Personalized Autism Training and Certification Awarded To Caribbean-Based Hospitality Resort Chain

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Those that work with Temidayo say that he has a big thirst for knowledge and is committed to learning and improving his skills.

“I am proud to be the First AAC (Advance Autism Specialist) ever in Nigeria,” said Temidayo. “Only God made that possible.”

“Thank you IBCCES, and thanks to everyone who made this dream a reality.”

The post Announcing the First Advanced Autism Certificate in Nigeria appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

My daughter’s future is bright.  She is thriving at school because they are meeting her every need with an admirable flexibility, thoughtfulness and respect.  All of which has been achieved with close cooperation between home and school, something that I believe are key factors in improving a child’s quality of life.  Why? Because, on one hand we have the child’s parents, who are experts in the child and on the other hand we have the teacher, which is an expert in teaching methods and goal setting. When these two respect each others roles and take the time to listen and work together, magic happens!

Our teacher’s mentality is priceless.  They have so much respect for my daughter and they put every effort in customizing her curriculum and learning environment to her needs. As an example I could mention that she always arrives late for school. Is that okay? Imagine this; she arrives into an empty school building and is exposed to minimum sensory input, which means that her stress levels are low and she gets a good start of the day. Otherwise it would take her teachers about an hour to unwind her after a chaotic school start and a maximum sensory input. That kind of a solution requires flexible thinking and caring.

Another important factor is that we always assume she is trying her best and we look at her reaction and behavior as a form of communication. If she refuses to work on a certain project and acts in a negative way, we assume that she has some form of difficulty solving it. If she denies participating in some activities, we accept her refusal for now and then we try to figure out what is hindering her. We work on receiving her approval for the longer run.  We don’t give up and we do not look at her diagnose as a label.  We look at it as guide to a better quality of life and we believe that she can do anything she wants. Sometimes we just need to work harder in finding the appropriate solutions.

Achieving this level of close cooperation with our school was achieved by in-depth information about how my daughter experiences the world differently, how she reacts to different things and how the teachers can help.  You see, I decided to write a book about my daughter a few years back, describing her challenges and her strengths.  This book was so well received and well appreciated by the school staff because, even though they had worked with many other children on the autism spectrum before, they had no knowledge of working with her.  And this is key!

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” says Dr. Stephen Shore, world-known self-advocate and international speaker, and these words are so true. This particular book about my daughter had a great impact on her teachers. They became more understanding and more willing to cooperate with us, the parents.

Because this book had such a positive impact on our life, I decided to expand this idea and after one year of research I opened an Icelandic website called egerunik.is, where other parents or people on the autism spectrum can make their own personalized books. This has been a great success in Iceland and has received many awards and nominations (link: https://iamunik.com/about-i-am-unik/recognitions/). I therefore wanted to share this program and I have now opened iamunik.com.

A little bit about how the program works: after logging in you choose from a wide range of prewritten passages that best describes the child and you can always adapt these passages if needed so they fit perfectly.  All the passages are written in a personal and positive way and they have been proofread and approved by a large group of advisors that consists of autistic people and professionals (link: https://iamunik.com/about-i-am-unik/consultant-team/). After selecting the passages, you can upload personal pictures and choose illustrations for the book.  You now have made a caring book about a child that will help others to understand; teachers, classmates, family members and so on. Many have also used this opportunity to sit down with their children and create a personal book together – not just for others to understand but also to increase self-awareness and to create an open discussion and acceptance about the fact that it’s okay to be different.

This is a new program to the American market, and in honor of the International Autism Acceptance day in April, I would like to offer anyone interested to try this out for free.  You may find more information about the gift code on the website (link: https://iamunik.com).  It is my sincere hope that this program can help fight stereotypes and increase acceptance.  What do you think?

