September Newsletter

                

September  2012                                                      E-News                                          Vol. 2, No. 9

Table of Contents

        



I. Calendar Events

II. Website Roll-Out!

III. Autistic Adults and Employment

IV. John Mark McDonald on Autism as an Advantage in the Workplace

V. A Local Woman’s Experience with Employment and Autism

I.  Calendar Events

A.  REACH for a Difference --monthly family support group for families impacted by autism spectrum conditions and other neurodevelopmental delays; meets on the first Tuesday of every month in the United Way facility located at 240 Cypress Street, Abilene, Texas, at 6:00 P.M.

 

B.      REHAB (West Texas Rehabilitation Center) Family Support Group- This group meets every 3rd Tuesday at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the WTRC Boardroom, 4601 Hartford, and Abilene, Texas.  Parking is provided in back.

C.  King David’s Kids – This a parents support group that meets at Highland Church of Christ the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays every month from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.  You may leave a message at 325 672 8837.  This telephone in manned from 4:00 p. m. until 6:00 p.m.

   D.   The Legacy Complex – is a new all-inclusive therapy center in Abilene, Texas specializing in equine-assisted therapy. Along with specialized and licensed counselors, the special horses are empathetic to the people they help in the individual healing process. Equine-assisted therapy is multi-faceted in its reach and can be used on all-ages and disabilities, and especially those with autism. Equine-therapy assists autistic patients in their social skills, balance and control issues. Great success has been seen with autistic children working with horses in therapy sessions, and we look forward to partnering with REACH to assist autistic children in the Big Country. The Legacy Complex is located at 4301 North Danville Drive across from KTXS News on HWY 83; for more information visit our website www.legacycomplex.org or find us on Facebook as The Legacy Complex or twitter @legacycomplex.

    E.  Adaptive Recreation Center  - General Purpose of Adaptive Recreation Services: to provide specialized leisure and adaptive recreational activities for persons with disabilities. PROGRAM HOURS: Monday-Friday 9 a.m-3 p.m. PROGRAM FEE: $32 per month.  http://www.abilenetx.com/recreation/adaptive.htm

II. Website Reminder  

 Reach for a Difference wants to remind readers that the website is being updated almost daily. It can be found at http://www.reachforadifference.org. The website is one of the ways Reach will be creating the roadmaps to resources.

III. Autistic Adults and Employment

Although the prospect of finding employment for autistic adult family members can be daunting, the internet provides several websites that provide assistance. For example, http://www.jobsforautism.com/ is just one website with information. Autism Speaks has a page of links for adults with autism at http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/adults-autism.


Local resources for job training can be found here: http://www.bhcmhmr.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=14911.

IV. John Mark McDonald—Autism as an Advantage in the Work Force

I just want to let you in on a few things that you may not be aware of. The autism spectrum is much larger than people know. There are people on the spectrum that are some of the leading geniuses of all time. People on the spectrum are already in critical positions that help keep our nation’s economy afloat. Employing people on the spectrum is not about charity; it’s about finding the right person for the job and keeping them there. As a matter of fact, you probably already know people who are doing important jobs whom you were not aware were on the spectrum.


Autistic people tend to have several characteristics that make them able to do certain jobs better than your average worker. Some of these qualities are: organization, creativity, superior memory, hyper-focus, calculation ability, routine-focus, and brutal honesty. I’ll try to some personal and general examples of each of these. Now, sometimes these extraordinary abilities can come with a price, and I’ll point this out as well.


People on the spectrum have a need for things to be organized. If I walk into a store and the shelves are messy and disorganized, it truly bothers me. It bothers me enough that unless I am restrained, I will spontaneously start organizing them (my wife would frequently chastise me with the phrase, “you don’t work here,” whenever we were out shopping.) The right person on the spectrum will keep your inventory organized far better than the average worker without having to be asked or reminded.


