About
Who am I?
-I’m a senior at a liberal arts college. I major in Neuroscience and Behavioral Psychology, and upon graduating will head to graduate school to study Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
-I’m on the autistic spectrum, and like all autistics I have some core deficits and core strengths. Some of my core deficits are in sensory processing, fine and gross motor activity, and social communication. My core strengths lie in my intelligence, logic, and focused interests. I also have a diagnosis of Tourette’s Syndrome.
-I’m the sibling of Carl, who is 25 and also autistic. He also has cerebral palsy and a developmental delay. He just graduated college and is working in retail.
-I’m the TSS (Therapeutic Support Staff (behavior interventionist)), for a boy who is 7 and also autistic. We’ve been working together for about a year now, and he is becoming more verbal and self-controlled each day. His core deficits are in processing and producing speech, regulating his emotions, and performing fine-motor tasks. He has a clear innate musical/rhythmic ability, and several other strengths we have yet to fully identify.
What is this blog about?
-The title of the blog is Spectrum Siblings, which has turned out to be quite apt. One of the original focuses was on my experience as an individual on the autism spectrum with a brother who is also autistic.
-Partly, this blog is about examining a couple of ways that autism can look and be experienced. As a spectrum disorder, autism looks different in each person, and what you know about one person with autism will not generalize to the autistic population in general.
-Partly this blog is designed as a source of insight/inspiration. I share interventions that have worked for myself, Carl, my client, and hopefully some of these techniques might help you or your autistic loved one to navigate this neurotypically (non-autistic) designed and centered world.
-And partially this blog is designed to be a success story, of sorts. For parents new to the world of autism, it can be a scary concept. You think about the dreams for your child that will never be realized, the skills they may not learn, the relationships they may not have. Challenges seem insurmountable and hope seems impossible. But this is not the case. Things improve. You learn to cope with having an autistic family member, and you teach the individual to cope with the world around them. You offer tools and guidance to help them be the best, most independent, most capable person they can be. Maybe they will never get married, but then again maybe they will. Maybe they won’t be able to live independently, or maybe they will be the head of their households. Maybe they’ll never learn to read or maybe they’ll write a doctoral thesis. With the right tools and support, autistic individuals can thrive and grow, and Carl and I are living proof of this.
What isn’t this blog about?
-This blog is not about representing all autistics, or even most autistics. No one person, or one blog, can hope to accomplish this, because every autistic is an individual, and every case of autism is different.
-This blog is not about “curing” or “eliminating” autism. Autism is not a disease, it is a disorder. 24 years of therapy has not made Carl any less autistic than he was when he was first diagnosed, but it has supplied him with the tools and skills he needs to live and cope successfully.
-This blog is not political. There are amazing autistic self-advocates and advocates for individuals with autism out on the front line fighting for equal rights and protections for autistics, for insurance coverage for therapies, for safe dignified housing and education for autistics, and I have respect for their causes and the efforts they are making. My interest, however, is not in the political realm, but rather in individual interventions and successes.
What now?
If you’re a new visitor here, I’ll hope you’ll take some time to introduce yourself in the comments, read through some of the Useful Lists and perhaps even subscribe to my feed so you’ll never miss a new post. You can also contact me via email: Frogger11758 @ netscape.net. Finally, if you have a specific question about Autism, Sensory Processing, or Tourette’s, feel free to post it in the Ask an Aspie section and I will devote a post to it.
Nice to meet you, Cale I think the mascot is a good idea HaHa…
Your mom is very blessed to have such a great kid.
I have a question… Did the sensory processing disorder go away when you were a teen? Or did you just learn to manage it better?
The SPD certainly didn’t go away. I just learned to manage it/cope better. I’ve always had oversensitivity, so doing things like going shopping late at night or off hours, and telling people I need warnings if there is going to be loud noises/sudden movements has certainly helped. Also things like being able to communicate with teachers if there is a problem like a blinking light or excessively flashy presentations has helped a great deal.
And I’ve also always been a sensory seeker (funny how those things seem to contradict each other but…), but things like compressive clothing and temperature differentials have been tremendously helpful there.
Because SPD and Autism are soooo often comorbid, I usually just leave out that I have SPD because it’s assumed.
Very interesting! Is your brother older or younger than you? My son with autism (not aspie) is 12. I also have a 9 year old, this month, who is not on the spectrum. I’m glad I found your blog!
Carl is 24, so 5 years older than me.
Hi, you started following me on Twitter and I thought I’d say hi.
A warning: I tend to focus on the new administration, Japanese Boy Bands (and reading fiction about their private lives), Doctor Who/Torchwood, and I Post a lot of photos of my cats. Hope none of this bothers you!
just wanted to say “thanks” for a great site!! my recently-diagnosed aspie kid doesn’t yet have any aspie “mentors” — I’ll be looking at your blog a great deal!
I love your site. Keep it up !
taking a sec 2 saying hi…new reader, drawn over by ur appearance on 5minutes for Special Needs :0)
i have 3 children – 2 girls (6 & 5 – both typical) & my son, Jaden, is an aspie…he’s almost 9 now, so i look forward to reading ur blog & finding out what i have 2 look forward 2 as he gets older ;0)
hi
just came across your website.I love the way u hv opened up a blog about your thoughts on autism and since you are in the spectrum you understand what it feel like to be autistic.I think your blog is a nice ‘go to ‘ blog for me whenever i can’t understand my son faheem who is going to turn 3 this sept.He has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS.
hi! Thanks for sharing your story with us
Just found you. I’m a parent of an autistic son (technically PDD-NOS, before the classification changes), a daughter who may or may not be aspie, and another son with sensory issues (plus a couple of other kids too). So I’m really interested in what you have to say, and I’m putting you on my blogroll. Thanks for sharing all of this. And there should so be an autism major!