Love,

Donna

Iamunik.com is a webpage that has the mission to promote increased acceptance for those with ASD by making it easy for them to introduce their different perspective on life.  It contains a program to create customized books about Autism or ADHD. Adalheidur Sigurdardottir (Donna) is the founder and also a mother of a 12-year-old girl on the autism spectrum.  These last three years Donna has dedicated herself to the world of autism and it has now become her passion to help open the eyes of society for the fact that it’s okay to be different.

The post Spreading Acceptance: How to Create & Share Your Own Story appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

By Anita Lesko, BSN, RN, MS, CRNA 

I have the good fortune to be a friend of Dr. Temple Grandin. We have a lot in common. We are both autistic, and we share a very similar youth that played a big factor in our adult life. We both started having jobs at a very early age. Temple often talks about her early days, when her job was to greet guests at the door for her mom’s dinner party, and take their coats to hang up. Yes, it was a job. She was given a responsibility to carry out.

Among her numerous other childhood jobs was the one I, too, did for many years — mucking out horse stalls. In conversations with Temple on the phone, we’ve talked about those days of our teenage years spent shoveling out one stall after another. We both love horses and being around them. It was peaceful and it was also a form of therapy. In essence, it was our occupational therapy.

All the childhood jobs we did prepared us for the day when we’d start our careers. We were used to working, showing up on time, following orders from a boss, figuring out how to get a job done. It was just a regular part of our life. So, when the day came to embark into our careers, we really didn’t have to transition into anything. We were already there.

Temple is world-famous for her life and career. She’s beyond amazing! She inspires everyone, autistic or not. I also hope to inspire people with my story and wisdom. I’ve got a lot to offer.

Statistics show that  85 percent of people on the autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed. That’s a staggering number. I see this to be a very complex situation with multiple factors. One of those factors can be changed by parents. Getting your kid working! Every little chore you have them do around the house is a job. Having them help you set the table, do laundry, tidy up; it’s all working. Once they become a teenager, jobs that have more responsibility are in order. Cutting lawns in the neighborhood, helping elderly neighbors or working at a fast-food restaurant can build the foundation for a child’s future in the workforce.

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t working. As a young kid, my mom would have me helping her in the kitchen. She’d teach me the art of cooking and baking, and under her close supervision she would give me little jobs to carry out. I would be “assigned” to gather all the ingredients for baking a cake. After I’d assemble everything on the counter, she would stand by me as I followed the recipe and mixed up the batter. Of course safety was always her first concern, so she would use the mixer until I was old enough to be able to safely handle it. Then I’d get to pour the batter into the pan, mom would put it into the oven, she’d take it out, and once cool, I’d put the icing on the cake. I would feel very proud of my accomplishment! I’d be chattering away to her during that whole time, as she was my best friend.

I fell in love with horses around the age of four. It became one of my Special Interests, one that has sustained my entire life. I desperately wanted to learn to ride. Unfortunately, my parents were unable to afford riding lessons for me. When I was 12, I became a working student at a nearby stable. In return for work, you could earn riding lessons. I became quite proficient at mucking out stalls. The more I shoveled, the more riding time I got. I dreamed of jumping horses over big fences in competition. My dream eventually came true, because by the time I was 16, I was jumping horses over six-foot-high fences in some big shows. It was my hard work and perseverance that got me there.

During all those summers and weekends spent at the stable, I not only mucked out stalls, but did other tasks like painting fences, picking rocks out of pastures, emptying trash bins, etc. I was interacting with people, learning to follow orders, knowing the importance of showing up on time, getting a job done, and feeling pride in myself. Little did I know that all of those things were preparing me for my “real” job.

Besides the stable job, once in college I held a variety of other great jobs. I worked as a graphic arts designer at my undergraduate college for the four years I was there. I also worked as a skate guard at a public ice skating arena. I was into ice dancing for a number of years, and because I worked at the arena, it allowed me to get free ice time for practicing. That job also entailed selling tickets at the window for the public skating sessions, making popcorn and hot dogs in the snack shop and other sundry tasks. Again, these jobs were preparing me for my future.

