One of the things that is frustrating for any person is when they try and communicate as best they can around them and yet they sometimes feel like they are a sinking ship with no means of rescue. This is how I feel most of the time. I constantly feel held back by people who just don't seem to get it. No matter how hard you try it just often seem so overwhelming.
I think Aspies just struggle to fit into the conventions of the non Aspie world. I personally feel at times that society's mechanisms just seem to create more burden. I cannot understand why non Autistic persons seem to be largely self conscious and seem to spend vast amounts of time being concerned about self image and ego. Again I may be generalising but I just speak my mind. People fill their houses with furniture, drive fancy cars, have big houses and just seem to forever chase dreams that largely seem unrealistic. When it comes to the basic human needs of wanting friendships and being happy, time seems to be better spent on finding other ways in the pursuit of happiness.
I feel I am often wrongly judged as a person. I am not out for self glory or for image. but more so to try and raise more levels of awareness and understanding where I can. Just because I am not good or interested in what I term "Thug Ball" does not mean that I have something wrong with me. I just find Rugby League boring. It may be for some people but not for me. I found it ironic when watching the Royal Wedding that the television station decided when enough was enough to revert to a Rugby League game. I am only interested in the history of the Royal family and decided to watch some of it. I personally found the trees in Westminster out of place and I would have preferred the traditional sound of an organ compared to an orchestra. A cathedral is for an organ not for an orchestra on certain historic occasions.
When watching the royal wedding, I thought to myself please I hope Charles does not become the next King. I know that by succession he will but please Queen Elizabeth continue to reign and I hope your Diamond Jubilee next year will be a great one. No matter how much some people may detest the monarchy the truth is that it has a proven record. It has lasted longer than any other form of government.
Personally when you look at the wedding you see how the Americans foam at the mouth that they do not have a monarch. The commonwealth still recognises the monarch but how many republics are themselves able to stand the test of time?
I process information differently to other people and some people are open minded and understand Autism. Others just think I am obsessed or think there are other disorders that of course are also important. What I would like to leave with you is the thought of how would you feel if you lived in a world where people did not understand you and your ways of communication? How would you react and respond? Also are people aware of their actions?
As an Aspie I am not concerned by status, public perception and whether or not I am better than other people. I just wish some people would open their minds more to diversity.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Ok I just don't get it
Ok I must confess that I find Facebook confusing. If indeed it was designed by a person on the Autism Spectrum then some of its features are not what I term "Aspie Friendly". As most Aspies find it hard to fit into the regular world then why does a relationship status and an interested in feature exist? Why also is there a use of the term friend which may apply to people who are not really friends but more so connections. The average Facebook page consists of friends and so called "People who I may know". I am not sure if this feature is designed as some kind of random networking feature or not? If you browse the so called feature "people you may know" and send friend requests you find Facebook blocks you and then complains that you have caused a serious breach by sending too many Facebook requests.
What I am trying to say is that the relationship status and the interested in features are just a waste of time as far as I am concerned. If you choose to select or alter this feature then wrongful perceptions may be perceived. I am sick and tired of society's attitudes towards people relationship status. People seem to have this so called starry notion of perfect romance or that marriage is the final acceptance and reflection of a person. If you are not in a relationship you are to be avoided at all cost. I call myself the hunch back of NT land at times. I have found that not adding the above mentioned annoying features does somewhat alleviate the social pressures but some one dimensional ways of thinking need to change. Why can't there be a feature on Facebook called unconventional so that the removal of the word 'single' can be removed? Just some thoughts.
What I am trying to say is that the relationship status and the interested in features are just a waste of time as far as I am concerned. If you choose to select or alter this feature then wrongful perceptions may be perceived. I am sick and tired of society's attitudes towards people relationship status. People seem to have this so called starry notion of perfect romance or that marriage is the final acceptance and reflection of a person. If you are not in a relationship you are to be avoided at all cost. I call myself the hunch back of NT land at times. I have found that not adding the above mentioned annoying features does somewhat alleviate the social pressures but some one dimensional ways of thinking need to change. Why can't there be a feature on Facebook called unconventional so that the removal of the word 'single' can be removed? Just some thoughts.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Expanding my knowledge and credentials
Currently I am looking at ways of going beyond my current graduate degree in Bachelor of Arts into further research more so than study. I am not really keen on undergraduate units but more so on postgraduate units. I believe that with my own Autism advocacy that I should be able to either enter Masters and eventually PhD level. I am not sure exactly how to go about this as conventional methods and hierarchy tend to make this virtually impossible.
In terms of further study I would need support and people to assist me in understanding the referencing requirements for further study. Such procedures are in themselves challenging and not being given sufficient time to demonstrate my skills and abilities just makes it harder.
I will be talking with Professor Tony Attwood in July of this year. I am going to find out from Tony what I need to do to better equip myself. Sometimes people are asking me to diagnosis them with Autism and I am not able to do this. I can only refer them onto someone better qualified than myself. I really don't want to diagnose people but more so assist with research and in raising awareness. I find UQ Psychology virtually impossible and I am trying again to see if there are some avenues I could pursue to help me obtain support in undertaking post graduate subjects.
In the meantime, I am going to continue writing and furthermore doing some reading in the areas of schooling and the Autism Spectrum.
Please check out my website for a sample of my writing and interest into the schooling system.
In terms of further study I would need support and people to assist me in understanding the referencing requirements for further study. Such procedures are in themselves challenging and not being given sufficient time to demonstrate my skills and abilities just makes it harder.
I will be talking with Professor Tony Attwood in July of this year. I am going to find out from Tony what I need to do to better equip myself. Sometimes people are asking me to diagnosis them with Autism and I am not able to do this. I can only refer them onto someone better qualified than myself. I really don't want to diagnose people but more so assist with research and in raising awareness. I find UQ Psychology virtually impossible and I am trying again to see if there are some avenues I could pursue to help me obtain support in undertaking post graduate subjects.
In the meantime, I am going to continue writing and furthermore doing some reading in the areas of schooling and the Autism Spectrum.
Please check out my website for a sample of my writing and interest into the schooling system.
Sleeping patterns
Of late I have found myself waking up at 3.30am in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep. Rather than obsess about whether I need more sleep, I usually start the day early. I usually find that I only need about 6 hours of sleep and I seem to be able to function normally. When I mean 'normally' I mean my usual patterns without suffering from sleep deprivation.
Sometimes if I endure limited sleep as long as I get dream which means I have slept deeply, I can usually get by with under 3 hours sleep etc. The cycle just varies from time to time. When I was younger I slept very little and perhaps this was why I would find myself not being able to function effectively during the day. The difficulties with conventional life means that certain flexibility is not possible during the regular working day. If for instance, my concentration cannot last for too long, it means that my performance in several daily duties may be impaired but I believe my brain is adaptable so I can just get through the day anyhow.
The power of the mind is largely untapped. The complexity of the Aspie brain is largely unknown. I think Aspies can have different ways and sleeping patterns to other people and yet we can get by. Research really needs to untap the use and functioning of the Aspie brain. I think Aspies use more than 10% of our brains which can largely be seen in savants. If a person was able to use all of the brain power then perhaps people may be able to excel in all areas. It is interesting that the brain continually adapts. How can a person draw a whole city from less than a 15 minute glance? Surely the mind of the savant is something that allows us to think and begin to understand the complexity of our brain even more? Please watch the video link with this post.
Sometimes if I endure limited sleep as long as I get dream which means I have slept deeply, I can usually get by with under 3 hours sleep etc. The cycle just varies from time to time. When I was younger I slept very little and perhaps this was why I would find myself not being able to function effectively during the day. The difficulties with conventional life means that certain flexibility is not possible during the regular working day. If for instance, my concentration cannot last for too long, it means that my performance in several daily duties may be impaired but I believe my brain is adaptable so I can just get through the day anyhow.
The power of the mind is largely untapped. The complexity of the Aspie brain is largely unknown. I think Aspies can have different ways and sleeping patterns to other people and yet we can get by. Research really needs to untap the use and functioning of the Aspie brain. I think Aspies use more than 10% of our brains which can largely be seen in savants. If a person was able to use all of the brain power then perhaps people may be able to excel in all areas. It is interesting that the brain continually adapts. How can a person draw a whole city from less than a 15 minute glance? Surely the mind of the savant is something that allows us to think and begin to understand the complexity of our brain even more? Please watch the video link with this post.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Gillard and Abbott please do not hurt people with Autism more!
This morning I attended the Autism Queensland Function at Parliament House, Brisbane where I was nominated and received an award as an adult on the Autism Spectrum. In my speech of which there was no politician in sight, I spoke to the well attended audience about my self funded advocacy work and the need to keep 'the torch burning' and 'I have a Dream' to ensure awareness of Autism continues. I spoke of the need for more tolerance from within the wider community and awareness to break down the barriers of ignorance.
It saddens me that as an Australian citizen that Australian politicians seem reluctant to come on board and attend functions. If I am to be slugged like other Australians for tax and more importantly have my updates personally removed by an Independent Australian Politician concerning Autism, then all I can say is that the Australian parliamentary system is a total farce. It really drives pain through the very adult community when children and future adults are not receiving the necessary support they require to assist them in their transition into employment. It is also not good enough that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to reform the welfare system and seriously cripple the lives of adults on the Autism Spectrum who are the most vulnerable. If the leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott wants to help people who really want a better quality of life then he should personally reconsider what I term unfair treatment of adults with Autism in the community. I try to stay as apolitical as possible but I think the Australian government that exists at the moment is what I consider to be a monkey circus. There is no real clear mandate and I seriously question the so call independence of the independents we have in power now. Who is governing Australia and how are the people most affected by changes in welfare going to stand up to drastic and harsh changes? Surely the Australian Government needs to get serious about disability. Personally on the Federal Political scene I believe the best politicians who are most efficient are Bill Shorten, Malcolm Turnbull and John Alexander but he needs time to demonstrate his abilities. If I can think of any other politicians worthy of mention, I will include their names later. I am personally sick and tired of political mud slinging and would like to see strong government and effective leadership. I am not sure where Campbell Newman stands on Autism as I have not heard from him but I wonder if Bill Shorten should return to the disability portfolio as I heard good things about him. When I have contacted his office I am put in touch with some other disability minister and I find this person very unhelpful and not returning my calls or willing to help.
All I can say is Julia Gillard if you want to slug and reform welfare just think of the people you are making extremely anxious and more importantly please bare in mind their well being! It is about time that governments govern and stop mud slinging as this is why I do not vote for you. If I am forced to vote for you then please can you provide the decency of running the country and making Australia a better place?! Think seriously before you make changes to welfare also.
It saddens me that as an Australian citizen that Australian politicians seem reluctant to come on board and attend functions. If I am to be slugged like other Australians for tax and more importantly have my updates personally removed by an Independent Australian Politician concerning Autism, then all I can say is that the Australian parliamentary system is a total farce. It really drives pain through the very adult community when children and future adults are not receiving the necessary support they require to assist them in their transition into employment. It is also not good enough that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to reform the welfare system and seriously cripple the lives of adults on the Autism Spectrum who are the most vulnerable. If the leader of the opposition, Tony Abbott wants to help people who really want a better quality of life then he should personally reconsider what I term unfair treatment of adults with Autism in the community. I try to stay as apolitical as possible but I think the Australian government that exists at the moment is what I consider to be a monkey circus. There is no real clear mandate and I seriously question the so call independence of the independents we have in power now. Who is governing Australia and how are the people most affected by changes in welfare going to stand up to drastic and harsh changes? Surely the Australian Government needs to get serious about disability. Personally on the Federal Political scene I believe the best politicians who are most efficient are Bill Shorten, Malcolm Turnbull and John Alexander but he needs time to demonstrate his abilities. If I can think of any other politicians worthy of mention, I will include their names later. I am personally sick and tired of political mud slinging and would like to see strong government and effective leadership. I am not sure where Campbell Newman stands on Autism as I have not heard from him but I wonder if Bill Shorten should return to the disability portfolio as I heard good things about him. When I have contacted his office I am put in touch with some other disability minister and I find this person very unhelpful and not returning my calls or willing to help.