· Downside: Organization is often not optional and can be confusingly inconsistent from an outside perspective. Having things out of place can leave a person on the spectrum distracted and confused until things are put in the “right” place.


· People you may know: If you have run across a person that can keep an entire store or warehouse organized and always seems to know where everything is without having to look, this person is probably on the autistic spectrum, even if they don’t know it themselves.


Creativity is also a hallmark of people on the spectrum. We tend to look at things from a slightly different perspective than the average worker, which allows us to do things that can really catch the customer’s attention. Eye-catching displays, memorable slogans, more efficient ways of doing things, and even new products and services that add to your business are things that someone on the autistic spectrum can bring to your business.


· Drawback: Creativity is a very hit or miss thing. Sometimes even the best seeming ideas just don’t pan out. Also, autistic people can sometimes get stuck on an idea that turns out to be unworkable. A frank discussion may be needed to get us to move on.


· People you may know: Most new products are created by people on the spectrum as well as things like logos and artwork.


Superior memory is one of the most useful of the autistic “quirks.” People on the spectrum often become fascinated by something and will quickly become an expert in whatever that is. This often leads to an encyclopedic knowledge that can give you your own in-house expert.


· Drawback: The subject has to “catch our attention,” and this is not really voluntary. It either fascinates us or it doesn’t. This type of memory is also extremely quirky. I can remember amazing amounts of historical data but can’t remember the names of people that I know quite well. Warning! If we start talking about a subject we love, we can talk for hours.


· People you know: If you know someone who knows everything there is to know about a particular subject, they are most likely on the autistic spectrum.


Hyper-focus is another ability that can be very useful to an employer. Hyper-focus allows the person to become completely absorbed by the task at hand and to then do it at an amazing rate for long periods of time. I remember doing an inventory once where I got into hyper focus and I started going so fast that the other people could barely record what I was inventorying in time.


· Drawback: When someone is hyper-focused they stop noticing anything else around them. It’s often difficult to get their attention and they may not notice you even yelling their name in their ear. Another problem is that they can forget about their physical needs like eating, drinking or taking bathroom breaks and have been know to collapse exhaustion or dehydration when in this state. Having a supervisor or co-worker look out for them and make them take breaks nay be needed.


· People you know: Artists are especially known for getting into creative “moods” where they will go on marathon creative streaks and forget about things like eating, sleeping or personal hygiene, but turn out amazing works.


Some people on the spectrum have amazing calculation and mathematical abilities. These people seem to eat and drink numbers. Because of this people on the spectrum make some of the best bookkeepers, accountants and auditors around.


· Drawback: No real drawbacks for this one.


· People you know: If you know someone who is more comfortable with numbers than people in one of the above professions, that is a good indication that they are on the autistic spectrum, although they may not know it themselves.


Similar to the need for organization is the need for predictability. This most often manifests itself as a reliance on routine. This can be very good in an employee as they tend to be always on time and get things done in a set predictable pattern, which they never tire of. While most employees might find this boring, they find it comfortable and reassuring.


· Drawback: People who take comfort in routine predictability have a hard time with unexpected major changes. The more warning they have, the better they can accept the change.


· People you know: Anyone can get into a rut, but there are people who have no interest in getting out of theirs and in fact, get quite upset if their regular rhythm is disturbed.


Brutal honesty is also a common trait among autistic persons. People on the autistic spectrum tend to remember things by how facts and images relate to one another. If you ask a question, they will answer with the relevant facts. This leads to a straightforward and literal answer to the question asked (which can sometimes be mistaken for sarcasm or aggression.) The tendency is to say exactly what they mean and mean exactly what they say.


· Drawback: Tact does not come easily to someone on the spectrum. An offhand question that is asked suddenly will usually get a brutally honest answer. Not that people on the spectrum are incapable of lying, but it is difficult to learn and reluctantly used. People on the spectrum do not tend to use subtexts or implications in their speech and do not usually recognize it in other’s speech. (i.e. hints and sarcasm are often lost on them which can lead to misunderstandings.)


