Another Interesting Tid-Bit

Wow - two posts in two days! :-) I came across another interested "article" posted on an Autism site. I'm not sure how legit all of this is, but when you read my previous post, specifically the part about how Autistic people focus and memorize - it does kinda make sense about these people that they were so in to their passions that they became successes. Who knows - but it's interesting to think about. From the list below, the only ones that are WELL documented that I'm aware of are: Bill Gates, Andy Warhol, Albert Einstein, and Vincent Van Gogh - although I have read numerous references to many of the others. Anyhoo, it's interesting to look closer at each of them knowing as I do now what the classic traits of Autism are and to think - "ya know, he did do that/act that way" - especially those with poor social skills and keeping more to themselves, which most of the ones on this list do!
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This is a list compiled of people who have or had the characteristics of Aspergers/Autism. Many famous people with brilliant minds are on this list. It is often thought that the cause of all of these people being so brilliant is the disorder itself because they focus in so intently that they ignore everything else, including what we consider "normal" day to day activities. Their obsessions lead them to do great things. We don't know for sure if Aspergers/Autism was any of their case, since it hasn't been diagnosed since the 1990's.

Historical famous people
Jane Austen, 1775-1817, English novelist, author of Pride and Prejudice
Béla Bartók, 1881-1945, Hungarian composer
Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, German/Viennese composer
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847-1922, Scottish/Canadian/American inventor of the telephone Anton Bruckner, 1824-1896, Austrian composer
Henry Cavendish, 1731-1810, English/French scientist, discovered composition of air and water
Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, US poet
Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, US inventor
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German/American theoretical physicist
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, US industrialist
Kaspar Hauser, c1812-1833, German foundling, portrayed in a film by Werner Herzog
Oliver Heaviside, 1850-1925, English physicist
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, US politician
Carl Jung, 1875-1961, Swiss psychoanalyst
Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Czech writer
Wasily Kandinsky, 1866-1944, Russian/French painter
H P Lovecraft, 1890-1937, US writer
Ludwig II, 1845-1886, King of Bavaria
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1868-1928, Scottish architect and designer
Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911, Czech/Austrian composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-1791, Austrian composer
Isaac Newton, 1642-1727, English mathematician and physicist
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher
Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970, British logician
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish playwright, writer of Pygmalion, critic and Socialist Richard Strauss, 1864-1949, German composer
Nikola Tesla, 1856-1943, Serbian/American scientist, engineer, inventor of electric motors Henry Thoreau, 1817-1862, US writer
Alan Turing, 1912-1954, English mathematician, computer scientist and cryptographer
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, US humorist
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889-1951, Viennese/English logician and philosopher

Historical people prominent in the late twentieth century (died after 1975)
Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992, Russian/US writer - author of Bicentennial Man
Hans Asperger, 1906-1980, Austrian paediatric doctor after whom Asperger's Syndrom is named
John Denver, 1943-1997, US musician
Glenn Gould, 1932-1982, Canadian pianist
Jim Henson, 1936-1990, creator of the Muppets, US puppeteer, writer, producer, director
Alfred Hitchcock, 1899-1980, English/American film director
Howard Hughes, 1905-1976, US billionaire
Andy Kaufman, 1949-1984, US comedian, subject of the film Man on the Moon
L S Lowry, 1887-1976, English painter of "matchstick men"
Charles Schulz, 1922-2000, US cartoonist and creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown
Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, US artist

Contemporary famous people
Woody Allen, 1935-, US comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, jazz clarinettist
Tony Benn, 1925-, English Labour politician
Bob Dylan, 1941-, US singer-songwriter
Joseph Erber, 1985-, young English composer/musician who has Asperger's Syndrome, subject of a BBC TV documentary
Bobby Fischer, 1943-, US chess champion
Bill Gates, 1955-, US global monopolist
Genie, 1957-?, US "wild child"
Crispin Glover, 1964-, US actor
Al Gore, 1948-, former US Vice President and presidential candidate
Jeff Greenfield, 1943-, US political analyst/speechwriter, a political wonk
David Helfgott, 1947-, Australian pianist, subject of the film Shine
Michael Jackson, 1958-, US singer
Garrison Keillor, 1942-, US writer, humorist and host of Prairie Home Companion
Kevin Mitnick, 1963-, US "hacker"
John Motson, 1945-, English sports commentator
John Nash, 1928-, US mathematician (portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind)
Keith Olbermann, 1959-, US sportscaster
Michael Palin, 1943-, English comedian and presenter
Keanu Reeves, 1964-, Lebanese/Canadian/US actor
Oliver Sacks, 1933-, UK/US neurologist, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings
James Taylor, 1948-, US singer/songwriter

Autistic People are Literal and Real

Okay, so the survey in the previous post was a bust! You slackers out there.... :-) Now, I know for sure that many people read this blog (or tell me they do anyway!), so since my question wasn't answered by more than just one person, I'm going to assume that most of you don't really know much about Autism at all. So that gives me a topic this time right? GREAT! I actually just ran across this article that I'm posting here today, and I think it's so perfect to both remind us as parents of a child with Autism, as well as help others who don't know much about Autism to get an idea of how Autistic people think, feel, and act. The one thing I've been told over and over is that Autistic people are very, very literal. They mean what they say. They take exactly what you say to them and do no translating, reading between the lines, etc. This crosses over beyond speech into their everyday being. They way they live their lives. And this article says it all.