In 1988 I graduated from Columbia University in New York City with my Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia and embarked on my now 26-year career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. I’ve been working full time ever since, in a job that’s not for the faint-of-heart. The operating room is a very fast-paced, ever-changing, high stress environment, loaded with massive sensory violations. Most significantly, as I call it, I’m floating in an ocean of neurotypicals! I would have sunk long ago without all the life experiences of those jobs I’d done in my younger days. I would not have been prepared to interact with people, situations, and the job itself. To date I’ve done over 50,000 anesthetics, and as I’ve carefully calculated, I’ve interacted with over one million people. That’s a lot, particularly for an autistic person.

My specialty area in anesthesia is neuroanesthesia, which is anesthesia for neurosurgery cases like aneurysm clippings, brain tumors, spinal fusions and more. It’s highly detailed and complex, just what an autistic person loves.

When I see articles about transitioning from school to work, I wonder why the transition is always such a big deal. I believe work experience should start early and be part of education. Working at a job and all that comes with it should be second nature by the time students graduate. If it isn’t, life will be very stressful, and possibly even unsuccessful. Those 85 percent of us who are unemployed or underemployed might have had a different story if they were prepared to enter the job market. If you have never worked any kind of job as a kid and teenager, nothing can substitute for that lack of life skills.

Being autistic and working at a career-type job is like going to a foreign country, not speaking their language, and trying to survive. To this day, all these years later, I still feel like a foreigner in a strange land. Yet I’ve built enough experience and “learned the language” enough to stay employed and have a successful career. I know without a doubt in my mind that I would never have made it as an anesthetist if I hadn’t had all my previous jobs.

I hope every parent will recognize the importance of teaching their child the skills to succeed at work. Keeping them sheltered is not helpful, and can set them up for failure. The only way to get skilled at socializing, learning responsibility and learning to work is by getting out there and working. The more an autistic individual interacts with others, the better they get at it. Therapists, counselors and the like all have their places in helping those on the autism spectrum. But nothing can substitute for real life experiences. Nothing.

Upon completion of school, going out and seeking a job shouldn’t be a first-time experience. Having to learn a new job is stressful enough. If you are prepared ahead of time with years of life experience, you will be able to use all your energy to focus on the job. If you are also having to learn how to interact with people, how to follow orders and how to get along in the workplace, it may seem insurmountable.

I believe it is a parent’s duty to help prepare their autistic child for the future by giving them chores, then in their teen years getting them out there doing some type of job. Real life experience can only be learned by first-hand experience. Sure, your kid will make blunders. I’ve made plenty, and still do! But I keep going. And they will too. It will be the best “therapy” you can ever give your child. Help them to have a job and be able to support themselves for the rest of their life.

About Anita:

Anita was diagnosed with autism at age 50.  A graduate of Columbia University, she earned her Master’s in Nurse Anesthesia and has been working full time for 28 years.  Her special interests have earned her a flight in an F-15 fighter jet and jumping horses over 6 foot fences.  An internationally recognized autism advocate and member of Autism Society of America’s Panel of Autistic Advisors,  Anita is married to her husband who is also autistic.  She has a new book coming out in September 2017 by Future Horizons that’s going to change health care for autistic individuals around the world.  Anita is also a Project Co-Lead on a $250,000 PCORI funded grant for Adults with Autism and other Stakeholders Engaging Together.  This project aims to  improve healthcare for autistic adults.  Anita is speaking at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day. 

The post How Childhood Jobs Prepared Me for Success as an Autistic Adult appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

By Carol S. Weinman, Esq., Autism Legal Specialist

What better time to initiate a conversation about encounters with the criminal justice system than during Autism Awareness Month in April? While it may be well known that many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are victimized and bullied, it often comes as a surprise to learn that individuals with ASD are increasingly finding themselves detained in the back of a police wagon or seated in a courtroom at the defendant’s table. That’s why the demand for education and awareness on this timely topic is greater than ever before.