· People you know: People on the spectrum make very good if hard-nosed judges and law enforcement officers.





All in all, people on the autistic spectrum make very good “niche” workers. They are very common is positions like IT, engineering, and accounting, and are often successful in these and similar roles as well as artistic areas like actors and writers. The one caution is that we are very specialized workers: we can do some things better than anyone who is not on the spectrum, but the price we pay is in generalized abilities and social interactions.


If we are pushed to do the things that we find painful because “anyone can do this,” then the same thing will happen that would happen if you used a cell phone for a hammer, it would break. It doesn’t mean that the cell phone is defective; it’s just being used for something it’s not designed for.


Similarly, we have trouble with social pecking orders and socialization. If you push one of us to act “just like one of the boys,” it will end in disaster. We are also especially vulnerable to bullying and social sabotage. I have more than once gone from the top employee to fired because of a new person that was uncomfortable with me began spreading rumors and accusations, and every person on the spectrum that I have talked to has similar stories. All it usually takes for this to stop is a word to “leave them alone and let them do their job.”


Last of all, I want to remind you that the autistic spectrum is wide. It goes from people like the character “Rain Man” who needed help to be able to survive to people like Temple Grandin, who is a world renowned expert in her field to entertainers like Dan Aykroyd and Daryl Hannah. Not every person on the spectrum has every one of these abilities and weaknesses but put one of us in the right position and these abilities will amaze you.

V. A Local Woman’s Story About Autism and Employment

ASPERGER’S SYNDROME

BOOK:  “ASPERGER’S FROM THE INSIDE OUT” by MICHAEL CARLEY

I am 50+ years old and recently found out what has severely limited my interaction with anybody (boss, co-workers, “friends”, family).  As a child & teenager, I was described as “extremely shy.” I could never enter into conversations, even though I always had “something to SAY” regarding issues discussed.   I never verbalize my thoughts.   I have always kept everything to myself.  I do not speak.  When the need arises, I give the very least of information needed to conclude any conversation.  I am very precise & make my point very quickly.  If further discussion takes place all I will do is LISTEN, with no verbalizing so as NOT to prolong my uneasiness to speak.

I do not have, or want, friends.  I have a wall that protects me.  I’ve lived like this my entire life.  I’m isolated in my safe place, but I can function at my job with as little conversation I can get by with.  My employers have always appreciated my hard work.  I keep my head down and excel at any job I’ve ever had. This work ethic has always worked to my advantage.  At work, I never go on breaks with co-workers. At *****, my sweet supervisor, A., would make me stop working and we’d go to the breakroom 15 minutes twice a day. All I’d do is sit & listen, wanting to get back to work.  She never saw how uncomfortable those 15 minutes were to me.  They were a fun bunch, always laughing about this & that; I just smiled, counting the minutes….. A. also asked me to join her to watch her grandkids perform at a karate function on Saturdays.  Very uncomfortable, but yes, I went and enjoyed the talents of those kids.  But I never started conversations with her and if she made comments regarding the kids I would just laugh or say something short and sweet.  I just sat quietly ….. watching.   But inside, I couldn’t wait to leave and get to my safe place (home alone).

When I need to “speak my mind” I always do it in writing.  I can type pages & pages & pages of whatever needs to be spoken but I will never verbalize my thoughts.  I do not start conversations, nor add to them.

I met a nice lady very briefly somewhere in Texas, counselor, (a friend of someone) and she suggested this book and didn’t want to alarm me but felt I was a “high-functioning autistic” and I had classic symptoms of what now is known as “Asperger’s Syndrome.”  She suggested reading the book & it would become very clear to me why I am the way I am (or NOT!).  This very brief discourse has opened up my world of discovery and a journey I’ve only just begun.