Top 10 Terrific Traits of Autistic People
Lisa Jo Rudy

If you're sick of hearing about all the "deficits" challenging people on the autism spectrum, join the club! But for every down side to autism, there seems to be a positive -- an unusual trait that rarely appears among the "typical" community, but shines out among autistic folk. These plusses are well worth celebrating.

1) Autistic People Rarely Lie
We all claim to value the truth, but almost all of us tell little white lies. All, that is, except people on the autism spectrum. To them, truth is truth -- and a good word from a person on the spectrum is the real deal.

2) People on the Autism Spectrum Live in the Moment
How often do typical people fail to notice what's in front of their eyes because they're distracted by social cues or random chitchat? People on the autism spectrum truly attend to the sensory input that surrounds them. Many have achieved the ideal of mindfulness.

3) People with Autism Rarely Judge Others
Who's fatter? Richer? Smarter? For people on the autism spectrum, these distinctions hold much less importance than for typical folks. In fact, people on the spectrum often see through such surface appearances to discover the real person.

4) Autistic People are Passionate
Of course, not all autistic people are alike. But many are truly passionate about the things, ideas and people in their lives. They live for what they have now, who they know now, and what's in their lives right now.

5) People with Autism Are Not Tied to Social Expectations
If you've ever bought a car, played a game or joined a club to fit in, you know how hard it is to be true to yourself. But for people with autism, social expectations can be honestly irrelevant. What matters is true liking, interest and passion -- not keeping up with the Joneses.

6) People with Autism Have Terrific Memories
How often do typical people forget directions, or fail to take note of colors, names, and other details? People on the autism spectrum are often much more tuned in to details. They may have a much better memory than their typical peers for all kind of critical details.

7) Autistic People Are Less Materialistic
Of course, this is not universally true -- but in general, people with autism are far less concerned with outward appearance than their typical peers. As a result, they worry less about brand names, hairstyles and other expensive but unimportant externals than most people do.

8) Autistic People Play Fewer Head Games
Who was that woman, and why were you looking at her? I know I TOLD you I didn't mind if you went out, but why did you believe me? Most autistic people don't play games like these -- and they assume that you won't either. It's a refreshing and wonderful change from the Peyton Place emotional roller coaster that mars too many typical relationships!

9) Autistic People Have Fewer Hidden Agendas
Most of the time, if a person on the autism spectrum tells you what he wants -- he is telling you what he wants. No need to beat around the bush, second guess, and hope you're reading between the lines!

10) People with Autism Open New Doors for Neurotypicals
For some of us neurotypicals, having an autistic person in our lives has had a profound positive impact on our perceptions, beliefs and expectations. For me, at least, being the mom of a son on the autism spectrum has released me from a lifetime of "should" -- and offered me a new world of "is."

Although Zach is not of age yet for many of these things to be deemed "true" about him - I can already see some of these things in him. And for those that I can't - well that's just more to look forward to right? How cool!

A Survey

This week I went to a Support Group for Cherokee County. It was the very first meeting of the Autism Spectrum Group, and it was fabulous. Truly amazing how many people in our little county alone are dealing with Autism. And that's just the people that I know about! Amazing. One of the things talked about was Autism Awareness. We talked about how we are all aware of the misconceptions, misrepresentations, and just simple lack of knowledge out there - Matt and I were in that group ourselves until a year ago. So I want to know - what do YOU know, think, feel about Autism. Truthfully. Honestly. YOU CAN POST COMPLETELY ANONYMOUSLY!!!! I just want feedback. Don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything, as I myself would have once heard the word Autism and thought it meant that a child was never going to make it through life alone, or be able to go to school even. Don't worry, I'm not going to go on a door to door rampage educating everyone about Autism! I probably will use some of the feedback (if you guys do actually leave any!) for future posts to educate and answer questions. But beyond that, my forcefulness of promoting awareness stops at the new Autism Awareness magnet on my car. Maybe one day I'll go and fight on the steps in Washington. Maybe. But for now, I'm keeping my focus where it needs to be the most - on Zachary. On our family.

SO.... please take a quick moment, and click on the underlined "Comments" below this sentence, and let me know what your understanding of Autism is. I want to know. I can take it :-) Any questions, comments, anything at all. I thank you for your time in doing this!