So, why are we seeing this rise in criminal offenders? For one, what may appear to be an increase in offenders with ASD may simply be attributed to an improvement in identifying them.  The prevalence of autism is far more common than we knew. According to the latest report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 68 individuals have autism and 1 in 42 males are on the autism spectrum. Secondly, police officers do not recognize the tell-tale signs of ASD and innocently mistake key behaviors as suspicious activity. And lastly, these so-called offenders do not understand that what they are doing may be wrong, let alone criminal.

Figuring out why we are experiencing greater numbers of ASD offenders is not as simple as it may seem. As is often the case, we must first pinpoint the problem before we can remedy it. Is it because police officers don’t understand? Is it because those with ASD lack the requisite mental capacity to understand right from wrong? Even if we begin to understand why this is occurring, what’s the fix? And, how do we balance the need for the public’s safety against the need to protect the rights of the vulnerable ASD population?

Here’s what I do know. While I am rewarded in representing criminal defendants with ASD, I am also left heartbroken. The issue of ASD and crime is complicated and there is a lot of work to be done. And, raising awareness is a good first step on the road to initiating change.

Carol Weinman is an attorney that specializes in autism legal consulting, criminal law, and special education services with her office in Fort Washington, PA. Carol additionally speaks at conferences around the world, including ISCRD. More information can be found at www.weinmanlawoffice.com. 

The post ASD: On the Wrong Side of the Law? appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

“The latest research tells us that 94% of the population will either be personally affected by or have an immediate family member affected by one or more of the top cognitive disorders sometime in the next 20 years,” said Myron Pincomb, International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) Board Chairman. “No other profession is impacted by these findings more than our educators and health care professionals.”

Educators and healthcare professionals will join more than 25 international experts on cognitive and developmental disabilities, featuring Tier I university researchers, neurosurgeons, master educators, distinguished clinicians and therapists, deans of higher education as well as a member of the Joint Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. Through interactive sessions presented by distinguished experts in cognitive research, neuro science and patient care from around the globe, the symposium will enable attendees to have immediate, long-term impacts on individuals with Alzheimer’s, Autism, Parkinson’s, PTSD, dementia, stroke and other cognitive and developmental disabilities.

“Research has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of cognitive problems in limiting success in school and life,” said Dr. Bruce Wexler, Senior Research Scientist from Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory at Connecticut Mental Health Center. “New research is establishing increasingly effective methods to help children and adults with cognitive deficits succeed despite the deficits, or even reduce the deficits themselves. I am looking forward to the conference, which brings together many people who are in the forefront of these important efforts.”

Teachers and education administrators attending will be better prepared to serve students and families through interactive sessions addressing inclusion and individual education plans and mental health, as well as best practices related to ADD/ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Pincomb stated, “Our goal is to bring together some of the most respected brain researchers, accomplished educators and innovative health care professionals from all corners of the globe to collaborate and share the latest research and strategies that will help conquer the enormous challenge ahead of us.”

Event speakers include Dr. Bruce Wexler, Senior Research Scientist from Yale School of Medicine, and Director of the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory at Connecticut Mental Health Center; Dr. Benjamin Brown, neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Pam Rollins, Professor and Robotics Researcher at University of Texas School of Behavior and Brain Sciences, Dr. Christine Sapienza, Dean of Brooks Rehabilitation in the College of Healthcare Sciences at Jacksonville University; Dr. Stephen Shore, international autism speaker, author and professor at Adelphi University; Lt. Col. Christopher T. Ford, retired Joint Chiefs of Staff for the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Tina Anderson, Special Education Program Coordinator at the University of Georgia College of Education, Dr. Tracy Alloway, Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida and many more.

“I am looking forward to presenting on autism at this unique multidisciplinary conference,” said Dr. Stephen Shore, an internationally-recognized autism expert and professor at Adelphi University. ” Learning and collaborating with each other will improve our abilities to support individuals of need in our professions.”