All I can say is Julia Gillard if you want to slug and reform welfare just think of the people you are making extremely anxious and more importantly please bare in mind their well being! It is about time that governments govern and stop mud slinging as this is why I do not vote for you. If I am forced to vote for you then please can you provide the decency of running the country and making Australia a better place?! Think seriously before you make changes to welfare also.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Avoiding the negative spiral
Sometimes I find myself putting myself down and being careful to not go down the negative spiral. I find with younger Aspies that I feel somewhat envious of them. They were diagnosed much younger than me and they are not as bruised as I have been growing up and being diagnosed at 25 years of age.
I feel at times like I am suffocating in the world as my ways of thinking and acting tend to find resistance from the wider community. I find younger Aspies are not always understanding of my own situation. I fear for younger Aspies in that they are not getting support and services which can assist them in their lives. Although I am close to 40, I think younger Aspies see me as old and archaic. They may not realise that I have been there before and when listening to the Varun Symons interview, I can relate to a lot of what both Autistic adults are talking about. For some reason some of the adults have dropped me as a friend and decide to not continue correspondence. I have to try hard and accept that this is their choice.
I feel at times that when there is so much resistance I think why does the larger framework of society have to be so rough? Why am I not given sufficient time to demonstrate my skills and abilities and furthermore why are not support and services being implemented?
I am currently listening to Arman's podcast where he interviews Varun Symons. I hope you find this podcast informative? I think there are a lot of good topics raised in this podcast.
I feel at times like I am suffocating in the world as my ways of thinking and acting tend to find resistance from the wider community. I find younger Aspies are not always understanding of my own situation. I fear for younger Aspies in that they are not getting support and services which can assist them in their lives. Although I am close to 40, I think younger Aspies see me as old and archaic. They may not realise that I have been there before and when listening to the Varun Symons interview, I can relate to a lot of what both Autistic adults are talking about. For some reason some of the adults have dropped me as a friend and decide to not continue correspondence. I have to try hard and accept that this is their choice.
I feel at times that when there is so much resistance I think why does the larger framework of society have to be so rough? Why am I not given sufficient time to demonstrate my skills and abilities and furthermore why are not support and services being implemented?
I am currently listening to Arman's podcast where he interviews Varun Symons. I hope you find this podcast informative? I think there are a lot of good topics raised in this podcast.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Book Review of my book
My book has had some very positive reviews. A recent sale received feedback that it was a great read and that my book is highly recommended to anyone interested. I am currently writing my third book with my second near completion. My first book "I Want To Work An Asperger Story" is now on sale. I have had to re-order some more books to keep stocks up. Should you be interested in purchasing a copy please visit my website and be sure to double click on the Title Post of this post.
Chosing to not live the life of a second rate neuro typical
I constantly find myself being forced to live in a world that does not understand me. I feel at times so frustrated that I can see why suicide rates are so high in persons on the Autism Spectrum. This is because the boundaries and the conventions are so inflexible. I find myself being forced to think and act like a neuro typical when my wiring is different. For instance I am not interested in fame and glory but more so in getting the message out there. I feel concerned that I may have written a book that will not be read by a wider audience and more importantly I am sadden that working in a university library that there has been little support in assisting me in getting this book out into the community. I am not interested in upsetting people's egos but more so trying instead to help other people.
As I get older I find the conventions more restrictive and I constantly find myself being forced to live in a neuro typical world when I struggle and find it hard to be able to do so. Sometimes the anxiety is so intense that I am at a loss to know what to do. I also have occasional thoughts about what is the purpose of living if people do not understand me? Why are people so resistant to understanding or taking the time to listen? I feel really frustrated with society in general.
I cannot understand why 'faceless' people pretend and ignore the many issues and serious concerns affecting the world. The issues of bullying, discrimination, depression, suicide and social isolation continue and yet not enough is being done to try and understand this. More importantly the lack of services for adults is just disgraceful.
I do not know how much longer I can survive the anxiety but everyday I try and do my best. People do not see or understand just exactly how Autism effects me and this is why I think some Aspies self inflict. People just don't get it and unable to verbalise frustrations so they self inflict so people will listen and understand. It is not a sensible measure of course but what else can you do when you are stressed and nobody is listening! I could shout profanities at the way this world makes it hard for people on the Autism Spectrum but this will not be a rational approach. I have written a book but I am not neuro typical. I do not know the channels that a neuro typical would know if they were in the same position? Perhaps they would be after fame, know the necessary channels in order to approach people and know better networking skills than I do. I spend large amounts of my time in social isolation because the neuro typical world largely stresses me out. People are confusing and I just find the hierarchical, bureaucratic, and other conventions just too overwhelming. Please try and understand that not all Aspies can live in the NT world and they may need some support and understanding.
As I get older I find the conventions more restrictive and I constantly find myself being forced to live in a neuro typical world when I struggle and find it hard to be able to do so. Sometimes the anxiety is so intense that I am at a loss to know what to do. I also have occasional thoughts about what is the purpose of living if people do not understand me? Why are people so resistant to understanding or taking the time to listen? I feel really frustrated with society in general.
I cannot understand why 'faceless' people pretend and ignore the many issues and serious concerns affecting the world. The issues of bullying, discrimination, depression, suicide and social isolation continue and yet not enough is being done to try and understand this. More importantly the lack of services for adults is just disgraceful.
I do not know how much longer I can survive the anxiety but everyday I try and do my best. People do not see or understand just exactly how Autism effects me and this is why I think some Aspies self inflict. People just don't get it and unable to verbalise frustrations so they self inflict so people will listen and understand. It is not a sensible measure of course but what else can you do when you are stressed and nobody is listening! I could shout profanities at the way this world makes it hard for people on the Autism Spectrum but this will not be a rational approach. I have written a book but I am not neuro typical. I do not know the channels that a neuro typical would know if they were in the same position? Perhaps they would be after fame, know the necessary channels in order to approach people and know better networking skills than I do. I spend large amounts of my time in social isolation because the neuro typical world largely stresses me out. People are confusing and I just find the hierarchical, bureaucratic, and other conventions just too overwhelming. Please try and understand that not all Aspies can live in the NT world and they may need some support and understanding.
The mystery of God
I find myself over thinking and philosophizing about the world and knowing how God does exist. Every century brings forward some advancement from the previous one, and is humanity getting closer to solving the riddle?
History is an interesting subject and God was worshiped in many different forms. Both the Greeks and Romans had many Gods but centuries before it seems that even the Babylonians also believed in God. This leaves us with the important question are we closer to understanding God and the riddle of the universe? Man is making important and significant milestones in some areas but man is still held back by mortality. Man has only so many years on earth and then it is left to future generations to solve the riddle further. The riddle being why the universe was created, for what purpose and its future destiny?
I have often wondered how everything came into being by a simple explosion if indeed this was an explosion. Just think about it and I mean really think about it!? Did all of what we know originate from such an explosion and one has to imagine what caused the explosion, why and what is the explosion expanding into? Such questions are complex and it is beyond our own reasoning and intelligence to work out the answers to such questions. Now the Atheist argument is that the explosion was caused by an event that just happened? But why? If life exists in its present form to evolve to what it is today, then the question needs to be raised as to what purpose?
I think the problem people have who do not believe in God is that their perception has not factored in all possibilities or furthermore their reasoning does not further enquire to see that God is beyond our own reasoning and understanding. There are so many things in the universe that we are incapable of explaining. Furthermore, humanity struggles to come to terms with mortality. If indeed humanity is to reach stage 2 of intelligence will it be able to do so or will the human condition cause an inevitable catastrophe?
There are so many questions that remain unanswered. One of my future books will be "Understanding Autism and God". I will be working more on the title and eventually writing the manuscript. I intend to write about my own personal experiences and furthermore focus on my own connection and understanding of God. This book may never be published but I enjoy writing and have 90% completed my second draft. I will be having a friend who is Christian helping me with the book as he is studying Theology at present. Should anyone be interested I hope to have the book written and completed within the next 12 months. The book is not intended to convert people but focus on my own personal views about Christianity.
History is an interesting subject and God was worshiped in many different forms. Both the Greeks and Romans had many Gods but centuries before it seems that even the Babylonians also believed in God. This leaves us with the important question are we closer to understanding God and the riddle of the universe? Man is making important and significant milestones in some areas but man is still held back by mortality. Man has only so many years on earth and then it is left to future generations to solve the riddle further. The riddle being why the universe was created, for what purpose and its future destiny?
I have often wondered how everything came into being by a simple explosion if indeed this was an explosion. Just think about it and I mean really think about it!? Did all of what we know originate from such an explosion and one has to imagine what caused the explosion, why and what is the explosion expanding into? Such questions are complex and it is beyond our own reasoning and intelligence to work out the answers to such questions. Now the Atheist argument is that the explosion was caused by an event that just happened? But why? If life exists in its present form to evolve to what it is today, then the question needs to be raised as to what purpose?
I think the problem people have who do not believe in God is that their perception has not factored in all possibilities or furthermore their reasoning does not further enquire to see that God is beyond our own reasoning and understanding. There are so many things in the universe that we are incapable of explaining. Furthermore, humanity struggles to come to terms with mortality. If indeed humanity is to reach stage 2 of intelligence will it be able to do so or will the human condition cause an inevitable catastrophe?
There are so many questions that remain unanswered. One of my future books will be "Understanding Autism and God". I will be working more on the title and eventually writing the manuscript. I intend to write about my own personal experiences and furthermore focus on my own connection and understanding of God. This book may never be published but I enjoy writing and have 90% completed my second draft. I will be having a friend who is Christian helping me with the book as he is studying Theology at present. Should anyone be interested I hope to have the book written and completed within the next 12 months. The book is not intended to convert people but focus on my own personal views about Christianity.
Proud of my achievements
I give myself a pat on the back for all the crap I have had to endure in life. Furthermore, I praise myself for the strength and resilience I have in trying my best to overcome and endure more. I am also blunt in that I am sick and tired of people saying they are envious or that I have it easy. I would say to such people, try living with and enduring the misunderstanding and ignorance I have had to deal with over the last 38 years!
I love the fact I am eccentric and if other people have an issue with it then they can sod off. I don't give a crap what they think I am who I am and if you don't like or want to associate with me then that's your problem and not mine! I am grateful that I have my health and that I am fit. I am also fed up with people who whinge about what they don't have in their life or unhappy when they only need to look around them and see how lucky they are as people.
I am also fed up with people who think they are better than others and are so up themselves. Such people are shallow and have personal issues.
I am tired of the focus being on high profile people. Most of them and not all have screwed up their own lives and make a mess of them. Yet the mass media lap it up and say 'oh we need to give them another chance". Some of the high profile people in the sporting industry and again not all seem to be incapable of actually being responsible for their own lives and actions and yet such people are held up as role models. What a joke is all I can say!
Not enough light is cast on the forgotten people in this world. The silent majority who simply struggle on and do their best and are not in the lime light. Instead too much focus is placed on those whose contribution to society is bugger all.
I am proud of who I am as a person and I have the strength and determination to prove it. I believe in God also and I am tired of the way this society is just decaying with bad practices, immorality, selfishness and lack of standards. All I hope one day is that God punishes this earth for the way humanity has evolved. The focus on the me me me society is just simply destroying any sense of community or compassion for ourselves as humans. Nobody gives a stuff about anyone else and no matter what excuses or means of behaviour it is happening more and more.
All I can say is that I admire my own achievements and I fully commend the many things I do as I am me, I stand up for myself and I am not afraid of the continual bullying and discrimination I unfortunately have to endure. Enough is enough I will keep fighting to ensure that such behaviour is banished from this earth and I will do the best I can to ensure that the world is a better place!
Crown Him With Many Crowds and remember God in your life and how damn lucky you are as people.
I love the fact I am eccentric and if other people have an issue with it then they can sod off. I don't give a crap what they think I am who I am and if you don't like or want to associate with me then that's your problem and not mine! I am grateful that I have my health and that I am fit. I am also fed up with people who whinge about what they don't have in their life or unhappy when they only need to look around them and see how lucky they are as people.
I am also fed up with people who think they are better than others and are so up themselves. Such people are shallow and have personal issues.