The following is what I’ve always known about myself but could never explain the difficulty I’ve always had to join the human race as an effective contributor to display my intelligence VERBALLY.

These points I now see as my “hidden disability”:  It’s a new world for me.  I’m not just shy!!!  No medical or genetic test for it.  Brain wiring involved.  I have communicative deficits.  I have social deficits.  I have significant, lifelong obstacles to live, work & recreate in my isolated world.

I need & deserve to be heard, but can’t speak.  I am worth listening to, but can’t speak.  I cannot verbally comfort people. 

I internalize trauma (horrible childhood, teen years).  Wall between mom & myself, she never spoke to me.  The genetic part is definitely my mother’s effect on me.  I shut down and run.  Inability to communicate.  I’m alone with my thousands of thoughts.

AS first noted by Dr. Asperger 1944.

Isolating characteristics can seriously reduce my prospects for happy, fulfilling life.  Deficits in social interaction  non-verbal communication.  Inability to instinctively understand social cues.  Difficulty with concept that someone else isn’t thinking same thing as I am.  Never holding down a job for long at all.  I’m a runner!  I have to escape!!

Key Markers:  Passionate interests; integration challenging & difficulty engaging in reciprocal conversation.   Intense absorption:   Word & number/logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles.  Job tasks  done accurately & quickly.  Inability to read non-verbal communication (facial, body, vocal tones), causing failed socialization & lost opportunities.  Discomfort or inability at small talk!!!!!!  I get to the point, very refreshing for some people.  Difficulty in recognizing faces!!!  Always, and never remember names!!  Poor ability at eye contact.

Say whatever comes into my head – rude and brutally honest!  I rarely interrupt others.  Inability to “join in”.  I have had several “melt-downs” and run.  Difficulty processing accumulated stress, anxiety, or anger.  I run when overload of bad experiences boil over.  Tensions have built up over time and then I run (quit jobs).  I am then thought of as dramatically more disturbed than I really am.

I bravely try to get by in situations obviously not right for me (i.e., forcing me to engage in conversations with boss – NOT happening, I run).  I feel bad about what separates me from the rest of the world.  Being constantly misunderstood – but can’t TALK about it.  Accumulated traumas & stress cause me to run and become less & less trusting in future assistance. I’ll do it myself! My brain “wiring” does not allow me to mirror how the rest of the world does things.

Diagnosis first noted in DSM-IV (1994).   2 million people are “autistic”.  AS not mental illness or disease.  It is a neurological condition setting me apart from the world out there.  Greatest discovery / journey of my whole life!!!

I live a spiritual existence.  “Religion” is just a building.  I go internally and ask my soul for answers.  Sitting in a building (church) and listening to part of the Bible is a waste of time for me.  When you “pray” all you are doing to speaking to yourself / soul for the answers you are searching for.  God exists, but not for me.  I work with my angels, guardian angels and spirit guides for direction/answers. 

This discovery/journey has re-interpreted my existence in a new, understandable & logical way.  I want the TRUTH of my existence, why I am the way I am (or NOT!).  I want to understand why things happened the way they did.  It helps 100% to KNOW why I am different.  I had immense wave of relief as everything suddenly MADE SENSE in my life.  Very cathartic experience!  I can now understand my hidden barriers.  RELIEF – huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

After 50+ years, THIS was who I was (am!).  I finally reached this end of my race to be normal.  A finish line discovered, now the new journey begins .  I will never be “normal” and I can now move forward with all this new information.  I have wonderful, liberating feelings.  At 50 years old this discovery has illuminated much of my life, but it will have less impact now.  Old dog/new tricks!  Having this condition all along has made life harder for me.  Inability to verbally communicate.  Preference for objects (work tasks / puzzles) over people. 

Dr. Asperger’s work was not translated into English until early 1980s.

Yes, I was alone my whole life.  I do not have sense of shared experiences with anyone.  No one knew.  Not even ME!  My social inability hampers my progress on my journey.  I forgive my mom for the wall between us.  She probably had Asperger’s as well, BUT she was President of P T A!!!