Early bird pricing for registration is now available for $395 until November 15, 2016. Regular attendance is $450 from November 16-December 31, 2016, and late registration is $525 following January 1, 2017. Group discounts are also available.

Registration includes a 3-course plated luncheon with live musical performance by Luci Butler, a music-therapist that has toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Moby and has worked with the Institute For Music and Neurologic Function. The symposium will be live web-streamed for individuals who would like to participate worldwide.

Discounted room rates are now available at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort through January 12, 2017.
Registration is available now through www.ibcces.org/international-symposium-cognitiveresearch-disabilities.
For more information, please contact Kristin Chambers at 904-501-0003, or by emailing kristin@ibcces.org.

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Meet Dominik

I have been working with individuals with autism for 20 years and have met many interesting and exciting people along the way. In this blog, I have someone that I would like to introduce to you that I believe is an extraordinary person. His name is Dominik and he is 14-years-old. Dominik has diagnoses of autism and apraxia and is essentially non-verbal with his spoken language, but is definitely NOT non-verbal when using other means to communicate aside from the spoken word. Upon meeting Dominik, you may assume that he has limited communication skills, but since we presume competence when working with our clients, I learned that the opposite it true. Dominik has a passion for writing and using language to communicate his vast interests. One of the ways he has learned to do this is through an augmentative communication application called “Speak for Yourself (SFY).” SFY runs as a communication device on the iPad and uses synthetic speech to aid individuals with their expressive language output. It is based on core vocabulary and allows the person to communicate using generative language. Dominik has learned to use the augmentative communication system to express his wants and needs, feelings, hold conversations with others, and to communicate his expansive knowledge and interests in a variety of topics. Our conversations using AAC have ranged from the etiology of autism to future careers. Dominik thinks that vaccines “are the culprit of autism” and wants to be “a neurologist” when he is older. When Dominik communicates using AAC, he let us into his amazing world of thought. Not only does he use SFY; he can type on a computer keyboard, write with facilitated assistance, and is now starting to use verbal speech as AAC has been a bridge to developing spoken language for him.

I told Dominik that I was going to write a blog about his AAC use and the amazing progress he has made in just a few short months. He was very excited about the opportunity! I asked him if there was anything that he would like to share with the readers and this is what he said:

“I would like to thank you for the opportunity of participating in this blog and having my “voice” heard. It may sound ironic since my oral language skills are almost nonexistent. The various specialists have called my condition apraxia of speech, but I call it “being mute!”

Dominik and Dr. Rosin, having a conversation using AAC

I obviously can’t represent everyone who is autistic and has apraxia of speech, but I think it is reasonable to conclude that there are other individuals similar to me, with similar issues and struggles. The daily struggles of trying to produce the words and the inability to do it successfully represent a great source of frustration and can lead to the lack of self-esteem, both of which have occurred in my case. My refuge has been a written word, and lately the synthetic speech app I have installed on my I-pad. When I was diagnosed with autism almost 12 years ago, there were essentially no programs or apps like the ones we have nowadays and the one I use currently. With the further advancement of technology, I believe that even more sophisticated apps will be developed in the near future!

I truly hope that society will become even more understanding and successful in helping us, the individuals with autism and apraxia of speech, in all aspects of our lives, but the speech in particular, since that is a hallmark of our disorder and the stigma we carry. People with autism and apraxia may not have a loud voice in decibels, but those who are willing to give us a chance may realize that our inner voice is worth listening!”

Dominik has shared two of his writings with me and would like to share them with you too. Please click on the links below to read two essays that he wrote for school.

“Happy and Crabby at the Same Time”  By Dominik Knez

Click here to read.

“Triple Epiphany”  By Dominik Knez

Click here to read.