***Select the option "anonymous" then ignore the two blanks for username and password, then when done choose login and publish, even though you aren't logging into anything. Weird, but how it's done!

Strength

As most of you know, I am an avid scrapbooker. An addict really :-) I have been re-doing all of our wedding albums over the last few weeks, as they were a little unprofessional looking and there were literally 4 of them; a wedding day one, the rest of the time in Jamaica, a wedding reception one, and one with showers and my bachelorette party, etc. Craziness. SO... it's been a huge task, but one I've totally enjoyed as I've been revisiting that time in our lives 7+ years ago. Hardly any of the couples in the pictures were married yet. None of us had kids yet. It was a different time. Then I came across a picture of Matt and I looking very happy - one of those true, genuine smiles on both of our faces! And I stopped for a good long while just looking at that picture. I saw a look on both of our faces that I truly haven't seen in a picture in over a year. It's not that we don't smile anymore, or laugh anymore, or even that we aren't ever happy anymore - because we do and we are, it's just that we haven't had that everything-is-absolutely-perfect look and feeling inside in a while. Raising a child with Special Needs is a constant challenge. Even when we are at a fun activity (like the Wiggles show last night) we are happy that he is happy - but we are also happy that he is participating, talking, etc - things that "typical" children's parents don't have to think about. So I guess the point is that even a happy time still has traces of Autism in it. It doesn't leave us.

So I looked at that picture of us and couldn't help but think that the Matt and Courtney of 1999 had no idea that one day they'd be the parents of a child with Autism. That they would be tested to the extreme. That they would learn patience, endurance, persistence, and how to fight for what their little boy needs. That they would become far stronger individuals than they ever thought possible. That they would learn that every little word, every sentence, and every action from their son would be celebrated. And that they would be able to handle it all, and maintain a relationship with each other as well. That Matt and Courtney had no idea.

But I also saw in other pictures a couple that is now divorced, but looked happier than ever that day. A couple that wasn't yet married, that would eventually have a very strong marriage and be tested by the heartbreaking loss of their child. And I saw many other changes in people that we of course weren't aware would happen on that happy day in 1999. It's hard to guess what the future holds. And it's hard to know that you will be able to handle, manage and persevere when those challenges are a part of your life. But we do. And we are. And we will continue to do so.

I only hope that when 7 more years pass by, and I'm one day looking back at pictures of 2006, that I can see how different we were "back then" and how far we've come as a family. And I know in my heart that Zach will be sitting beside me as a curious 10 year old, asking me all about the pictures and people he's looking at in my scrapbooks :-)

Potty Success & A Look Ahead

Okay, so if I never believed in the power of prayer before, I sure do now! We are feeling the love people! So as I mentioned in the last post, potty training has been the 24/7 focus of the last few weeks in order to get Zach into his "typical" preschool classroom. Well low and behold, all of our efforts (and not so pleasant accident clean-ups) have very much paid off, as (dare I say it?) Zach is basically potty trained! I'm scared to even report this in fear that he may regress, but let's just say it's been 5 days now of accident free! And the absolute best part of it is that he is initiating going to the potty himself! That is huge, as it took maybe 6 months to get him to initiate any speech at all, and he's gotten it so much faster with the potty stuff. YAY for Zach!

He starts his Special Education class tomorrow, and he's very excited! His two teachers are just wonderful, and I found out at the open house last week that a lot of the kids in his class from last year have moved on to kindergarten this year, so the class size is much smaller. With an aide for each teacher and a Speech Therapist in the room it's a great dynamic! At the busiest day that he will be in there, it will be 8 kids to the 4 teachers and the ST. So that is truly exciting as the training he'll receive in that class will be a great addition to all of his other therapy sessions going on.

And just so that you all don't think we are exaggerating - here's a look into a typical week for our little man (beginning the week of Aug 14th and going forward):
Monday: Spec Ed class 7:45 - 9:30, then they take him to his "typical" class from 9:30 -12
Tuesday: Speech (1/2 hour) and Occupational (1/2 hour) back to back and then ABA for 1 hour
Wednesday: Spec Ed class 7:45 - 9:30, then they take him to his "typical" class from 9:30 -12
Thursday: Just Spec Ed class from 7:45 - 10:45 then Speech at 3:30
Friday: Just "typical" class from 9-12

And we are most likely joining a structured play group in the fall consisting of two 4 year old autistic boys that are verbal and emerging in their social skills, just like Zach is. That will be an awesome add-on as it would be the 3 boys and two therapists guiding them through playing together and using their speech. Good stuff! I only thank God that we live where we do, and that there are so many phenomenal options for our son out there!

Whew! So if you are looking for Courtney or Zach during the week... forget it :-) Just kidding!!! It should be a great school year, as with every passing day Zachary is more and more social, talkative, and simply wanting to be with us and just like us - and for that we are so very thankful!