User talk:Stemcc

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Autism
Here's your paper. In the future, writely.com is a good place to put papers you aren't done with-- wikipedia isn't a place for school papers or work you aren't done with. Cantras 01:54, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Autistic Ways of Being

Each autistic person learns meaning and masters skills in unique way. Autistic beings in search of understanding are able to percieve and learn and think. Some have systems of thought particular to themselves. We are real individuals.

Routes of Sensory Perception

A person with autism experiences sensory perceptions differently than someone without autism. Most autistics have less sensitivity to a stimulus, or more sensitivity than is necessary. Each individual’s experience of it will vary.

“Autistic people tend to have unusual sensory experiences. These experiences may involve a sense being too sensitive, less sensitive than normal, and/or difficulty interpreting a sense ("agnosia"). These experiences do not involve hallucinations; autistic people have sensory experience based on real experiences, like normal people, but the experience may feel or sound different, or the autistic person may have difficulty interpreting the experience. No two autistic people appear to have the exact same pattern of sensory problems.” http://www.autistics.org/library/whatis.html

Personal Account “A trait of autism that I experience is a somewhat lacking "sensory filter". When I see, hear, feel, smell, or taste something, I experience all of these senses simultaneously. The typical non-autistic or NT (neuro-typical) processes these things through a filter which removes the information that isn't needed. ..When I enter a busy scene - especially if multiple senses are present or there is a lot of loud noise, flashing lights, and people bumping into me, I will experience this sensory overload. Simply put, my brain is trying to analyze everything that is going on, without bothering to pick out the truly important details (like the person right in front of me who is trying to talk to me).”

Audition: Sounds are very noticeable

“let’s use formal analysis here”

Personal Accounts “….Loud noise can be very unpleasant. If there is some background noise, I have a hard time focusing on a particular person speaking. Their words just seem to blur and fade out. I am very bad at understanding conversations at parties. I also find that sometimes I can't determine what direction a sound is coming from. It seems worst with loud sounds coming directly from one side or another (like a friend shouting, "Joel, watch out!"). I'll often look to the wrong side when I hear a noise. In addition, I have a hard time determining relative pitch if the volume of the sounds is also changing. I see both the pitch and volume of a note on the same "axis" in my mind, causing variations in both to confuse my mind.”  www.thiswayoflife.org.senses.html

“I can detect all sounds that the neurotypical person can hear, including very low and very high pitched sounds. I have always had a strong aversion to loud music or high volume on the TV set…I have always loathed crunching and chewing sounds while other people are eating…I still like to have at least some noise during the overnight period, notably the sound of air filters and air conditioners.” Dave Hamrick, Keynote Presentation Handout, ASW Conference, May 4, 2001

Sight: It just moves, has lots of arms and legs

overview here

Splitting peripheral vision and central vision

Peripheral vision is using side vision. You can get the feeling of peripheral vision by putting your hand in front of your face and looking around your hand. Some individuals with autism shift from the extreme right to the extreme left, moving the head as the eyes shift. This results in picking up fragments of visual information, instead of the full picture.

Some individuals with autism switch from peripheral to central vision. Put your hand, once again, in front of your face. Separate your fingers in the center of your hand. Now switch from side to side or look at a detail in the center. The visual information is still fragmented.

Scanning

Scanning or darting is that constant shifting or sweeping motion. Again, put your hand in front of your face and continue to shift your eyes from one position to another. You may

notice objects in the room jump at you, swim, blur, or double. The act of constantly scanning can lead to dizziness, headaches, nausea and disorientation.

Binocular problems

Seventy percent or more of individuals with autism do not automatically develop an efficient binocular (two-eyed) pattern. Think of the eyes as being two cameras. They need to point, focus, move exactly to avoid blur or double vision. When the two do not work exactly as a team, the individual experiences blur or double vision, or the brain conveniently suppresses vision partially or totally. Total suppression of an eye eliminates some visual confusion but does not allow information to get to both sides of the brain. Partial suppression leads to much confusion and visual stress making all visual tasks exhausting.

Poor visual attention

When the visual system is working correctly, the individual can see, understand what is seen, and remember what is seen with speed, accuracy, at any time and with little energy. An inefficient system makes controlling the eyes difficult. Shifting with exactness, and maintaining clear eyesight becomes exhausting. The physical effort is extensive, leaving little energy to understand, remember or use what was seen. http://www.asw4autism.org/vision.htm

The Newsletter of Achievers Unlimited, Inc., Fields of Vision, Volume 1, Number 6 (March 1996).

Personal Accounts “My sense of sight is fairly sensitive. I hate bright light, as it hurts my eyes, especially if I'm under stress. Sunglasses (especially with a purple tint) have been very helpful. I don't look people in the eyes, or even look directly at the eyes. I don't even like looking into the eyes of photographs. I watch things out of the sides of my eyes. I have very good peripheral vision. If I look at something directly, it will sometimes seem to disappear. I also like to look at things "at an angle". I almost always tilt my head to one side or the other when I'm looking at something…I also have trouble with object recognition sometimes. I've mistaken some objects for completely different ones, such as mistaking people walking down the street for trees were walking down the street. My conscious mind can usually tell that there was a problem with my object recognition (at least when it is something "obvious" enough, like seeing trees walking down the street). By ignoring my instinct and consciously analyzing the object, I can still determine what it is. Fortunately, my problems in this area are still fairly rare, but I suspect they are more common then they should be.”