Contact Sheryl:

srosin@palmbeachsls.com

www.palmbeachsls.com

The post Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Presume Competence for ALL Individuals appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

By Taveesha Guyton, Social Worker & soon-to-be CAS

I am a social work professional whose expertise is working with the intellectually-disabled and population of individuals with autism. I really love my job and who I work for.  My sole purpose in my position is to provide resources, education and advocacy for this steady growing population, which affects 1 in 68 births in the United States.

1. Listen to you clients.  What I want for my clients is very different from what they want for themselves.  Many times in the field, professionals who work with clients look at the end result versus looking at the here and now. I have learned to listen what is being said and sometimes what is not being said.

2. Provide Choices.  Providing choices. It is important to exercise the ability to choose. Providing options are the best way for people to find out what they like and do not like and it also helps create more conversation about many other things. Choice making is a skill I feel is not exercised enough with this population. (Check out great visual support ideas here.)

3. Ensure proper supports are in place.  What is needed for this individual with autism to maintain a ” normal” life is usually the question asked and how do we as  a professionally supportive community help create this world for this individual? Will the individual need vocational rehabilitation because their goal is to earn competitive wages? If the individual’s goal is to live alone, will this person need the assistance of a Supported Living Coach? Will this individual need guidance for activities of daily living such as medication management, making doctor’s appointments, meal preparation and grocery shopping? What about socialization and community-based outings? Will the individual need someone to help integrate them into the community?

In assisting in the coordination and maintenance of services for the individual with special needs or autism, social workers are able to make the lives of  individuals with autism a little better.

The post 3 Tips for Social Workers and Autism appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

By Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Safety/Preparedness Specialist, CAS

More than one mother recently confided that getting her children ready to enter school with its fees, clothes, and required items was a real financial burden—and those students weren’t even in high school yet.  I recalled those same September concerns years ago, knowing taxes were also due in November, and Christmas was just around the corner.  With four amazing daughters, including Heidi (our beautiful daughter with Down syndrome and late-onset autism) my husband Rod and I felt so blessed, but our budget and stress levels were very stretched. With Heidi’s special needs for good quality vitamins/food, calming craniosacral therapy appointments each week, and educational toys and more – my motto, “keep it up!” served us well. Today’s parents can live this way, too, with some of our common sense advice.

TIDY UP – One of the best money savers is keeping your home organized so important items don’t accidentally get damaged among the clutter, or lost, resulting in duplicate purchases. Individuals with autism often obsessively hold on to odd things, creating more chaos, so set boundaries.

BUY UP – Buy in bulk and when items go on sale, but if it’s packaged food, watch for an almost-expired date. You don’t want a bunch of peanut butter jars in the pantry that are going to go bad before you can eat them.

CLEAN UP –  After you use a tool such as a saw, or an appliance like a blender, clean it well and store it away from moisture, etc. and they should serve you for several years.

COOK UP –  Sure, it saves money, but if you’re not itching to “cook from scratch” please realize it’s much healthier for people with special needs, like our Heidi, who are often pretty allergy prone. Home cooking usually has much less chemical additives for color, flavor and preservatives, so it’s a true win/win.

BREW UP – Some folks use their tea bag twice to stretch their dime, so doubling up is another tip. I’ve discovered the healing effect of herbal teas, and really enjoy a nice mug of peppermint tea to pick me up, or licorice root tea to calm me down. Licorice root (not the red candy, but in capsule/tea form) is a natural adrenal support (our anxiety mechanism) and I believe this supplement helped reduce Heidi’s extreme anxiety.

CUT UP – Don’t be seduced by credit card offers on TV or mail. Consider “plastic surgery” on extra cards you already have—they actually make a great guitar pic.

ADD UP – Rod and I really wanted to give our children the same blessings we experienced of having our mom stay at home—and were willing to live sensibly on one income. When you actually add up the additional expenses of a mother committing to outside employment, it doesn’t usually make sense.

READ UP – Richard Paul Evans, author of The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women advises couples considering the mother to enter the workforce to honestly add it all up: daycare, wardrobe, travel, and meal expenses. Plus, the second income creates additional taxes to owe—and may put you in a higher tax bracket. Analyze your money matters to determine if you are paying interest with debt, or earning it with savings and investments, etc.