I am tired of the focus being on high profile people. Most of them and not all have screwed up their own lives and make a mess of them. Yet the mass media lap it up and say 'oh we need to give them another chance". Some of the high profile people in the sporting industry and again not all seem to be incapable of actually being responsible for their own lives and actions and yet such people are held up as role models. What a joke is all I can say!
Not enough light is cast on the forgotten people in this world. The silent majority who simply struggle on and do their best and are not in the lime light. Instead too much focus is placed on those whose contribution to society is bugger all.
I am proud of who I am as a person and I have the strength and determination to prove it. I believe in God also and I am tired of the way this society is just decaying with bad practices, immorality, selfishness and lack of standards. All I hope one day is that God punishes this earth for the way humanity has evolved. The focus on the me me me society is just simply destroying any sense of community or compassion for ourselves as humans. Nobody gives a stuff about anyone else and no matter what excuses or means of behaviour it is happening more and more.
All I can say is that I admire my own achievements and I fully commend the many things I do as I am me, I stand up for myself and I am not afraid of the continual bullying and discrimination I unfortunately have to endure. Enough is enough I will keep fighting to ensure that such behaviour is banished from this earth and I will do the best I can to ensure that the world is a better place!
Crown Him With Many Crowds and remember God in your life and how damn lucky you are as people.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Spiritualism and the other dimension
Last night I was watching a program on the Shroud of Turin. The show was interesting as it discussed whether the shroud was either fake or the actual burial cloth which contained the body of Jesus Christ? I always keep an open mind and while watching the program more and more, the research into the shroud revealed that painting or drawing the image would be virtually impossible. What then is the Shroud of Turin and its purpose? Various theories tried to explain the image within the shroud and one of these was the possibility of mass energy somehow causing the image on the shroud. Possibly this according the documentary explaining the resurrection of Christ. Again one has to keep an open mind.
While I was watching the program on the History Channel, I thought more and more about the evidence that was being presented on the show. According to the experimentation on the shroud itself and the image contained on the shroud, the image had when experimented further another dimension to it. After more and more research and careful experimentation, the researchers were able to create the possible image of Christ. Again anyone would dismiss the show and what I am saying as just fantasy or that it is all make believe. We know very little about the world around and our eyes can only see the world from what I understand in a 2 or 3 dimensional stage. At the risk of sounding extreme, I have often wondered if another dimension does exist. Perhaps this dimension can be accessed upon death or perhaps by other means. There existed a group of Christians who were persecuted in around the 1300's or thereabouts for believing that another dimension existed and that we as humans are restricted to the limited dimensions that we see today. Perhaps there is another dimension that exists and we are unable to see it and again I am speaking from the documentary on the Shroud of Turin that the image which appears on the linen needs more investigation.
As I was flickering through the stations on the pay tv there was another show which I regretted I watched and which I found rather humourous. There was a group of Ghost Hunters in the USA and in the show they visited a gaol. Now surely if you were a ghost the last place you would haunt would be a gaol? Anyhow, this rather big built man decided to take in an image sensor and an some audio equipment with him into the gaol. As he went into the darkness, he started to supposedly rouse up the spirits by saying 'I want to know if there is anyone in here and what were the reasons were for your death?" In true American fashion and with the show being on late at night it was designed to send shivers up your spine. The ghost hunter claimed he was unable to breathe and when leaving the gaol he apparently got his breath back again. The next part of the exercise was to stir up what is believed in the spirit world to be called 'trapped spiritual energy". The belief is that if a traumatic event has happened in a location that energy is released on certain occasions. To cut the story short a group of dressed up convicts went into the gaol with the ghost hunters. The group consisted of prisoners in their stripes and prison guards. Suddenly the enacted the riots in the darkness and then stopped their actions. The idea was to record EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena)and also to look for spirits. Of course the animation and suspense was there and a so called human figure appeared in a cell and apparently was supposed to be colder than that around it. Also there was so called recording of EVP voices saying "Come and Get Me". Also ghostly orbs were supposed to be on the visual footage and I really wondered what I watched this show as I find it not really that helpful if you have an over active imagination. Anyhow the show was ridiculous in a way in how the American ghost hunters carried on and I changed the channel when the ghost hunter's next mission was to visit a so called haunted hospital with a 7 foot ghost within it.
Some years back I went with a group of friends to historic "Boggo Road Gaol" in Brisbane. I was nominated to be locked in a cell for 45 seconds and to see if I was spooked. All I can remember was the horrible feeling of being trapped in this confined area. I did not see a ghost at all but remember seeing all the writing on the wall so to speak.
I have always had an open mind about spiritualism and furthermore a belief in God. Agnostics tend to want evidence to prove that God actually exists and Atheists tend to want do disprove that God exists despite any argument put forward. It is interesting that when an Atheist tries to prove their point that they are always quick defend evidence that remains questionable to them. A true Christian I believe is one that is guided by God and learns to forgive. This is hard to do as some people tend to do the wrong thing but existing or following a higher way of thinking does tend to be a way that good Christians strive for. I am blunt in saying that some Christians can be hypocrites. They believe and demonstrate that they are God loving people and yet they can judge other people very harshly. We all have faults as humans and this is why I believe in trying to be a Christian myself was one of the reasons why Christ died on the cross. I find it hard to understand why some people turn their back on God. I also cannot understand why there is so much sleaze and lack of trust in this world. I have seen on television and in some forms of the media material that I personally believe has some demonic connotations. It also concerns me that Australia is no longer considered a Christian country. I do not believe that conversion is the way to change people and more so criticising them for not attending church. Instead the journey to God and goodness in the world needs to be done by enlightening people's thinking and providing them with clear and positive examples of where the work of God is evident. One has to always be careful and cautious when talking about religion as it may turn others away. They may choose not to believe and furthermore not want to have anything to do with you. Again you cannot change people's perceptions and their ways of thinking but you can try and do what you believe is right and lead them through paths of enlightenment.
This long weekend commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to try and understand this important occasion rather than the pagan traditions associated with the Rabbit and the Easter Egg which were the means of fertility after the first full moon. We need to try and reflect on this important occasion more so than be bound up in our own introspection and the things we feel are missing in our lives. I think the long weekend should be a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ and why we ought to be grateful as human beings. God Bless you and your families over the Easter period.
While I was watching the program on the History Channel, I thought more and more about the evidence that was being presented on the show. According to the experimentation on the shroud itself and the image contained on the shroud, the image had when experimented further another dimension to it. After more and more research and careful experimentation, the researchers were able to create the possible image of Christ. Again anyone would dismiss the show and what I am saying as just fantasy or that it is all make believe. We know very little about the world around and our eyes can only see the world from what I understand in a 2 or 3 dimensional stage. At the risk of sounding extreme, I have often wondered if another dimension does exist. Perhaps this dimension can be accessed upon death or perhaps by other means. There existed a group of Christians who were persecuted in around the 1300's or thereabouts for believing that another dimension existed and that we as humans are restricted to the limited dimensions that we see today. Perhaps there is another dimension that exists and we are unable to see it and again I am speaking from the documentary on the Shroud of Turin that the image which appears on the linen needs more investigation.
As I was flickering through the stations on the pay tv there was another show which I regretted I watched and which I found rather humourous. There was a group of Ghost Hunters in the USA and in the show they visited a gaol. Now surely if you were a ghost the last place you would haunt would be a gaol? Anyhow, this rather big built man decided to take in an image sensor and an some audio equipment with him into the gaol. As he went into the darkness, he started to supposedly rouse up the spirits by saying 'I want to know if there is anyone in here and what were the reasons were for your death?" In true American fashion and with the show being on late at night it was designed to send shivers up your spine. The ghost hunter claimed he was unable to breathe and when leaving the gaol he apparently got his breath back again. The next part of the exercise was to stir up what is believed in the spirit world to be called 'trapped spiritual energy". The belief is that if a traumatic event has happened in a location that energy is released on certain occasions. To cut the story short a group of dressed up convicts went into the gaol with the ghost hunters. The group consisted of prisoners in their stripes and prison guards. Suddenly the enacted the riots in the darkness and then stopped their actions. The idea was to record EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena)and also to look for spirits. Of course the animation and suspense was there and a so called human figure appeared in a cell and apparently was supposed to be colder than that around it. Also there was so called recording of EVP voices saying "Come and Get Me". Also ghostly orbs were supposed to be on the visual footage and I really wondered what I watched this show as I find it not really that helpful if you have an over active imagination. Anyhow the show was ridiculous in a way in how the American ghost hunters carried on and I changed the channel when the ghost hunter's next mission was to visit a so called haunted hospital with a 7 foot ghost within it.
Some years back I went with a group of friends to historic "Boggo Road Gaol" in Brisbane. I was nominated to be locked in a cell for 45 seconds and to see if I was spooked. All I can remember was the horrible feeling of being trapped in this confined area. I did not see a ghost at all but remember seeing all the writing on the wall so to speak.
I have always had an open mind about spiritualism and furthermore a belief in God. Agnostics tend to want evidence to prove that God actually exists and Atheists tend to want do disprove that God exists despite any argument put forward. It is interesting that when an Atheist tries to prove their point that they are always quick defend evidence that remains questionable to them. A true Christian I believe is one that is guided by God and learns to forgive. This is hard to do as some people tend to do the wrong thing but existing or following a higher way of thinking does tend to be a way that good Christians strive for. I am blunt in saying that some Christians can be hypocrites. They believe and demonstrate that they are God loving people and yet they can judge other people very harshly. We all have faults as humans and this is why I believe in trying to be a Christian myself was one of the reasons why Christ died on the cross. I find it hard to understand why some people turn their back on God. I also cannot understand why there is so much sleaze and lack of trust in this world. I have seen on television and in some forms of the media material that I personally believe has some demonic connotations. It also concerns me that Australia is no longer considered a Christian country. I do not believe that conversion is the way to change people and more so criticising them for not attending church. Instead the journey to God and goodness in the world needs to be done by enlightening people's thinking and providing them with clear and positive examples of where the work of God is evident. One has to always be careful and cautious when talking about religion as it may turn others away. They may choose not to believe and furthermore not want to have anything to do with you. Again you cannot change people's perceptions and their ways of thinking but you can try and do what you believe is right and lead them through paths of enlightenment.
This long weekend commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to try and understand this important occasion rather than the pagan traditions associated with the Rabbit and the Easter Egg which were the means of fertility after the first full moon. We need to try and reflect on this important occasion more so than be bound up in our own introspection and the things we feel are missing in our lives. I think the long weekend should be a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ and why we ought to be grateful as human beings. God Bless you and your families over the Easter period.
Friday, April 22, 2011
An ideal Aspie Friendly Zone
What exactly is AN Ideal Aspie Friendly Zone? In 2008 when I visited another Aspie in the United States, I was taken with the idea of living in a community where everything was close, people were accepting and you did not need to get around in a car. This town was in Red Wing in Minnesota and I remember thinking could this type of community be implemented for Aspies in their own countries? I remember how hard this Aspie's parents had worked to ensure that their daughter who was Aspie could be linked to services and accepted in a community.
I think that services for Aspies are possible but should the government be serious in helping those of us on the Autism Spectrum, every consideration should be provided and implemented to allow for an Aspie Friendly Zone. An Aspie Friendly Zone does not mean that it is for Aspies only but more so a zone which is far more accepting and accommodating for those of us on the Autism Spectrum. One of the things that I find difficult living in Brisbane is that some services are available but these services are limited. For instance you need to drive to them, often they can be far away and furthermore people are not always accommodating and accepting. All in all just trying to get out of your home and into the community can just be about impossible. Driving on the roads you can encounter bullying drivers, it is hard for people to understand and accept you. Furthermore, the difficulty of not having all services close by can make functioning just about impossible.
The services for adults on the Autism Spectrum are complicated for adults on the Autism Spectrum vary from one to the other. However, I have provided a suggestion to assist adults in being accepted and less stressed in the community.
1. Look for an "Aspie Friendly" small town or inner city area where services and accessiblity are possible.
2. Find areas that do not have an issue or that are not resistant to neuro diversity and are more accommodating.
3. Provide a support worker or carer that can assist the adult with Autism to access the community. Often someone to drive the person to an event or help them socially connect into a group or organisation can minimize a lot of stress
4. Have a person assist the adult with Autism to purchase groceries and help with cooking and day to day function if required.