Forgive parents for misdiagnosis of “shy”.  When 8-9+/- I went to counselor for pulling hair out.    Screaming for attention I ……. Did NOT really want, but did not know that at the time.   One day ……. Without discussion I just stopped.

Inability to maintain eye contact.  Puzzles/jigsaw puzzles – safe haven / refuge.  Inability to join in.  Socially lonely.

QUOTE: “just because I don’t talk to you doesn’t mean I don’t WANT to”.

Conversation that doesn’t interest me isn’t just boring, it’s agonizing.

When people reach out to me, I see this action but I reject it or inadvertently communicate rejection.( i.e., asked to go to party w/boss / co-workers at **** – I declined invitation and went home for lunch).  I made excuses like I don’t like Mexican food (I really don’t).  Then they replied “they have American food” (I knew that – so I told them that I would never go to **** again, because it is where I choked on my steak – really happened there 2 yrs ago!).  It really annoyed me that I had to be in this “never ending” conversation about my reason not to go to ****.  Very uncomfortable situation for me.  REAL REASON: social interaction would occur, … NOT happening!).

I take things literally.  I missed many opportunities when others were trying to communicate interest in me, I didn’t trust them.  My husband has always stood by me very patiently when I freak out from having had too much sensory stimulation (I run).  My husband never questions me or criticizes me, he just lets me be.  If only everyone could be that gracious.  Accumulated rejections – squash further attempts at happiness right from the start (childhood) for self-preservation.  Future discussion of any difficult issue increases anxiety, I know this now and will proceed in a positive manner???      JOBS – “OBTAINING” – easy / “MAINTAINING” – difficult.

Extreme difficulty with reciprocal conversation.  My job problems caused by this diagnosis of AS: social interaction required of each job rather than actual work I performed. Anxiety, social demands & sensory issues contribute to my feeling overwhelmed when I’m supposed to be enjoying my great capacity to bury myself in my work.  I don’t conform to social rules.  As long as I’m good at my job, I will probably get free pass for my “oddness”.    Greater emphasis put on how I socially fit in with co-workers as well as on how the job gets done, rather than just job getting done.  I don’t conform to required socialization.

Inability to network myself into social circles – how could I sell myself and my positive contributions when I didn’t have a clue as to what I was trying to sell!!!???   I always make great FIRST impressions on job interviews – I only screw up AFTER I get the job!  I always work harder than co-workers and that irritates me why they can fool around, waste time, etc.  I never take breaks at work to socialize – inevitably taken to mean I do not like my co-workers, but I do NOT dislike them.  Not their fault, mine.  I get paid for working, not fooling around…….socializing.  I am Autistic.

Secondary problems:  Chronic anxiety, depression, repression of coping mechanism while trying to fit in.   Failed attempts to “fit in” dog me.  But I don’t think I’ve ever really TRIED to fit in. I’m a loner, very independent.  I call things as they actually appear to be without sugar-coating them.   I am Autistic.

I, at 50+, have better idea of what needs to be fixed, what I choose to fix or NOT.  I can help others around me understand how good this news can actually be for them as well as for me.  I can include them in my journey of self-discovery.  I don’t just want to survive, I want to be understood, my experiences to be validated.  I want to reveal to everyone that I am different and WHY I am the way I am. I am Autistic.  Do you understand my behavior….. now?

Sharing my life will add to my confidence.   I have trouble accurately assessing what others think of me.  Life will improve through disclosure over time.  But short-term improvement will be hard.  It will take time for people to accept this great news.  I am Autistic.

I am overly honest.  I need to build a bridge to better relationships.  After disclosure: they will now understand me, be more supportive, learn not to expect me to befriend them.   Eventually I will come to really enjoy & appreciate who I am, no matter how different I am.  I am Autistic.