DIVIDE UP – With the unhealthy super-sized portions at most eating establishments, Rod and I often opt to simply share a meal and it’s just right. If we each order, we take home leftovers for lunch the next day. To be healthier we just say no to dessert, soda pop, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

DOUBLE UP – Making a double batch of a casserole or other food and freezing one is easy and helps you avoid the temptation to spend money eating out. Just warm it up and dinner’s ready.

BUY UP – With so much waste, why go buy some new item, if something is great but not being used anymore? Thrift store shopping offers unique back-to-school clothing, inexpensive household items, and helpful books.

GROW UP – Maybe you can’t manage a full garden or orchard with your loved one with special needs, but a few large potted plants on the patio, porch, or apartment balcony can harvest some yummy, almost free, organic food.

OFFER UP – Rod and I have always tried to give a little something whenever there was a charity or fund-raiser. Even if your cash flow is at a trickle, you can donate time or volunteer items you do have, like extra paper products or distributing posters, etc. You’ll be blessed for serving.

PULL UP – Going to the movie theater is exciting, but remind your family you can pull up plenty of entertainment on YouTube, etc., on your computer without spending a penny. Consider putting the unused money in a decorated goal jar.

SEW UP –  I’m not saying we should sew denim pants or men’s dress shirts, that’s beyond anyone I know! Yet, sewing is a fun skill for your home, plus mending clothing is a real money saver.

SWAP UP –  Sometimes bartering with a friend or neighbor is a happy arrangement. There was a time I gave free haircuts to my friend’s kids in exchange for her teaching piano lessons to my girls.

WAIT UP – Patiently waiting for clearance sales for future birthday and wedding gifts is great, but before you tuck them away, perhaps label bags and keep them in a reasonable place so they’re not forgotten.

LOOK UP – One of the most important financial patterns we’ve implemented over the years is to study things out and pray over potentially large purchases, such as a new/used car, appliances, or buying/building a home. We seek vital guidance from a loving God above who wants us all to live in peace and not financial bondage when possible. Gratefully, it’s paid off for us, and I hope these ideas help you, too.

Keep it up!

Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Safety/Preparedness Specialist, recently presented at the of the National Autism Society of America Convention.

For speaking invitations, email:hiddentreasuresofhealth@yahoo.com

The post Is Your “Back to School” Budget Stretched? 18 Ways to Keep it UP! appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.

Imagine going the first fifty years of your life with an invisible disorder that you don’t know you have.  It affects every move you make, every word you speak, and simply everything you do. You realize you are different than other people and never fit in, only you don’t understand why.  As a child, other children run away from you.  You try and make friends only no one wants to be your friend.  You have all kinds of sensory issues that others don’t seem to have.  Your sense of taste, smell, touch, hearing, and vision are amplified as if you live in IMAX 24/7, 365 days a year.   Every social interaction seems to end up as a negative one.  When you attempt to join in on conversations at work, everyone ignores you as if you are invisible.  You are a target of bullying and harassment, not only throughout your school years, but at your workplace as well.  You spend fifty years feeling like you are on the outside of life looking in.  As if there’s a glass shield keeping you away from joining in with others.  You see people together out in restaurants, in malls, everywhere you go, you see them laughing, talking, having fun. Yet there you are, alone.  You try and get used to it, but deep inside you long for even just one friend.  The feeling of loneliness at times totally consumes you.  Holidays are the worst, as you are aware that others are gathering for big celebrations, as you are home alone yet again.  Sadly, this is all common to individuals on the autism spectrum.

It wasn’t until 1994 when all the writings of Dr. Hans Asperger of Vienna, Austria got translated in the United States when Asperger’s Syndrome became known.  Prior to this event, people in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s on up went through their school years undetected of being on the autism spectrum.  I was simply known as the weird kid that none of the teachers knew what to do with.