5. For adults still living with their parents provide financial incentive for them to live closer to services which may be close to the inner city or in a smaller town or city.
6. Find areas where the adult with Autism does not feel on the outer with the community and socially isolated.
The above are only some suggestions. For instance I find Brisbane very conservative and furthermore it seems resistant to change. Often you can get about and people do not understand you and in some instances very critical and not accepting. Sometimes a friendly smile or just a hand of help can go a long way to make you feel more included within the community. Currently I feel as though I am an alien and people are often unfriendly and hostile. When combined this makes me feel stressed and also raises anxiety levels. I just don't understand why people are so hostile and not accepting? It only requires a minimal effort on the part of people to become friendly and reach out to an adult with Autism but most people don't really bother or try hard enough. Just having friends or people who care and understand can make the world of difference and change the life of someone on the Autism Spectrum.
I believe Aspies in Australia are often in denial or defensive because people do not want to take the time to understand Autism. Often they seem afraid to acknowledge that the condition actually exists and in some instances are so critical that Aspies just do not have the energy to try and disclose they have Autism. Again this is a personal choice. In Australia I would say that Melbourne comes close to being an Aspie Friendly Zone but it is of course not perfect. Aspies tend to have a mindset for perfection. Perhaps there are some Aspie Friendly towns in Australia and the rest of the world and if they do exist then should an effort be made for those adults willing to make the sacrifice to be encouraged to move to these areas to obtain better support and services? I am not really sure but sometimes more accommodating areas are better than resistant ones. I know I would prefer an area which is more easily accessible and where people were more friendly!
I think that services for Aspies are possible but should the government be serious in helping those of us on the Autism Spectrum, every consideration should be provided and implemented to allow for an Aspie Friendly Zone. An Aspie Friendly Zone does not mean that it is for Aspies only but more so a zone which is far more accepting and accommodating for those of us on the Autism Spectrum. One of the things that I find difficult living in Brisbane is that some services are available but these services are limited. For instance you need to drive to them, often they can be far away and furthermore people are not always accommodating and accepting. All in all just trying to get out of your home and into the community can just be about impossible. Driving on the roads you can encounter bullying drivers, it is hard for people to understand and accept you. Furthermore, the difficulty of not having all services close by can make functioning just about impossible.
The services for adults on the Autism Spectrum are complicated for adults on the Autism Spectrum vary from one to the other. However, I have provided a suggestion to assist adults in being accepted and less stressed in the community.
1. Look for an "Aspie Friendly" small town or inner city area where services and accessiblity are possible.
2. Find areas that do not have an issue or that are not resistant to neuro diversity and are more accommodating.
3. Provide a support worker or carer that can assist the adult with Autism to access the community. Often someone to drive the person to an event or help them socially connect into a group or organisation can minimize a lot of stress
4. Have a person assist the adult with Autism to purchase groceries and help with cooking and day to day function if required.
5. For adults still living with their parents provide financial incentive for them to live closer to services which may be close to the inner city or in a smaller town or city.
6. Find areas where the adult with Autism does not feel on the outer with the community and socially isolated.
The above are only some suggestions. For instance I find Brisbane very conservative and furthermore it seems resistant to change. Often you can get about and people do not understand you and in some instances very critical and not accepting. Sometimes a friendly smile or just a hand of help can go a long way to make you feel more included within the community. Currently I feel as though I am an alien and people are often unfriendly and hostile. When combined this makes me feel stressed and also raises anxiety levels. I just don't understand why people are so hostile and not accepting? It only requires a minimal effort on the part of people to become friendly and reach out to an adult with Autism but most people don't really bother or try hard enough. Just having friends or people who care and understand can make the world of difference and change the life of someone on the Autism Spectrum.
I believe Aspies in Australia are often in denial or defensive because people do not want to take the time to understand Autism. Often they seem afraid to acknowledge that the condition actually exists and in some instances are so critical that Aspies just do not have the energy to try and disclose they have Autism. Again this is a personal choice. In Australia I would say that Melbourne comes close to being an Aspie Friendly Zone but it is of course not perfect. Aspies tend to have a mindset for perfection. Perhaps there are some Aspie Friendly towns in Australia and the rest of the world and if they do exist then should an effort be made for those adults willing to make the sacrifice to be encouraged to move to these areas to obtain better support and services? I am not really sure but sometimes more accommodating areas are better than resistant ones. I know I would prefer an area which is more easily accessible and where people were more friendly!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The NT World of Chaos
I find the us and them mentality unhelpful when it comes to understanding people who are not on the Autism Spectrum but what I do find again speaking personally is that NT's seem to thrive on chaos and uncertainty. The world according to them is full of high and often unrealistic expectations and a great deal seem to be prepared to take risks. Now as an Aspie I find that I respond better to routine and find risk taking and a world amerced in chaos as stressful and anxiety provoking.
I think Aspies prefer routine or may instead respond better to routine and structure. Uncertainty raises stress and anxiety levels and this in itself causes Aspies confusion. We are forced to live in a world that only makes things, events and matters much worse for us.
The other issues are boundaries and there are many of these. Most boundaries seem to work against Aspies and tend to excluded Aspies in terms of being able to provide us with the opportunity of being able to demonstrate our skills and abilities. We are simply held back by constraints and hierarchy which just make future planning or opportunity virtually impossible. I know that a lot of conventions just seem overwhelming and work against me. Often I need more time and support in order to be able to utilize my full potential. Added to this is the ego factor where there is fear if you have drive or energy in certain levels added with determination to get somewhere in life. I often feel like I am drowning or suffocating in a structure that seems to work against me.
NT's I believe are prepared to live in a world that is governed by uncertainty and I wonder when or if it will be all brought back to reality?! Will Aspies also be given a go and allowed opportunity to succeed just as much as NT's?
I think Aspies prefer routine or may instead respond better to routine and structure. Uncertainty raises stress and anxiety levels and this in itself causes Aspies confusion. We are forced to live in a world that only makes things, events and matters much worse for us.
The other issues are boundaries and there are many of these. Most boundaries seem to work against Aspies and tend to excluded Aspies in terms of being able to provide us with the opportunity of being able to demonstrate our skills and abilities. We are simply held back by constraints and hierarchy which just make future planning or opportunity virtually impossible. I know that a lot of conventions just seem overwhelming and work against me. Often I need more time and support in order to be able to utilize my full potential. Added to this is the ego factor where there is fear if you have drive or energy in certain levels added with determination to get somewhere in life. I often feel like I am drowning or suffocating in a structure that seems to work against me.
NT's I believe are prepared to live in a world that is governed by uncertainty and I wonder when or if it will be all brought back to reality?! Will Aspies also be given a go and allowed opportunity to succeed just as much as NT's?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Asking for help and sleep issues
This afternoon I had to visit Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre. I found it overwhelming. Shops and shops inside a large building and they were of no interest to me. The post office has moved and also the only access to the Mt Ommaney Library was via walking through the shopping mall. I had to post 4 copies of my book. One to the Australian National Library, the other the Queensland State Library, another copy to the Queensland Parliamentary Library and my final copy to Dr Tony Attwood. Whenever a person publishes or self publishes a book this is called a legal deposit and the book has to be included in the library collection and cataloged by an ISBN Number. Having done this and provided a copy to the Brisbane City Council Library service, I just have to wait for things to evolve.
When I am stuck and feeling overwhelmed I ask people for help. I find I get confused in large shopping centres and people walking around and making noise does not help me either. I had to ask several people where the post office had been moved too and how to get to the library. It is hard to park in the shopping centre and finding my way around. I am thankful to people who try and help where they can.
I rang one of my friends who is also on the Autism Spectrum. She is stressed out and taking a break from her studies. I can understand her situation as I have not been sleeping well lately. My mind has been thinking and worrying and I am currently house sitting. There have been a lot of things on my mind and every time I hear it rain, I am anxious about it flooding again. When it did flood in Brisbane it was very traumatic not for me but for everyone in general.
Over the long weekend I am going to start learning more Spanish. I would like to get by with some words when I visit both Spain and Portugal in May. Then I will fly to England via Germany and then have a week in Ireland. I work hard and save up for my trips overseas. I am looking forward to having a break!
When I am stuck and feeling overwhelmed I ask people for help. I find I get confused in large shopping centres and people walking around and making noise does not help me either. I had to ask several people where the post office had been moved too and how to get to the library. It is hard to park in the shopping centre and finding my way around. I am thankful to people who try and help where they can.
I rang one of my friends who is also on the Autism Spectrum. She is stressed out and taking a break from her studies. I can understand her situation as I have not been sleeping well lately. My mind has been thinking and worrying and I am currently house sitting. There have been a lot of things on my mind and every time I hear it rain, I am anxious about it flooding again. When it did flood in Brisbane it was very traumatic not for me but for everyone in general.
Over the long weekend I am going to start learning more Spanish. I would like to get by with some words when I visit both Spain and Portugal in May. Then I will fly to England via Germany and then have a week in Ireland. I work hard and save up for my trips overseas. I am looking forward to having a break!
Why I think the interview and selection discriminates against Aspies
It is true that a lot of people dread the thought of addressing selection criteria and the attend the interview process. It is a means of supposedly selling and focusing on your strong points and then if successful to be short listed for an interview.
From my own personal experience I believe this process has worked against me. This is because even if I have tried my best to address the Selection Criteria, I then have in most instances failed to be short listed. If I have on the rare occasion been fortunate to have been short listed. Then I have obsessed and have been worried about performance at an interview.
Why then does the Aspie not do well in the selection and interview process? What I need to emphasise here is that Aspies suffer from facial blindness. We do not see and understand the non visual queues and non verbal language. We have, well I speak for myself here an inability to carry a conversation and more importantly understand and navigate the social process. If you can imagine a pool of applicants, most if not all are going to understand the visual and non verbal queues. Most applicants will also have a network of friends and social contacts. There will also be an understanding of the necessary social queues and contacts to get by. For an Aspie however the whole process is daunting and furthermore anxiety and worry may affect performance at an interview.
We live in a world that relies on "Equal Opportunity" but unfortunately the Aspie does not fit into this category because of our impairment in understanding the rules and requirements of basic socialisation. Aspies as Dr Tony Attwood says focus more on the special interest than on socialising.
In my own experience I have been unsuccessful in a lot of employment applications and I still am. I can remember once working at a private school and in this school I worked as a volunteer for 2 years. I applied for a position in the middle school but despite my dedication the job was given to a person who did no work but either knew the right people or could adopt the necessary bullshit required to sell himself at the job interview. In terms of his performance in the job that is another matter. If employment is 70% social and 30% practical then you have to wonder whether or not the selection process is discriminating against the person with poor social skills?
A person reading this post may not really believe or agree with what I am saying but in my opinion employing adults on the Autism Spectrum either needs more job support in terms of disability employment agencies or employers that employ adults on the Autism Spectrum without the unfair job selection process. I have spoken with other Aspies who struggle in employment in coping with the day to day interaction, meltdown issues and the lack of promotion opportunities. Some adults have also just given up in the search for employment out of frustration and welfare reform places pressure on these people to show evidence that they are looking for employment. I have personally been through this and with added stress and pressure I have found it more difficult to cope. I have seen adults with Autism angry with welfare reform as they feel the government are making life difficult for them. Not being able to obtain employment and be successful in being interviewed, the pressure has been so great that some have even resorted to feel the need to give up on life and some have even outlined that they want to end their lives as they feel constantly depressed. It annoys me that the governments or governments are not listening. Nothing is being done and money is not directed into organisation and audited to help make the lives of people better. Instead money is directed into channels where it is being wasted and some so called organisations are just draining off the public purse and pretending to listen.
I feel Australian governments continually wash their hands of serious issues. It is either too hard or simply they do not want to listen. Will things ever change? I am concerned when I try to find an answer to this question. I have no choice but to keep writing so that people can understand me better more so than wrongly judging me because I appear different to other people. I am personally sick and tired of people who constantly feel it in their interest to try and reform me and make me be their way when I cannot and do not want to be like this as it is not a true reflection of who I am.
