Holmes:
"I like Sherlock Holmes. He is very intelligent and he solves the mystery and he says
The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.
But he notices them, like I do. Also it says in the book
Sherlock Holmes had, in a very remarkable degree, the power of detaching his mind at will.
And this is like me, too, because if I get really interested in something I don't notice anything else and Father can be calling me to come and eat my supper and I won't hear him" (p. 73).
Instead of being a cheater, maybe this boy just had the ability to observe obvious details and concentrate with no distractions.
The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.
But he notices them, like I do. Also it says in the book
Sherlock Holmes had, in a very remarkable degree, the power of detaching his mind at will.
And this is like me, too, because if I get really interested in something I don't notice anything else and Father can be calling me to come and eat my supper and I won't hear him" (p. 73).
Instead of being a cheater, maybe this boy just had the ability to observe obvious details and concentrate with no distractions.
Day 126
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Kelt got 2nd at the Renton Invite, which mostly had 3A and 4A schools!
Day 124
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time I came across an interesting section about figurative speech and the way people with autism interpret language:
"I do not always do what I am told.
And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense.
For example, people often say 'Be quiet,' but they don't tell you how long to be quiet for. Or you see a sign which says KEEP OFF THE GRASS but it should say KEEP OF THE GRASS AROUND THIS SIGN because there is lots of grass you are allowed to walk on.
Also I don't know what Father means when he says 'Stay out of other people's business' because I do not know what he means by 'other people's business' because I do lots of things with other people, at school and in the shop and on the bus, and his job is going into other people's houses and fixing their boilers and their heating. And all of these things are other people's business.
My therapist understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this" (p. 29).
"I do not always do what I am told.
And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense.
For example, people often say 'Be quiet,' but they don't tell you how long to be quiet for. Or you see a sign which says KEEP OFF THE GRASS but it should say KEEP OF THE GRASS AROUND THIS SIGN because there is lots of grass you are allowed to walk on.
Also I don't know what Father means when he says 'Stay out of other people's business' because I do not know what he means by 'other people's business' because I do lots of things with other people, at school and in the shop and on the bus, and his job is going into other people's houses and fixing their boilers and their heating. And all of these things are other people's business.
My therapist understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that I am not allowed to do. And I like this" (p. 29).
Day 123
Kelt had his last duel match today. He won 17-6!
Now it's time for districts and hopefully state!
Now it's time for districts and hopefully state!
Day 122
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
After 18 years of silence, man finds voice in photos
By KOMO Staff January 18, 2011
SHORELINE, Wash. -- After years of not being able to talk, Forrest Sargent has finally found a way to communicate with his family through photos.
"For the first 18 years of his life, (it) has been hell," said his mother, Rebecca Sargent.
But a letter board for communicating and camera for Christmas have opened a world shut off by profound autism.
"We just didn't know there was anybody in there," Sargent said. "Didn't know his favorite color, his favorite food was."
Forrest's favorite photographs now cover his bedroom walls at Fircrest.
The 19-year-old who can be extremely aggressive - "I have scars all up and down arms from bites and scratches," his mother said - can't cross streets alone or put shoes on the proper feet now has his own show this month at his aunt's gallery in Olympia.
"I like to take pictures of happy," Forrest said.
Forrest says he likes reaching people's minds with truth and beauty, showing the hidden parts of life. His new-found expression offers his family insight and relief.
"If you can express yourself you have a better life," his mother said.
For nearly two decades, autism trapped the artist within. But Forrest is finally here.
"I feel like I lost him for too many years, he's arrived," said his mother.
You can see Forrest's photographs at Childhood's End gallery in Olympia. His mother says she's not sure he understands the significance of the show, but says he did go on Facebook to suggest people buy his pieces.
Day 121
"I find people confusing. The first main reason is that people do a lot of talking without using any words. The second main reason is that people often talk using metaphors."
Christopher, the main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, describes his frustration with subjective body language and phrases that have more than one meaning. For example, his therapist told him that "if you raise one eyebrow it can mean lots of different things. It can mean 'I want to do sex with you' and it can also mean 'I think that what you just said was very stupid.'"
People with autism have the greatest difficulty with the use or pragmatics of language because of the number of social rules that exist within conversation and overall communication. These unwritten rules seem unclear and abstract because our society expects people to learn these rules without direct instruction. People with autism are oblivious to these rules and need help generalizing these standards into everyday communication.
Christopher, the main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, describes his frustration with subjective body language and phrases that have more than one meaning. For example, his therapist told him that "if you raise one eyebrow it can mean lots of different things. It can mean 'I want to do sex with you' and it can also mean 'I think that what you just said was very stupid.'"
People with autism have the greatest difficulty with the use or pragmatics of language because of the number of social rules that exist within conversation and overall communication. These unwritten rules seem unclear and abstract because our society expects people to learn these rules without direct instruction. People with autism are oblivious to these rules and need help generalizing these standards into everyday communication.
Day 120
I'm reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon for the second time as research material for the blog and our sculpture project and because it's fabulous! The story is told in the perspective and language of a 15-year-old boy with high-functioning autism. For the next week I'm going to discuss different issues that are covered in the book.
Day 119
Saturday, January 15, 2010
Kelt and I recently started a new project! For the past several months we've been working on drawing, so I thought it'd be interesting to try something 3-D. I haven't written the artist statement yet or figured out the specifics, but I want to work with a variety of materials, such as wax, glue, and clay, etc., to see what he likes. I'm curious to observe his process and learn if sculpture is a medium that he enjoys. I'm also interested in his relationship with the different materials. For example, when we started working with these keychains, he told me that he likes wrapping things and when he was younger, he used to wrap his toys like mummies and bury them in the backyard. I had no idea that he did this! This is the type of connection and story that I'm eager to discover.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum ranges from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
The materials are also important because people with autism often have unique responses to sensory stimuli. Examples include high threshold for pain, oversensitivity to sounds or being touched, exaggerated reactions to light or odors, or fascination with certain stimuli, etc. Hypersensitivities and/or hyposensitivities vary depending on the individual; for people with autism the continuum ranges from no reaction to responses in all five senses.
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