My autism diagnosis happened by chance, which is quite common to others in my age group and older.  One night at work, one of my co-worker’s came into the lounge crying, stating that her six-year-old son just got diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.  I’d never heard of it.  She handed me some papers to show me what Asperger’s is all about.  As I looked at the top page, my eyes widened as I couldn’t believe what I read.  There was a list that said if you have ten out of twelve you have Asperger’s.  I had twelve out of twelve.  I looked at Lisa, who’d known me for ten years, and exclaimed “Good grief! I have Asperger’s!”  Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle of my life fell into place.  I now knew why I was so different and never fit in.  I now understood all the sensory issues, and social difficulties were because of this.  That night on the way home from work I stopped at the book store and purchased every book they had on Asperger’s Syndrome.  I stayed up all night reading.  By the dawn’s early light, I knew without a doubt that I had it.  Three weeks later I went to a neuropsychologist, went through three days of testing, then received my formal diagnosis.

Getting diagnosed totally changed my life.  I then knew I wasn’t alone, and there were millions of others just like me with all the same problems.  I started up an autism support group which I led once a month.  I did that for several years.  In fact, that’s where I met my husband, Abraham, also autistic!  He had attended one of the meetings, and we immediately became friends.  Two years later we got married.  Wanting to change the world’s view of autism, we decided to get married at the Love & Autism Conference in San Diego, CA.  I had already been invited to speak at the event.  Soon after, Abraham and I got engaged.  I called the conference organizer to ask if we could get married at her conference!  Without hesitation, she proclaimed “Yes!”  As the planning evolved, we decided to have our entire wedding party autistic, so our ALL-AUTISTIC WEDDING was born! On September 26, 2015 we opened our wedding to the public.  We wanted to show that autistic people have the same need for love, relationships, and marriage just like everyone else.  Our event attracted international media attention.  We were in PEOPLE twice, Good Morning America, Fox News, ABC News, The Huffington Post, and many more.  Joey Travolta (John Travolta’s older brother), and his all-autistic film crew, made a documentary of our wedding!  We love to share our video to spread our message around the world.  It can be viewed at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USH3WLFAeuY&feature=em-share_video_user

Articles:

http://www.people.com/article/all-autism-wedding-san-diego

http://www.people.com/article/first-all-autism-wedding-photos

https://gma.yahoo.com/florida-couple-autism-marries-autism-wedding-celebration-192528490–abc-news-sex.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/09/29/florida-couple-weds-in-first-all-autism-ceremony.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/florida-couple-autism-marries-autism-wedding-celebration/story?id=34104303

I feel it necessary to share all this with health care professionals to convey what autistic people feel on the inside.  Whenever you care for an autistic individual, whether it be a child or an adult, don’t judge them by how they seem on the outside.  Quite often, their facial expression doesn’t truly represent what they are feeling on the inside.  In fact, autistic individuals are actually quite emotional.  They just have difficulty expressing it on the outside.

One of the characteristics of autism is lack of facial expressions, and very limited ability to read or understand facial expressions of others.  There is also limited/no ability of understanding body language, hand gestures or nuances of vocal tones. Body language is the second form of communication that humans use to express their thoughts, emotions and desires. There is also a lack of the Autism Spectrum individual in making eye contact.  Many in fact will describe looking into another person’s eyes as literally being painful.1

1. disabled-world.com/artman/publish/autism-language.shtml

Obviously, these difficulties in expressing their emotions, feelings, and thoughts leads to difficulty in communicating with others.  In next month’s blog I’ll discuss the various methods autistic individuals use to communicate.  I will also provide ways health care providers can best communicate with autistic patients.

More of my story can be found on the CDC’s website at

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/features/living-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-anita.html

Have a Great month!

Best Wishes,

Anita Lesko

The post On the Outside of Life Looking In: Trapped Inside an Autistic Body appeared first on Certified Autism Specialist.