Day 190

Some of my friends recommended that I talk about autism in the media, specifically in Parenthood, Community, and The Big Bang Theory. I haven’t seen Community or Big Bang, but occasionally watch Parenthood and recently watched the episode when Max, an 8-year-old with Asperger Syndrome, discovers that he has autism. This video shows his parents explaining autism for the second time after being unprepared when Max overheard an earlier conversation. They are accurate, simple, and use constructive language; overall the scene is uplifting and realistic. They also bring up Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome by 13-year-old Luke Jackson, which is where I got the idea to read the book. Having Asperger Syndrome himself, Jackson believes that:

“A child should be told and the sooner the better… Although a child may go through [the] period of asking questions or being angry and upset, in my mind that is still no excuse not to tell them. Parents, you are not protecting them because feeling as if you are a ‘freak’ is horrible at any time and much worse when you don’t know the reasons why” (30, 37).

Day 184

I found an explanation about collections in Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome and thought it was perfect for Kelt and the blog:

"Many Asperger Syndrome (AS) people, if not all, become very attached to certain things. That's what I mean by a collection. Lots of us like to have sets of things that we can organize and categorize and line up. It's not only an AS thing, I just think that it means something slightly different for AS people. In general I would say that collecting something is a pretty harmless way of feeling secure and no one should stop anyone from doing this. Organizing something is a wonderful way of shaking off the feeling of chaos that comes from living in such a disorganized world" (50).

Last summer I worked with a boy with autism that constantly drew vinegar bottles. He was nonverbal so I never learned why, but thought the drawings were fascinating. It's a little different than a collection, but creates the same feelings of repetition and security.

Day 181

Friday, March 18, 2011

Most people with autism have an obsession or favorite topic, or as Luke Jackson calls it, a specialist subject. Because of March Madness, I thought this was an interesting point:

"Q: When is an obsession not an obsession?

A: When it is about football.

How unfair is that?! It seems that our society fully accepts the fact that a lot of men and boys 'eat, sleep and breathe' football and people seem to think that if someone doesn't, then they are not fully male. Stupid" (47)! -Freeks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

Day 177

Monday, March 14, 2011

I recently started reading this book to learn more about teenagers with autism. Jackson was only 13 when he wrote it! Here are some cartoons from the book:

"Asperger Syndrome comes under the umbrella of autism. That's quite a useful way to think of the autistic spectrum - as an umbrella with lots of people under it all in different places. The trouble with that analogy is that some people are being rained on a lot harder than others and that doesn't really happen with an umbrella" (20).

"For autism and Asperger Syndrome, people have a 'triad of impairments.' These impairments are in communication, social interaction and imagination. Repetitive behaviors, obsessions and sensory problems are also often part of the problem, though not always present. Mum told me that she once read somewhere that someone compared these problems with an equalizer and all people on the autistic spectrum have different levels for each problem" (21-22).

"I think Tony Attwood wrote about labels being signposts. Signposts usually point people in the right direction, so by not telling people about Asperger Syndrome, no direction is being given about how to help" (26).

"In some ways, gay people must have the same worries as those with Asperger Syndrome, when it comes to telling others that they are different from others" (38).