“Recent physicals have shown that my vision is above the 20/20 average. I am particularly annoyed by flickering light, such as traveling through a forested region on a sunny day. Epileptics sometimes have seizures triggered by flickering lights. When I was a little child, I would have the overhead light on in my bedroom to easily accelerate the sleeping process. One reason for this was simply a phobia of darkness. Lights were particularly important during lightning storms, and they are still used for this purpose today. I would be ill at ease if I had to sleep in a room with other children who wanted total darkness for sleeping. This was often a problem while at Camp Easter Seals. “

Touch: Touch is terrible, it uncases you, now you are two.

Most autistics find touch a less than pleasant experience unless the touch is expected or firm, the autistic body rejects the sensation.

“It is not uncommon for an autistic person to avoid being touched. This is usually because of a heightened sense of touch — a gentle touch to most people may hurt or shock some autistic people. Others may experience confusion, due to difficulty interpreting the sensation or insufficient sensation reaching the brain to interpret. Another, not uncommon pattern is to have the strength of the sensation inverse from that of the stimulation, so that a gentle touch may feel like an electric shock, but firm contact may not be a problem. Some autistic people may be insensitive to pain, and fail to notice injuries.” http://www.autistics.org/library/whatis.html

Personal Accounts “I dislike most touches, especially light or "gentle" ones. A hug can be very disorienting for me, since it feels like someone is screaming at me. Even a friend or loved one screaming is unpleasant, so I dislike almost any sort of physical affection. But, I love heavy pressure! I look forward to crawling under loads of blankets before I get to bed. It gives me great joy and happiness to feel the comforting weight all over my body. I'll lay under the weight, laughing and squealing with delight. I find that it relaxes me tremendously, too. But, I hate light touch. If I feel a slight breeze, I'll either feel very cold or I'll not be able to suppress a tick. Someone brushing against me is very unpleasant, and I'll often continue to feel this sensation for a long time afterward. I can tolerate touch much better if I can brace myself first. I don't have difficulties with handshakes, and I can hug some people and even mimic the embrace, provided that I know that the touch is going to occur. Unexpected touches are awful.” http://thiswayoflife.org/senses.html

“Like Temple Grandin (highly noted adult with autism in America), I enjoy pressure. My threshold for pain is above average, though not always the case as I would throw a temper tantrum if given a shot during the 1980’s. Unlike many people within the autism spectrum, I enjoy and accept affection.” Dave Hamrick, Keynote Presentation Handout, ASW Conference, May 4, 2001

Smell

overview

formal analysis

“My sense of smell is often very sensitive but sometimes very insensitive. If most of the time, if I enter a place with a strong odor, good or bad, I often experience something like an allergic reaction. I can not enter a flower or perfume shop, and avoid some department stores for this reason. I can't stand the smell of some people, either, since they put on too much scent. Some people's houses smell, either because of uncleanliness or because of "air fresheners." I can't go in these houses, even though most people seem to have no problems with these places.”

“It is important for me to smell things to become better acquainted with my surroundings. Many may think I’m odd when they notice such acts as sniffing the pages of a book, smelling soaps and detergents in the grocery store, or sniffing a person’s hair. I have identified many different smells when it comes to books and magazines. Peers often thought I was kissing my textbooks. Guess what? They were wrong.”

Taste: food is ugly

overview

formal analysis

“Taste is the only sense I have which I don't think is over sensitive. I love almost all foods, especially spicy ethnic dishes (Mexican and any type of Asian food are my favorites). But, I eat a lot of bland food, too. I was the one in the family who would eat anything, while my brother - the most "neurotypical" of my family - was the picky eater! I've never eaten a food that I didn't like when someone else did like it, with the exception of garlic which I don't particularly care for. “

“I have an aversion to many foods, especially vegetables and gourmet products. I’m also reluctant to try new foods and beverages. I like to eat out at restaurants that I have already visited. Pizza Hut and fast food restaurants are my favorite.”

Movement:

overview

formal analysis

testimonials

Rules and their Significance: Adapting to Changes

overview

formal analysis

“Moving either from one thought to another or one action to another is hard with autism. When I repeat the same word over and over again it means that I am stuck on a thought and cannot completely move on until I have completely processed that thought. I feel that if I stay completely focused on one thing until I have moved completely through it that this help me maintain control of my thoughts over the autism. When my autism is in control of my thoughts I cannot think clearly. I cannot see the end or the beginning of an idea. Everything runs together and nothing is separate or clear. Repeating the same word over and over helps me to clear my head. Certain words help me maintain a positive attitude, like “please, please” and others express anger or humor, such as “fuck, fuck”. These mark my emotional state and help me transition to a different one. Because of my lifestyle many of my transitions in time are marked by transitions in staff. This is hard for me because it reminds me that I do not live by my own schedule, but by the schedule of my autism. I often become very sensitive during staff transitions. When someone new comes on shift at my house I need to see that they are settled in so I can stop feeling the transition and can feel settled and ready to continue my day. Because transitions are hard I do not like to wait. Repetitive words and movements help me to bear the waiting. This is why I repeat “green soon” when waiting at a stoplight.” Steven McCook

Abstraction/Details First

overview

formal analysis

testimonials

Theory of Mind

overview

formal analysis

testimonials