I know I am capable of doing more in my life but I have to not bruise egos or make NT (neuro-typical) people uncomfortable. I find I am constantly being forced to 'dumb down' who I am and what supposedly I am required to do. People have egos and I am constantly having to defend myself against envious people. I am tired of this. I am not like them and yet when I be myself I am either ignored or judged wrongly. People just don't get it. Sometimes anxiety levels become so intense that I cannot find a way to escape this and when people don't listen I find myself to the point of wondering what is it I have to do to make people understand. They cannot see my struggles or difficulties and do I need to write something on my forehead. I feel held back in what I can do and I think if this is employment and I have to constantly suffer crap then is it worth it? Why are some lazy and useless people in higher positions even with qualifications when I could learn their job and do it just as good or even better than them? Again Equal Opportunity favours them and the line of least resistance is always taken. I also find it irritating when people wear masks and either pretend or fail to see when they bully or intimidate other people, more so adults and the most vulnerable within any community. It simply is not being stopped.
I don't know where I am heading in life. I am concerned that I will remain in my current position until I end up in a wooden box so to speak. I constantly am aware of envious people but why are they envious when it clearly shows I am not happy with what I am doing and the chains of discrimination which are holding me back? I am tired of people who say I need to try harder or I need to look harder for another job. Surely what I have outlined above has made sense? What is the point of applying for other jobs when there exists a selection process that works against and judges me at face value? I only hope that other opportunities will present themselves because I do not want to shelve books in a library for the rest of my life. I am capable of more! I have just written a book for heavens sake!
In society there is too much focus on people who are successful and too little on the silent achievers or battlers. The media are not interested in people are focused more on glory and the very few people who are happy in employment. Change can only happen by innovation. For the last 6 years I have been stuck in a dead end job and I try not to give up and believe I am not capable of more. All I can do is to keep trying God permitting find some other opportunity. Hopefully things will change. At the moment I feel like I am hitting my head against a brick wall. Aspies are capable of working and some make exceptional employees but again it is the the ego factor. NT's are scared of us or fearful of what we can do. Let us wait for several generations for this to happen while we sit in complacency.
More updates when I can think of writing more things that concern me and I do not believe is right. What I have outlined above is in my book and I will be speaking more about this in my upcoming book launch on Saturday 7th May 2011 at Chermside Library 10.30am.
From my own personal experience I believe this process has worked against me. This is because even if I have tried my best to address the Selection Criteria, I then have in most instances failed to be short listed. If I have on the rare occasion been fortunate to have been short listed. Then I have obsessed and have been worried about performance at an interview.
Why then does the Aspie not do well in the selection and interview process? What I need to emphasise here is that Aspies suffer from facial blindness. We do not see and understand the non visual queues and non verbal language. We have, well I speak for myself here an inability to carry a conversation and more importantly understand and navigate the social process. If you can imagine a pool of applicants, most if not all are going to understand the visual and non verbal queues. Most applicants will also have a network of friends and social contacts. There will also be an understanding of the necessary social queues and contacts to get by. For an Aspie however the whole process is daunting and furthermore anxiety and worry may affect performance at an interview.
We live in a world that relies on "Equal Opportunity" but unfortunately the Aspie does not fit into this category because of our impairment in understanding the rules and requirements of basic socialisation. Aspies as Dr Tony Attwood says focus more on the special interest than on socialising.
In my own experience I have been unsuccessful in a lot of employment applications and I still am. I can remember once working at a private school and in this school I worked as a volunteer for 2 years. I applied for a position in the middle school but despite my dedication the job was given to a person who did no work but either knew the right people or could adopt the necessary bullshit required to sell himself at the job interview. In terms of his performance in the job that is another matter. If employment is 70% social and 30% practical then you have to wonder whether or not the selection process is discriminating against the person with poor social skills?
A person reading this post may not really believe or agree with what I am saying but in my opinion employing adults on the Autism Spectrum either needs more job support in terms of disability employment agencies or employers that employ adults on the Autism Spectrum without the unfair job selection process. I have spoken with other Aspies who struggle in employment in coping with the day to day interaction, meltdown issues and the lack of promotion opportunities. Some adults have also just given up in the search for employment out of frustration and welfare reform places pressure on these people to show evidence that they are looking for employment. I have personally been through this and with added stress and pressure I have found it more difficult to cope. I have seen adults with Autism angry with welfare reform as they feel the government are making life difficult for them. Not being able to obtain employment and be successful in being interviewed, the pressure has been so great that some have even resorted to feel the need to give up on life and some have even outlined that they want to end their lives as they feel constantly depressed. It annoys me that the governments or governments are not listening. Nothing is being done and money is not directed into organisation and audited to help make the lives of people better. Instead money is directed into channels where it is being wasted and some so called organisations are just draining off the public purse and pretending to listen.
I feel Australian governments continually wash their hands of serious issues. It is either too hard or simply they do not want to listen. Will things ever change? I am concerned when I try to find an answer to this question. I have no choice but to keep writing so that people can understand me better more so than wrongly judging me because I appear different to other people. I am personally sick and tired of people who constantly feel it in their interest to try and reform me and make me be their way when I cannot and do not want to be like this as it is not a true reflection of who I am.
I know I am capable of doing more in my life but I have to not bruise egos or make NT (neuro-typical) people uncomfortable. I find I am constantly being forced to 'dumb down' who I am and what supposedly I am required to do. People have egos and I am constantly having to defend myself against envious people. I am tired of this. I am not like them and yet when I be myself I am either ignored or judged wrongly. People just don't get it. Sometimes anxiety levels become so intense that I cannot find a way to escape this and when people don't listen I find myself to the point of wondering what is it I have to do to make people understand. They cannot see my struggles or difficulties and do I need to write something on my forehead. I feel held back in what I can do and I think if this is employment and I have to constantly suffer crap then is it worth it? Why are some lazy and useless people in higher positions even with qualifications when I could learn their job and do it just as good or even better than them? Again Equal Opportunity favours them and the line of least resistance is always taken. I also find it irritating when people wear masks and either pretend or fail to see when they bully or intimidate other people, more so adults and the most vulnerable within any community. It simply is not being stopped.
I don't know where I am heading in life. I am concerned that I will remain in my current position until I end up in a wooden box so to speak. I constantly am aware of envious people but why are they envious when it clearly shows I am not happy with what I am doing and the chains of discrimination which are holding me back? I am tired of people who say I need to try harder or I need to look harder for another job. Surely what I have outlined above has made sense? What is the point of applying for other jobs when there exists a selection process that works against and judges me at face value? I only hope that other opportunities will present themselves because I do not want to shelve books in a library for the rest of my life. I am capable of more! I have just written a book for heavens sake!
In society there is too much focus on people who are successful and too little on the silent achievers or battlers. The media are not interested in people are focused more on glory and the very few people who are happy in employment. Change can only happen by innovation. For the last 6 years I have been stuck in a dead end job and I try not to give up and believe I am not capable of more. All I can do is to keep trying God permitting find some other opportunity. Hopefully things will change. At the moment I feel like I am hitting my head against a brick wall. Aspies are capable of working and some make exceptional employees but again it is the the ego factor. NT's are scared of us or fearful of what we can do. Let us wait for several generations for this to happen while we sit in complacency.
More updates when I can think of writing more things that concern me and I do not believe is right. What I have outlined above is in my book and I will be speaking more about this in my upcoming book launch on Saturday 7th May 2011 at Chermside Library 10.30am.
The General (Professional Staff) Issue
Within a university some academics sit on their high perches and think they are so much better than everyone else. Unfortunately though the truth is that the general staff run the university and the academic staff just want all the notoriety. In some institutions, general staff are just treated rudely and like crap. There is never any reward for incentive and furthermore hard work and merit are just overlooked and ignored.
It is unfortunate that such an institution operates in such measures as the work force who are general staff feel undervalued and under appreciated. I find it irritating how some of those in academia go on. They think they are so much better than everyone else. Despite the many letters and so called achievements society tends to judge these achievements more so than on others who are just as talented and behind the scenes contribute a hell of a lot more to life.
If it were not for the general staff the university would struggle to operate and yet treating general staff like they are non existent and over working them to the point of stress seems to be the way to go. Now I ask again is this equal opportunity?! Where is the reward for incentive and promotion if any based on merit. You just reach the stage of saying to hell with it all and try the best you can if possible to look for opportunities elsewhere! You just hope one day that this will become possible.
It is unfortunate that such an institution operates in such measures as the work force who are general staff feel undervalued and under appreciated. I find it irritating how some of those in academia go on. They think they are so much better than everyone else. Despite the many letters and so called achievements society tends to judge these achievements more so than on others who are just as talented and behind the scenes contribute a hell of a lot more to life.
If it were not for the general staff the university would struggle to operate and yet treating general staff like they are non existent and over working them to the point of stress seems to be the way to go. Now I ask again is this equal opportunity?! Where is the reward for incentive and promotion if any based on merit. You just reach the stage of saying to hell with it all and try the best you can if possible to look for opportunities elsewhere! You just hope one day that this will become possible.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
An ideal world
As I move forward in raising awareness of Autism I often wonder and hope that the present and the future will change. I am not out for personal glory but I do want to make the most of my potential which at present remains largely untapped. What I would like to see is a world that begins to understand Autism and to understand that it does not only effect children but adults as well.
I would like to see the issues of unemployment be overcome and witness real hope and opportunity within employment. I believe this is starting to emerge but still it is largely slow and taking time to implement.
We would live in an ideal world where people could embrace Autism and focus on its strong points than to acknowledge its weaknesses. We have so many talented individuals and yet they are never really afforded the opportunity and support which they really deserve. Services for adults with Autism is still a major area of neglect and the wheels of change have to keep grinding away to oil these wheels and allow them the chance to be seen and heard. This I also hope will happen soon.
I am not satisfied living in a world that still allows or turns a blind eye to workplace bullying, discrimination, exploitation, and lack of equal opportunity. I am not satisfied when I hear of unfair dismissal and for a lack of disability employment agencies to provide the necessary support for job placement, interview support and staff development. Finally I am not satisfied when little or no awareness is made available to highlight the positive strengths of persons with Autism and there is a lack of early intervention in schools.
I ask everyone reading this post to keep an open mind. Try to understand that there are people who may think differently and act in a way that you may not fully understand. People including myself are not like this to stand out or to seek favoritism or special treatment, all we ask is for you to keep an open mind.
I believe that support and understanding in Autism is growing but to continue to make positive strides we need the media to show positive stories and this will happen soon. I know of many adults on the Autism Spectrum who are making a very positive contribution to society and it seems there is little interest in their achievements. Please stay tuned for my second book "Crikey I'm Eccentric" but for now I ask for your support in reading my first book in the hope of sharing my story. I write this story to raise awareness and for society to hopefully learn and overcome the mistakes that occurred in the past and to learn from these so they are never repeated again.
Remember in your workplace that bullying of any form is simply not tolerated and it needs to be reported as soon as possible. For any person its consequences and actions can be severely crippling. Let us hope for an ideal world.
I would like to see the issues of unemployment be overcome and witness real hope and opportunity within employment. I believe this is starting to emerge but still it is largely slow and taking time to implement.
We would live in an ideal world where people could embrace Autism and focus on its strong points than to acknowledge its weaknesses. We have so many talented individuals and yet they are never really afforded the opportunity and support which they really deserve. Services for adults with Autism is still a major area of neglect and the wheels of change have to keep grinding away to oil these wheels and allow them the chance to be seen and heard. This I also hope will happen soon.
I am not satisfied living in a world that still allows or turns a blind eye to workplace bullying, discrimination, exploitation, and lack of equal opportunity. I am not satisfied when I hear of unfair dismissal and for a lack of disability employment agencies to provide the necessary support for job placement, interview support and staff development. Finally I am not satisfied when little or no awareness is made available to highlight the positive strengths of persons with Autism and there is a lack of early intervention in schools.
I ask everyone reading this post to keep an open mind. Try to understand that there are people who may think differently and act in a way that you may not fully understand. People including myself are not like this to stand out or to seek favoritism or special treatment, all we ask is for you to keep an open mind.
I believe that support and understanding in Autism is growing but to continue to make positive strides we need the media to show positive stories and this will happen soon. I know of many adults on the Autism Spectrum who are making a very positive contribution to society and it seems there is little interest in their achievements. Please stay tuned for my second book "Crikey I'm Eccentric" but for now I ask for your support in reading my first book in the hope of sharing my story. I write this story to raise awareness and for society to hopefully learn and overcome the mistakes that occurred in the past and to learn from these so they are never repeated again.
