November 7, 2014 This is Autism

I found this video. Some of it describes William. But, some doesn't. This just goes to show how Spectrum People are different...kind of like all of us. :)  William will follow with his observations. Thanks for following... Oh, video is only 3 minutes long - please view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACLV9hytZb0


1: florescent lights: Imagine walking in a building where the buzz of florescent lighting is almost deafening.

William: Not at all! I don't even hear it! In the Sabres building, the little lights I walk past don't really bother me. The big wall lights don't bother me either.

2: Imagine not being able to read the facial expressions of others.and as a result, you have no idea what they are thinking or feeling.

William: I'm 50/50. Half the time, I know what they are feeling, half the time I don't. For an example, if someone looks calm (to me) but is mad, I can't tell what they are really feeling. 

3: Imagine that someone is trying to talk to you in a noisy store, but you can not focus because all the voices blend together.

William: This doesn't bother me either. Noise makes me anxious and want to go home. If there are a lot of people around me, I feel like I'm stuck in a door frame - it's all tight.

4: Imagine taking a shower, but the water hurts. In fact it feels like getting caught in a hail storm.

William: No way, Jose! But, some cloth really itches me and feels weird. Some knits feel like steel wool. Tags in my clothes itch. I hate people touching my hair. It kind of hurts my nervous system. And it makes me want to throw the nearest projectile. Cold water still kind of bothers me, but I'm getting better with it. Extreme cold like snow still makes me cry like a baby. It stings like a bee sting. 

5: Imagine all your friends have learned to ride a bicycle, but for you it's still too difficult.

William: This is definitely me! DEFINITELY!!! When I ride a bike, it feels like I'm out of control of my legs and I can't direct signals from my brain to my legs.

6: Imagine that you are constantly in trouble at school because your teachers don't understand high functioning autism. They don't know the difference between misbehavior and a meltdown.

William: This is kind of what happened in regular school. Like when we were writing (in public school), if everyone was making noise and I couldn't concentrate, I would have a meltdown. My teacher wouldn't even notice i was even aggravated. The cafeteria lady yelled at me because I had a meltdown. 

7: Imagine being the only one in your grade who didn't have friends.

William: This is me. There were some guys I liked to talk to, they would kinda talk to me - like say Hello. I don't know if the kids were being mean to me, or if they were taking advantage.

8: Imagine not being able to get jokes, figures of speech or sarcasm.

William: I get jokes, but I'm just beginning to understand sarcasm. And I understand idioms!!!

9: Imagine living everyday feeling like you are living in a strange and hostile world..

William: No way! The world is just fine to me. Lilly (twin sister)is the only hostile person I know. 


Mom: William is quirky. We can't deny that. Sometimes I wish I still saw the world as black and white as he does. Most times, he can't relate to kids his age. Sometimes he gets really frustrated over what most would think of as dumb stuff. Sometimes he does things in public that make people cringe - and sometimes he states his observations - aloud - not thinking what the implications might be. Sometimes, ok a lot of times, he gets stuck on a subject AND YOU MUST LET HIM FINISH HIS THOUGHTS!!!!! Drives him nuts if you don't.

I don't get it. I look at my 4 kids, and they all have idiosyncrasies. Don't most kids? Don't most adults?? So can't we just treat Aspies like NT people? What makes this group stand out? Because they do. I just don't know why - just can't put my finger on the one thing that would make it all make sense...

Oh well, I'm rambling. Sorry - you all don't come on here to listen to me....anyway....

William is working on a new Penguin story - so -

STAY TUNED!