There is a genetic nature of autism – mother.  Don’t expect immediate acceptance – give them room to digest this new Michele and understand.  Not everyone needs to know my diagnosis of AS.  QUOTE: “If you don’t love me for who I am, the heck with you.”  I am Autistic.

Long-term effect of disclosure:  Respect & understand I’ve always looked for and never received (or so I thought).  I need sensitivity in my workplace.  Disclosure:  tell them when I feel strong & feeling good about who I am.  Can I withstand the negative fallout?  I will be extremely anxious prior to each disclosure.  Others may embrace diagnosis as excuse not addressing my challenges in a way others see fit, which would make me take a step back, adding insult to injury.  Even the idea of them thinking this is enough to emotionally drain me as well as discourage me from future disclosures.

Accept me for who I am.  Over time I will have increased sense of worth and possibilities, I will feel more certain of my positive actions.  I need acceptance.  The pride & respect I hope to find come from how I handled diagnosis as well as greater understanding of what I have been through prior to diagnosis.  QUOTE: “We do nothing great alone.”

I’m on a journey to improve my life.  Eradicating life’s obstacles is not easy.  It will take hard work & bravery.  I hope to not fall apart if I fail and fail and fail ….. again.  I will not drop in complete anxiety if rejected.  I will not collapse if someone doesn’t like me.  I need to be strong through my AS journey of discovery.  Success will be determined by my capacity to reduce my reaction to criticism & injustices.  I am Autistic.

Change must come from WITHIN.  Need to let things roll off my back!!!!!!!!!!!  (I will try……..).   Through practice and perseverance I need to identify unnecessary criticism, to care less & less about them.  I need to feel brave, not just safe, need to get tougher.  I need to trust much more!!!!!!  If I want you to change, I have to change!!!  Make the right choices for future success.   I do breathing exercises when stressed.  I also do primal screaming in the car to relieve stress / anxiety, scream as long and as hard as you can, such a release from stress.  Do DAILY, because I am Autistic.

My choices should be supported, respected & given opportunity to succeed.  I am empowered to move forward.  I talk to myself …. Positive tract.   Low back pain prevent me from exercising to relieve anxiety/stress.  I know INNER peace.  I need absolutes, learning to “let go.”  I’m fiercely independent loner.  The diagnosis truth will set me free.  I am in command of my life.  I need to rely on myself for solutions to strengthen my tolerance for failure.

Childhood – extremely shy, played alone on playground.  Never walked home from school with neighborhood kids. Never needed to seek out anyone to walk home with.  Early on -Very independent/loner.  If someone I knew was walking ahead of me, I never joined them.  If they were behind me, I never stopped for them to catch up to me.  But I noticed they never made an attempt to walk with me………. either.

I tell it like it is, brutally honest.  I need solitary work & less socially-demanding environment.  I have problem accepting compliments.  I am a perfectionist in my job tasks.  If I lose, let it go.  All I can do is my best.  I am judgmental & overly picky with others.  I do not have ability to connect.   I think differently now since diagnosis.  I feel differently now since diagnosis.  I need to stop thinking about deficits.  I need to start thinking about developing my ABILITIES.  Self-advocacy:  Utilizing social skills to create mutual respect.  Learning to be emotionally confident is a long, hard journey.

“THINGS TO DO” - Support group to practice social skills.  Being right is not important.  Stop punishing myself.  Stop paralyzing myself to forgive.  I am inflexible, but I can’t control everything.  I have very interesting inner thoughtscape.   I love to bury myself in my job.  Never lose my commitment to my chosen activities and subjects.  I am thankful for their presence in my life.  I am Autistic.

Trust silence where focus begins.  Limit my words to maximize effectiveness.  I do this very well.  Happiness:  Alleviation of stress.  Reduction of feeling of uncertainty, I’m in control.  Contentment, low stress environment.  I want to be included in society with my neurological & behavioral difference.  I am Autistic.