Remember in your workplace that bullying of any form is simply not tolerated and it needs to be reported as soon as possible. For any person its consequences and actions can be severely crippling. Let us hope for an ideal world.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Details of my upcoming book launch
To find out the details of my book launch please click on the Title Post "Details of my upcoming book launch".
I would like to say with pleasure that I have now finally written my first book and I hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend. I will be speaking my own personal experiences of finding employment, the struggles and the support I have received from those who have helped me.
I do not want to speak too much but would prefer to reserve this for the book launch itself.
If you are in Brisbane please come a long and light refreshments will also be served on the day. For more information and the venue itself, these can be found on the accompanying flyer kindly put together by Stefanie from Asperger Services Australia.
I would like to say with pleasure that I have now finally written my first book and I hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend. I will be speaking my own personal experiences of finding employment, the struggles and the support I have received from those who have helped me.
I do not want to speak too much but would prefer to reserve this for the book launch itself.
If you are in Brisbane please come a long and light refreshments will also be served on the day. For more information and the venue itself, these can be found on the accompanying flyer kindly put together by Stefanie from Asperger Services Australia.
Trying to be neuro-typical
I sometimes wonder if it is possible or more importantly where it is worth trying to be neuro-typical. To be honest, trying to learn to be this way just makes me feel depressed and I just do not feel good about myself. Why should I try and be a person that I am not? My own mind and the cognitive wiring I have is just not designed for this. It is like trying to re-wire a circuit board and finding that it will either burn out or malfunction.
I believe that more awareness is needed of Autism and people have to see that it does not manifest itself in the form of "Rain Man". Not all Autistic People are like "Rain Man" we may look like ordinary people but we think and are wired differently. I think it is wrong to force Aspies to become NT as we are not. Society has to start trying to understand that neuro diversity is evident and reluctance to accept or denial is only making matters worse. There are some sectors of any society that are not going to fully comprehend or understand Autism but we need to try and do our best to enlighten the world around us.
If you do not understand an Aspie then why not try and ask questions of us. Instead of just shirking us as freaks, geeks, nerds or weird try to get to know us. The more you reject or distance yourselves and in some instances be rude to us, the more it is going to make cohesion and the us and them mentality stronger. I ask you to please try and understand Autism more rather than just shirk it out of ignorance as progress is just going to be slower or impossible.
I believe that more awareness is needed of Autism and people have to see that it does not manifest itself in the form of "Rain Man". Not all Autistic People are like "Rain Man" we may look like ordinary people but we think and are wired differently. I think it is wrong to force Aspies to become NT as we are not. Society has to start trying to understand that neuro diversity is evident and reluctance to accept or denial is only making matters worse. There are some sectors of any society that are not going to fully comprehend or understand Autism but we need to try and do our best to enlighten the world around us.
If you do not understand an Aspie then why not try and ask questions of us. Instead of just shirking us as freaks, geeks, nerds or weird try to get to know us. The more you reject or distance yourselves and in some instances be rude to us, the more it is going to make cohesion and the us and them mentality stronger. I ask you to please try and understand Autism more rather than just shirk it out of ignorance as progress is just going to be slower or impossible.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Employment and the Aspie
It is something to be be concerned about when you acknowledge that unemployment is in the highest figures for adults on the Autism Spectrum reaching levels of 90%. What needs to be examined is why the figure is so high amongst this demographic.
It appears that present day employment tends to work against the Aspie. This may be due to the following reasons
1. Employment is very demanding and expectations to multi task are higher
2. Employers are less tolerant of persons who are seen as demanding or too much effort
3. The interview procedure demands the applicant to sell themselves and their abilities.
4. Employment is largely 70% social and 30% practical
5. Discrimination and bullying can seriously impact upon persons with a past history of being exposed to such behaviour
6. Theory of Mind issues can occur through persons not understanding the Aspie and visa versa.
I am very annoyed at the recent decision of the Gillard Federal Australian Labor Government to reform welfare. This concerns me because adults on the Autism Spectrum are the most likely group to be unable to stand up for their rights and to address the difficulties they confront. It seriously is alarming when also the Autism Spectrum is not clearly visible to people at large. I have been the victim of welfare reform and it has been so stressful that it has skyrocketed my anxiety levels. If the government wants to address the issues of employment reform then look at adults on the Autism Spectrum and focus on how they can be made employable. Knocking them about through welfare reform is not the answer because most adults if not all adults on the Autism Spectrum are not lazy. They just need people to understand them and work with them to overcome any challenges and difficulties which they may confront. I have known several Asperger adults for instance that have become so stressed by welfare reform that they have been in serious meltdown as a result.
Employment is changing but for the Aspie change is not easy to cope with. The necessary structure and adherence to routine that many Asperger adults require is no longer apparent. Furthermore, there exists in the workplace a general ignorance of understanding issues such as theory of mind and cognitive wiring in Aspies. An Aspie may misread social queues and situations in employment. This difficulty in misconstruing information can heighten anxiety levels to the point of the Asperger person experiencing severe meltdown or having to resign from employment as a result. This further lowers self esteem and can seriously affect future employment prospects.
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, if you want to reform welfare please do not do this at the expense of persons on the Autism Spectrum. They are stressed enough as it is and your actions are going to make things and matters worse. If you want to get adults on the Autism Spectrum into employment then seriously consider the proposal being put forward to employment adults on the Autism Spectrum in software testing. It is not the total answer but it is better than simply stressing Aspies out to the point that they can no longer function and are further bruised by low self esteem.
There needs to be a serious overhaul in employment to prevent discrimination, exploitation and bullying. There needs to be more awareness of Autism and immediate action in understanding situations of confusion or issues relating to Theory of Mind. An Aspie processes information differently and as a group we need to be listened to otherwise we will becomes stressed out by lack of understanding and more importantly ignorance on the part of the employer when there are issues relating to employment sustainability and employment. I have seen it over and over again. You need to learn now, implement positive action and stop discriminating against a group that has a different way of thinking and acting. Aspies are not dole bludgers or welfare cheats so please do not treat them as such!
I have also known and heard of Aspies being sacked for the following reasons
1. They were told that they were not fitting into the job when secretly the job was given to another applicant with little or no experience
2. Employees were irritated by the Aspie because of their idiosyncratic habits
3. The Aspie was not fitting in enough
4. The Aspie was using their diagnosis as too much of an excuse in not being able to undertake other jobs or multi task (I know this personally as I was accused as using AS as a crutch)
5. The Aspie locked horns with a HR staff member because they did not understand a hierarchical procedure being moved from one section to another because of stress and not knowing when this would happen?
6. The Aspie fails to fit in with other work colleagues
7. Fake excuses and motives used to have the person with AS sacked or pressured to quit their job
8. Bullying become so bad that the adult with Asperger Syndrome was taking sick leave as they were afraid to speak up for fear of repercussion of increased likelihood of being bullied.
9. Poor direction from supervisors or managers caused increase in mental processing of the Aspie to cause meltdown and sickness
10. Insufficient meal or tea breaks caused the Aspie to become so mentally exhausted that they quit due to stress related reasons
The list goes on and I have heard stories from Asperger adults which are truly alarming. Such behaviours as outlined above need to stop and stop now. Aspies are often unable to speak up for themselves and more effective communication is required. So again Julia Gillard if you want to address welfare reform then make darn well sure that you also overhaul workplace discrimination, equal opportunity, bullying and exploitation if you are concerned about welfare reform. Enough is enough and this applies to Tony Abbott also. Instead of going through welfare reform with a razor blade make sure you are not causing further stress to persons who do not fit into the generic description of being a lazy job seeker! I am happy to meet with either of you should you want a first hand experience of what I am talking about above!
What people need to understand is that Aspies in employment are at the mercy of supervisors and need to be compliant with the workplace practices. Often an authority figure who has a clear understanding needs to be available. Some supervisors may create fear or just totally not have a clue in understanding Theory of Mind or other thought related situations. The Aspie may see an instruction or a motive one way and the NT employer or supervisor another. I have known and again I speak again from experience to where I was reprimanded by a HR staff member for simply not understanding a hierarchical procedure. Aspies are very rigid and observe routine in employment they may be afraid to stand up or complain about a supervisor as this may have serious ramifications. Bullying can also be psychological and the Aspie may feel bullied by certain motives which reignite past experiences. Sometimes the NT may not even be aware that they are bullying the Aspie and again a manager or supervisor needs to intervene and have an understanding and I emphasize 'understanding' so as to address any issues or concerns that may arise. Often NT's are not always aware of how an Aspie relates to or understands them. I have found the motives of some supervisors so stressful and not approachable that it has caused me to feel virtually sick. I did on one occasion have to take sick leave given to me by my family doctor. I also was furious that I was made to work in a smoke infested building when authority figures expected me and other staff members to work in another part of the building. I also was appalled when I was made to work in such an environment virtually having to cough out the smoke and hold my nose. Hopefully this matter was addressed and will never occur again. It can be difficult to know what to do in such a situation. Can sick leave be taken or can compensation be investigated? What about unsafe work practices? I believe I should have been given compensation for this situation and when raising this concern with my doctor he was appalled to think that staff were made to work in such deplorable conditions. I also will continue to bring to the attention as best I can any unsafe workplace practices. For instance in one retail outlet I was forced to work in an unsafe work environment. The ** supervisor as my anger is so raised expected staff to work in these conditions and bullied anyone who had an issue or tried to raise their concerns or anxiety. Thankfully and hopefully OHS issues are now also being addressed at the University of Queensland to prevent danger or injury from happening in the work environment. We can only hope?! I was also confronted in another situation by a supervisor or manager and told "what do you expect us or want us to do?" I felt like saying give me the whole afternoon and I will write it all down in detail which may help you to understand! I am also tired of pointless games, gossip and office politics. People should be at work to work, be rewarded for their incentives and given encouragement in strong areas and encouraged to overcome weak ones. I am sick and tired personally of having to put up with crap and deal with what I call "Home and Away or Soap Opera" type politics. Persons in management should be responsible and approachable and they should be well trained in dealing with people and increasing productivity. There are unfortunately annoying or unproductive people in any organisation and I am offended when I may be categorised the same way as these persons. This is often not always management but in other areas. I am not trying to create trouble when I write this post, I just have a mind set for errors and if I offend anyone then let everyone work together to make a workplace more productive and more inclusive of people's strong points and train them to overcome weak areas.
I have an interview this morning for another library position. I would like to address at the interview all duties on the duty statement and see whether it is possible to learn all of them. I feel it is my right to know and be able to learn. I can only try at this interview and I may not or may be successful. All I can do is give it my best shot and hope for the best.
I am not a trouble maker, I am a person who tries to stand up for what I believe is right. There are good people in organisations and these people should be acknowledged for the hard work they do. I have often given praise and encouragement to good managers in the hope that they will continue to optomize and keep up their good standard of work. It concerns me when good people are lost in organisations due to persons in authority not acknowledging the good work they do! I really hope once again that this changes. If people need to work then a workplace should be happy and furthermore acknowledging the hardwork and dedication of its staff members. Especially when they try and do their best and not abuse sick leave etc. Again I am speaking my mind and would rather not be seen as a trouble maker but for someone who tries to stand up for what I believe is right and needs to be changed.
It appears that present day employment tends to work against the Aspie. This may be due to the following reasons
1. Employment is very demanding and expectations to multi task are higher
2. Employers are less tolerant of persons who are seen as demanding or too much effort
3. The interview procedure demands the applicant to sell themselves and their abilities.
4. Employment is largely 70% social and 30% practical
5. Discrimination and bullying can seriously impact upon persons with a past history of being exposed to such behaviour
6. Theory of Mind issues can occur through persons not understanding the Aspie and visa versa.
I am very annoyed at the recent decision of the Gillard Federal Australian Labor Government to reform welfare. This concerns me because adults on the Autism Spectrum are the most likely group to be unable to stand up for their rights and to address the difficulties they confront. It seriously is alarming when also the Autism Spectrum is not clearly visible to people at large. I have been the victim of welfare reform and it has been so stressful that it has skyrocketed my anxiety levels. If the government wants to address the issues of employment reform then look at adults on the Autism Spectrum and focus on how they can be made employable. Knocking them about through welfare reform is not the answer because most adults if not all adults on the Autism Spectrum are not lazy. They just need people to understand them and work with them to overcome any challenges and difficulties which they may confront. I have known several Asperger adults for instance that have become so stressed by welfare reform that they have been in serious meltdown as a result.