Hi! I like the new look of your blog. So happy to see another positive Aspie. The more of us that are willing to show the world just how sucessful and accomplished we can become with the right support and oppourtunities, the better; for everyone.
hi. I really enjoy your blog. You have alot of fantastic information and insight. I really appreciate it. My son, Oliver, has autism and is 5. I hope it is okay if I put a link to your blog on mine. I think that you have a lot to offer those of us who are just starting to navigate through this process.
I read in your blog that you knew of a study b/t maternal migraines and autistic children. I’m very interested in that link. Could you please point me to where that study is.
Thank you. Keep writing!
Karen
Nice blog…
Very informative and educational..
very paractical….
I am definitely putting this on my list of autism blogs. Can I submit to my local autism organziation. for the adult support group…?
I am 28 with Aspergers and ADHD/NVLD, depression, anxiety and features of SPD; a lot of mental health stuff that is vague, due to my genetic disorder.
I recently had a mental breakdown last year but kinda recovered. I found that I gained more insight into things when I was in this state (which is odd).
I started researching Autism last year and a lot of people, including my local autism organization come to me for information or the links I send them from articles on the net. I have also given them a reccomended reading list based on knowledge level and now, when the family support worker, gives reccomendations of books to read they send my list (complete with links and short descriptions). I also have gone to their support for adults and for parents. A lot of the parents with autism like me but the corporate world hates my butt.
I have read many articles and books on autism and studied the services, enough that many people working in the field either get mad at me or say I should be doing their job. I am researching the co-morbidity fo psychosis and Autism with a psychologist who will submit it to Autism speaks possibly with credits. It’s very interesting area, just as the migraines connection. I have also gone to many seminars and conferences, all the while clinicians not reeally knowing I have what they are there to study for (lol).
There is a ton of more research coming out everyday.
At the time being Im on medical leave and I haven’t been motivated to hit it full time. I was working with my own businesses and a couple contractors. My dream goal is to climb Everest – Mt Everest West Canadian Expedition for Autism. I have outdoors and scrambling experience. But that is dreaming….
I tend to apply my focus intensely and able to pick up things but harder time applying them. Risk taker, adventurer, multi-disclipinary, kind, sensitive guy but learning how to surf those waves of life or climb the mountains or walk that mile in the prarie (whatever analogy you like). Facts can be remembered but not what my friends say…fustrating as hell.
Plus I have to fight against the government, law makers and what not just to live my life. I wish I had never moved to the city. But one thing is for sure I have influneced so many people and learning to become more resilient.
I havent’ exited yet so I believe that’s a good sign.
Peace..!! +++
I am very impressed indeed with this blog with the “Ask an Aspie”..
I was told by a friend to put a blog up and I should have with my businesses but I didn’t. Maybe I will have to kick myself in the butt. They told me I write really good perspectives and should start one. But all my friends on Facebook shied away after last years mental breakdown. Sigggh…
As a social networking and technical consultant I feel embarrassed that you have a really good blog. Their’s only one way to fix that I guess…
If you need help with anything or ansering any question you can send it to me if you want. I love answering questions and people say I have unique angles. But I don’t want to but in because that’s what we do best..eh…got to move away from that. I will email you….
Since I don’t know your name or forgot it already, I will call you Frogger. I am impressed with your ABA jobbie. I was going to go to this camp for individuals with autistism to be an assistant cabin counselor but it didn’t work out this summer. I am a member of an agency and the kids see me as a volunteer and look up to me. It’s hard because if I lose it or have an episode of any kind, I always wonder what they would think. All of them remind me of myself at differnt stages of my elementary school years (crazy ones…). I was told by a paid volunteer that all the kids really liked having me around. Wow…that feels good…!
One time I did break down at teh agency but it was after hours and I really should have gone somewhere (the respite worker told me the same thing) but the ER and everybody else has treated me so badly. I relaly think I have a structure of bipolar but I guess I will see what happens when I go to the bipolar consult.
Another more positive time their was a guy at my local autism organziation that had the same genetic disorder as me. We were both sitting on the floor after a parents support meeting and this guy was cool Grade 6′er, so 12/13 and playing together with an empty water bottle. Because I like the crunching sound of an empty water bottle and the effects of the light through the plastic (I have always loved optics/light), I thought he might to. I wanted to dispel the notion of the behaviour I saw in the meeting because I knew he was better than that.
I was hitting him with a watter bottle on his boots (winter…) and stopped a couple time to see if he would notice. My hypothesis was because I have such high afinity to music and patterns, he having the same genetic disorder, that he would feel the vibrations and would make him feel comfortable. He noticed and after a couple times, held out the bottle and he took it (to ABA or behavioural therapist I think this is called joint participation/attention). And he played with it for a while, he stopped doing it and looked at me to see if I noticed. It was great…!! He lost interest after a while and he had to go soon after. I felt depressed after he left because I wish I could be a true kid all over again. I mean truly like playing with them. I wish I could go back to kindergarten but that’s not reality…
The second time happened when I was briefly acting as admin at my local autism organization and a parent returned a book to the library. She said, “Hey look [turning towards her son]…he has his hood up too…”. Wow…did I feel connection like water swooping into a canal. I felt depressed to after they left.
I hope I get more experiences like this because pretty much all other things I see as gray (not because I want to) but b/c that’s how it is right now.
Correction: I didnt mean ABA I meant Sunrise or Floortime/DIR….
I’m looking forward to reading your blog. I just started blogging. I have two boys on the spectrum, as well as a daughter with no diagnosis. Thanks for what you are doing!
Hi, great to see someone else with an ASD, who also has an Autistic Brother and is also going to school for ABA and working in behavioral therapy.