Employment is changing but for the Aspie change is not easy to cope with. The necessary structure and adherence to routine that many Asperger adults require is no longer apparent. Furthermore, there exists in the workplace a general ignorance of understanding issues such as theory of mind and cognitive wiring in Aspies. An Aspie may misread social queues and situations in employment. This difficulty in misconstruing information can heighten anxiety levels to the point of the Asperger person experiencing severe meltdown or having to resign from employment as a result. This further lowers self esteem and can seriously affect future employment prospects.
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, if you want to reform welfare please do not do this at the expense of persons on the Autism Spectrum. They are stressed enough as it is and your actions are going to make things and matters worse. If you want to get adults on the Autism Spectrum into employment then seriously consider the proposal being put forward to employment adults on the Autism Spectrum in software testing. It is not the total answer but it is better than simply stressing Aspies out to the point that they can no longer function and are further bruised by low self esteem.
There needs to be a serious overhaul in employment to prevent discrimination, exploitation and bullying. There needs to be more awareness of Autism and immediate action in understanding situations of confusion or issues relating to Theory of Mind. An Aspie processes information differently and as a group we need to be listened to otherwise we will becomes stressed out by lack of understanding and more importantly ignorance on the part of the employer when there are issues relating to employment sustainability and employment. I have seen it over and over again. You need to learn now, implement positive action and stop discriminating against a group that has a different way of thinking and acting. Aspies are not dole bludgers or welfare cheats so please do not treat them as such!
I have also known and heard of Aspies being sacked for the following reasons
1. They were told that they were not fitting into the job when secretly the job was given to another applicant with little or no experience
2. Employees were irritated by the Aspie because of their idiosyncratic habits
3. The Aspie was not fitting in enough
4. The Aspie was using their diagnosis as too much of an excuse in not being able to undertake other jobs or multi task (I know this personally as I was accused as using AS as a crutch)
5. The Aspie locked horns with a HR staff member because they did not understand a hierarchical procedure being moved from one section to another because of stress and not knowing when this would happen?
6. The Aspie fails to fit in with other work colleagues
7. Fake excuses and motives used to have the person with AS sacked or pressured to quit their job
8. Bullying become so bad that the adult with Asperger Syndrome was taking sick leave as they were afraid to speak up for fear of repercussion of increased likelihood of being bullied.
9. Poor direction from supervisors or managers caused increase in mental processing of the Aspie to cause meltdown and sickness
10. Insufficient meal or tea breaks caused the Aspie to become so mentally exhausted that they quit due to stress related reasons
The list goes on and I have heard stories from Asperger adults which are truly alarming. Such behaviours as outlined above need to stop and stop now. Aspies are often unable to speak up for themselves and more effective communication is required. So again Julia Gillard if you want to address welfare reform then make darn well sure that you also overhaul workplace discrimination, equal opportunity, bullying and exploitation if you are concerned about welfare reform. Enough is enough and this applies to Tony Abbott also. Instead of going through welfare reform with a razor blade make sure you are not causing further stress to persons who do not fit into the generic description of being a lazy job seeker! I am happy to meet with either of you should you want a first hand experience of what I am talking about above!
What people need to understand is that Aspies in employment are at the mercy of supervisors and need to be compliant with the workplace practices. Often an authority figure who has a clear understanding needs to be available. Some supervisors may create fear or just totally not have a clue in understanding Theory of Mind or other thought related situations. The Aspie may see an instruction or a motive one way and the NT employer or supervisor another. I have known and again I speak again from experience to where I was reprimanded by a HR staff member for simply not understanding a hierarchical procedure. Aspies are very rigid and observe routine in employment they may be afraid to stand up or complain about a supervisor as this may have serious ramifications. Bullying can also be psychological and the Aspie may feel bullied by certain motives which reignite past experiences. Sometimes the NT may not even be aware that they are bullying the Aspie and again a manager or supervisor needs to intervene and have an understanding and I emphasize 'understanding' so as to address any issues or concerns that may arise. Often NT's are not always aware of how an Aspie relates to or understands them. I have found the motives of some supervisors so stressful and not approachable that it has caused me to feel virtually sick. I did on one occasion have to take sick leave given to me by my family doctor. I also was furious that I was made to work in a smoke infested building when authority figures expected me and other staff members to work in another part of the building. I also was appalled when I was made to work in such an environment virtually having to cough out the smoke and hold my nose. Hopefully this matter was addressed and will never occur again. It can be difficult to know what to do in such a situation. Can sick leave be taken or can compensation be investigated? What about unsafe work practices? I believe I should have been given compensation for this situation and when raising this concern with my doctor he was appalled to think that staff were made to work in such deplorable conditions. I also will continue to bring to the attention as best I can any unsafe workplace practices. For instance in one retail outlet I was forced to work in an unsafe work environment. The ** supervisor as my anger is so raised expected staff to work in these conditions and bullied anyone who had an issue or tried to raise their concerns or anxiety. Thankfully and hopefully OHS issues are now also being addressed at the University of Queensland to prevent danger or injury from happening in the work environment. We can only hope?! I was also confronted in another situation by a supervisor or manager and told "what do you expect us or want us to do?" I felt like saying give me the whole afternoon and I will write it all down in detail which may help you to understand! I am also tired of pointless games, gossip and office politics. People should be at work to work, be rewarded for their incentives and given encouragement in strong areas and encouraged to overcome weak ones. I am sick and tired personally of having to put up with crap and deal with what I call "Home and Away or Soap Opera" type politics. Persons in management should be responsible and approachable and they should be well trained in dealing with people and increasing productivity. There are unfortunately annoying or unproductive people in any organisation and I am offended when I may be categorised the same way as these persons. This is often not always management but in other areas. I am not trying to create trouble when I write this post, I just have a mind set for errors and if I offend anyone then let everyone work together to make a workplace more productive and more inclusive of people's strong points and train them to overcome weak areas.
I have an interview this morning for another library position. I would like to address at the interview all duties on the duty statement and see whether it is possible to learn all of them. I feel it is my right to know and be able to learn. I can only try at this interview and I may not or may be successful. All I can do is give it my best shot and hope for the best.
I am not a trouble maker, I am a person who tries to stand up for what I believe is right. There are good people in organisations and these people should be acknowledged for the hard work they do. I have often given praise and encouragement to good managers in the hope that they will continue to optomize and keep up their good standard of work. It concerns me when good people are lost in organisations due to persons in authority not acknowledging the good work they do! I really hope once again that this changes. If people need to work then a workplace should be happy and furthermore acknowledging the hardwork and dedication of its staff members. Especially when they try and do their best and not abuse sick leave etc. Again I am speaking my mind and would rather not be seen as a trouble maker but for someone who tries to stand up for what I believe is right and needs to be changed.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Asking women out
I have never really had luck in any women out. No matter how hard I have tried in the past, I tend to find myself either rejected or let down. I have had some Aspie women hit on me though and I do not really like this as I find it too intense.
I find the whole dating and relationship process just all so overwhelming. It seems that either attractive women are taken or they are only interested in men who meet the criteria of what they are looking for. I do not take rejection well and feel afraid in approaching women because often I do not know how they will react. Perhaps they think I am psycho or weird or perhaps they already have a partner and I may be encroaching on their current relationship status.
As I get older, the ratio of women without children becomes less and less. The women who are single or not in a relationship seem to be resilient and I find myself unattractive to them anyhow.
I have attended the "Dating Game" workshops offered through Minds and Hearts. I find these are rushed and furthermore there is too much of a focus on what can be achieved but not on the approaches and techniques required to enter a relationship etc.
I find the relationship status on Facebook offensive. There is no specific status that meets my needs so I do not use it. I have come to the realisation that some things are perhaps not for me. There is no use trying anymore to compare myself to NT's as they just don't get me anyhow. Sometimes NT (People without Autism) can be very hurtful and they are not always aware of what they do. Just simply by ignoring and failing to understand my mindset causes me hurt so I don't really bother to put myself out anymore. I am sick and tired of being misunderstood to put it bluntly.
Please watch Arman's video. He is an adult with Asperger Syndrome and you can watch his video by double clicking on the Title of this post.
I will be honest in that adults on the Autism Spectrum seem to not do well in the relationship stakes. Most of us struggle and we are in a whirlwind of emotion. People do not understand our emotional roller coaster so like cats we tend to keep to ourselves.
Dr Tony Attwood talks about Aspies getting on with 'extreme NT's" perhaps this is true. Women who use cute or perhaps seductive language can tend to confuse male Aspies. Unfortunately adults could become exposed to predatory or sleazy women who are only after money for sex more so than a relationship. It seems unfortunate but society and more importantly research is needed in terms of understanding the Autism emotions. Autistic people I believe from my own experience do not experience the same emotions as NT's but who am I? I am not a psychologist and nobody wants to listen to what I have to say or experience?
The life of persons on the Autism Spectrum needs better understanding and awareness because society I believe measures Aspies on NT successes when we are not NT. People please try to understand and think more about what I have said in my post. Aspies speak in a different language and we see the world differently to others around us. It is not a matter of us trying harder but it is a matter of people better understanding us.
I have to laugh at NT's also in that whenever you be yourself and you are neither married or in a relationship, people mostly male friends keep away from me. Perhaps I have turned into some kind of zombie and the word single reinforces it more!
I find the whole dating and relationship process just all so overwhelming. It seems that either attractive women are taken or they are only interested in men who meet the criteria of what they are looking for. I do not take rejection well and feel afraid in approaching women because often I do not know how they will react. Perhaps they think I am psycho or weird or perhaps they already have a partner and I may be encroaching on their current relationship status.
As I get older, the ratio of women without children becomes less and less. The women who are single or not in a relationship seem to be resilient and I find myself unattractive to them anyhow.
I have attended the "Dating Game" workshops offered through Minds and Hearts. I find these are rushed and furthermore there is too much of a focus on what can be achieved but not on the approaches and techniques required to enter a relationship etc.
I find the relationship status on Facebook offensive. There is no specific status that meets my needs so I do not use it. I have come to the realisation that some things are perhaps not for me. There is no use trying anymore to compare myself to NT's as they just don't get me anyhow. Sometimes NT (People without Autism) can be very hurtful and they are not always aware of what they do. Just simply by ignoring and failing to understand my mindset causes me hurt so I don't really bother to put myself out anymore. I am sick and tired of being misunderstood to put it bluntly.
Please watch Arman's video. He is an adult with Asperger Syndrome and you can watch his video by double clicking on the Title of this post.
I will be honest in that adults on the Autism Spectrum seem to not do well in the relationship stakes. Most of us struggle and we are in a whirlwind of emotion. People do not understand our emotional roller coaster so like cats we tend to keep to ourselves.
Dr Tony Attwood talks about Aspies getting on with 'extreme NT's" perhaps this is true. Women who use cute or perhaps seductive language can tend to confuse male Aspies. Unfortunately adults could become exposed to predatory or sleazy women who are only after money for sex more so than a relationship. It seems unfortunate but society and more importantly research is needed in terms of understanding the Autism emotions. Autistic people I believe from my own experience do not experience the same emotions as NT's but who am I? I am not a psychologist and nobody wants to listen to what I have to say or experience?
The life of persons on the Autism Spectrum needs better understanding and awareness because society I believe measures Aspies on NT successes when we are not NT. People please try to understand and think more about what I have said in my post. Aspies speak in a different language and we see the world differently to others around us. It is not a matter of us trying harder but it is a matter of people better understanding us.
I have to laugh at NT's also in that whenever you be yourself and you are neither married or in a relationship, people mostly male friends keep away from me. Perhaps I have turned into some kind of zombie and the word single reinforces it more!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Look around you and be thankful
When you are next sitting in your house, your office or in some other location think of the following things.
1. The electricity that you use
2. The lightbulb that turns darkness into light
3. The telephone that you use
4. The computer by which you communicate
5. The watch that you wear
6. The microwave in your kitchen
7. The list of inventions go on!
Now as you think and contemplate all that have been mentioned above then wonder where and how these inventions came into being. If it were not for Thomas Alva Edison then would we still be in darkness. Edison's famous quote 'Genius is one percent inspiration 99% perspiration" demonstrates this inventors perseverance in his many attempts to perfect the light bulb. The telephone which has now become a mobile device was due to Alexander Graham Bell. The Declaration of Independence also was a famous invention in that Thomas Jefferson wrote it with the stroke of a pen with few errors. So when you hear people that want to cure Autism, then ask yourself how will the world react? Would we be eliminating the very few people that inject the necessities in our lives that we take for granted? I could list a whole lot more inventions and I can merely speculate in saying that some inventors not all may have been on the Autism Spectrum.
Although savants are talented people, we can in fact learn from them and bask in their world. The work of Stephen Wiltshire for instance as he draws a city from a mere 10 minute glance, or the work of Dr Temple Grandin in the animal livestock industry with her humane slaughter of cattle. Not all Aspies are geniuses but surely embracing eccentric people does not impose any harm? Next time you go about your life, think about the device you may use which you take for granted. Think about the transport you use and wonder how, when and where it may have been invented.
We have a lot to be thankful for and perhaps people on the Autism Spectrum should be given more praise rather than simply being overlooked or ignored or misunderstood?
1. The electricity that you use
2. The lightbulb that turns darkness into light
3. The telephone that you use
4. The computer by which you communicate
5. The watch that you wear
6. The microwave in your kitchen
7. The list of inventions go on!
Now as you think and contemplate all that have been mentioned above then wonder where and how these inventions came into being. If it were not for Thomas Alva Edison then would we still be in darkness. Edison's famous quote 'Genius is one percent inspiration 99% perspiration" demonstrates this inventors perseverance in his many attempts to perfect the light bulb. The telephone which has now become a mobile device was due to Alexander Graham Bell. The Declaration of Independence also was a famous invention in that Thomas Jefferson wrote it with the stroke of a pen with few errors. So when you hear people that want to cure Autism, then ask yourself how will the world react? Would we be eliminating the very few people that inject the necessities in our lives that we take for granted? I could list a whole lot more inventions and I can merely speculate in saying that some inventors not all may have been on the Autism Spectrum.
Although savants are talented people, we can in fact learn from them and bask in their world. The work of Stephen Wiltshire for instance as he draws a city from a mere 10 minute glance, or the work of Dr Temple Grandin in the animal livestock industry with her humane slaughter of cattle. Not all Aspies are geniuses but surely embracing eccentric people does not impose any harm? Next time you go about your life, think about the device you may use which you take for granted. Think about the transport you use and wonder how, when and where it may have been invented.
We have a lot to be thankful for and perhaps people on the Autism Spectrum should be given more praise rather than simply being overlooked or ignored or misunderstood?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A shift in focus
Every century is different from the other but every human is still the same. People are afraid of knowing the truth and struggle to come to terms or try to understand things around them that need some thought and tolerance.
No doubt as I write this post, I am not saying anything new but I guess I can demonstrate and try to explain what I really think. Where there was once a focus on the community now there is an emphasis and expectation on the individual to get the most out of life. This could be in various forms. Perhaps purchase a big house, buy a fancy car, or download the latest clips on some kind of gadget or mobile device. This may be a temporary fix to a problem but does it really allow a person to develop and implement the necessary coping skills to get through life's difficult situations?
The one thing that I see around me is the emphasis on what I call chunk information. When children grow up in schools whether they be or not be on the Autism Spectrum, there does not seem to be a graduated level in learning. As children grow it seems to me that there is a focus on the earliest age as possible for them to try and be or think like adults. Are children getting enough play or interaction or are they consumed by gadgets and other devices that is failing to equip them with survival skills as they become older? I was only reading recently that depression is now becoming evident in children at an early age. When a child is not provided with stimulation or interactive toys, the child becomes bored, unsettled or confused.
I believe that as humanity strives forward with its goal and expectation unknown, that humanity continues seems to fall flat on its face with the very issues of overcoming the human condition. Some people may think that I am speaking with unsubstantiated views but why is there more violence and bullying in schools for instance?
I believe we live in a very selfish society where the shift in focus is on the individual more so than the community. Whereas once the church, the family and the other supportive units existed, people are now becoming focused more on themselves. Perhaps nothing is new but why then is there an increase in mental illness and why also is there an intolerance of certain conditions such as Autism? Whereas once the community looked after each other, the person with Autism struggles in that a fast paced, multi tasking, highly demanding world expects too much. Often the pressures can be so overwhelming as to cause severe burn out and stress. Even in the very worst incidents, suicide!
I believe that for the rest of my life I will be an advocate of Autism. If I jettison the advocacy work that I do, then I will become as mentioned before, a second rate person. I just find that there is too much inequality and ignorance and sadly my efforts are not going to change this until I am long dead. I hope not to be a martyr but someone who stands up for what I believe God wishes me to do and what I know is within my hearts. I may not be understood by people and perhaps I may appear as deluded but my other options are very limited. I just exist as a shadow in a world which fails to grasp the hardcore issues concerning the Autism Spectrum. I may not speak for all, but at least I have the guts to stand up and accept what I have and more importantly my efforts in trying to do something about it.
I am prepared either way of how my book launch will go. Frankly the numbers of attendance are not of concern, what is more important is the message. At least I have written it down and tried to convey it as best I can. Perhaps it may be for future generations to take account and to understand better? I am at a loss as I know very little but trying to keep an open mind where is possible seems the only way to go.
No doubt as I write this post, I am not saying anything new but I guess I can demonstrate and try to explain what I really think. Where there was once a focus on the community now there is an emphasis and expectation on the individual to get the most out of life. This could be in various forms. Perhaps purchase a big house, buy a fancy car, or download the latest clips on some kind of gadget or mobile device. This may be a temporary fix to a problem but does it really allow a person to develop and implement the necessary coping skills to get through life's difficult situations?
The one thing that I see around me is the emphasis on what I call chunk information. When children grow up in schools whether they be or not be on the Autism Spectrum, there does not seem to be a graduated level in learning. As children grow it seems to me that there is a focus on the earliest age as possible for them to try and be or think like adults. Are children getting enough play or interaction or are they consumed by gadgets and other devices that is failing to equip them with survival skills as they become older? I was only reading recently that depression is now becoming evident in children at an early age. When a child is not provided with stimulation or interactive toys, the child becomes bored, unsettled or confused.
I believe that as humanity strives forward with its goal and expectation unknown, that humanity continues seems to fall flat on its face with the very issues of overcoming the human condition. Some people may think that I am speaking with unsubstantiated views but why is there more violence and bullying in schools for instance?
I believe we live in a very selfish society where the shift in focus is on the individual more so than the community. Whereas once the church, the family and the other supportive units existed, people are now becoming focused more on themselves. Perhaps nothing is new but why then is there an increase in mental illness and why also is there an intolerance of certain conditions such as Autism? Whereas once the community looked after each other, the person with Autism struggles in that a fast paced, multi tasking, highly demanding world expects too much. Often the pressures can be so overwhelming as to cause severe burn out and stress. Even in the very worst incidents, suicide!
I believe that for the rest of my life I will be an advocate of Autism. If I jettison the advocacy work that I do, then I will become as mentioned before, a second rate person. I just find that there is too much inequality and ignorance and sadly my efforts are not going to change this until I am long dead. I hope not to be a martyr but someone who stands up for what I believe God wishes me to do and what I know is within my hearts. I may not be understood by people and perhaps I may appear as deluded but my other options are very limited. I just exist as a shadow in a world which fails to grasp the hardcore issues concerning the Autism Spectrum. I may not speak for all, but at least I have the guts to stand up and accept what I have and more importantly my efforts in trying to do something about it.
I am prepared either way of how my book launch will go. Frankly the numbers of attendance are not of concern, what is more important is the message. At least I have written it down and tried to convey it as best I can. Perhaps it may be for future generations to take account and to understand better? I am at a loss as I know very little but trying to keep an open mind where is possible seems the only way to go.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Moving forward looking back
Now that I have written my book, I have touched base with some of the people who helped me in the past when I first commenced employment in 1999 after disclosing my Asperger Syndrome diagnosis. It is hard to believe that so much has happened in the last 10 years. The people I worked with in the Queensland Parliamentary Library, have mostly moved on. One friend I touched base with today. He helped me with understanding the audio visual section of the library. He has suffered a partial stroke and now has his working hours reduced temporarily. Another friend who I have lost touch with, lost her husband as he passed away last year. I could never understand why this friend parted company with me but I guess she had her reasons. I was saddened to hear that her husband had died only last year and that she herself had retired from the Parliamentary Library in 2009. Life just passes us by quickly and some of us are too busy to notice everything that appears before our nose.
This afternoon I was contacted regarding the same position I am doing in another library at the University of Queensland. I am going to give it a go as there is more variety and despite me having to work on Saturday, it would allow me the opportunity to broaden my skills and expand my knowledge. This morning I also presented a 15 minute presentation to the Australian Productivity Commission. I will also be spending some money to assist with my book launch as both Asperger Services Australia and my own funding are self funded.
As life goes forward I can only move forward and only look back to memories. Who knows what lies ahead of them?
This afternoon I was contacted regarding the same position I am doing in another library at the University of Queensland. I am going to give it a go as there is more variety and despite me having to work on Saturday, it would allow me the opportunity to broaden my skills and expand my knowledge. This morning I also presented a 15 minute presentation to the Australian Productivity Commission. I will also be spending some money to assist with my book launch as both Asperger Services Australia and my own funding are self funded.
As life goes forward I can only move forward and only look back to memories. Who knows what lies ahead of them?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Autism Epidemic does it really exist?
As the world witnesses an increase in Autism does this imply that there is an Autism Epidemic? To begin to answer this question we need to firstly examine the world we live in today and more importantly the recent awareness and re-discovery of the Hans Asperger files.
To begin with, society in both the mid C20th and C19th were societies that were different from today. Adherence was to family and routine. Employment opportunities were also fewer and society in itself was more structured. Take for instance the 1850's. The basic nuclear family lived in a home within a small village with the only transport available being a horse and wagon and if you were privileged the soon to arrive steam train. Back then, venturing out of the home or more so beyond the town or street was in itself non existent. What I am simply saying is that society was more or less governed by routine and just getting through a day was often dictated by a set of mundane chores. Expectations were fewer and opportunities very scarce.
If we look at the 1950's for instance, society was advanced somewhat as with the arrival of certain levels of technology, some more opportunities became available. Airplane travel was something new and also the motor car. However, society was more from what I see divided into class distinctions. People could move around more but the nuclear family was still the main focus and moving around like we do more today was more or less non existent.
I am now going to focus on the so called Autism Epidemic. What exactly is this and does it exist? I would attempt to answer this question by saying that the re-discovery of the Hans Asperger files which had been lost during the war, re-ignited a basic understanding of a character trait which was previously suppressed or contained in a society which was previously more structured than multi varied which it is today. In the early 1980's, the work of Dr Lorna Wing as I understand it, researched the work of Hans Asperger who was the psychologist who Asperger Syndrome was named after. Hans Asperger noted behavioral traits in children which he observed in his clinic. Lorna Wing, and closely soon after, Dr Tony Attwood brought this research to the world's attention.
If there is an epidemic and an increase in diagnosis of the Autism Spectrum. This is because I believe that the re-discovery of these files have made certain sectors of the community aware of a diagnostic criteria which was previously suppressed or tolerated in previous generations. I often wonder if the mental institutions or the psychiatric wards of the last and previous centuries were filled with people on the Autism Spectrum who exhibited the secondary symptoms as perhaps society could not understand and thus wrongfully institutionalized? Perhaps I am making a bold assessment but you have to wonder? Also it is probably likely that areas of the clergy and monasteries housed persons on the Autism Spectrum who preferred routine and structure more so than change or socialization?
When focusing on the Autism Spectrum ask yourself the question. Do you think that perhaps an Autism epidemic exists as society is now more aware of a personality trait that previously remained undetected? As more awareness of this personality trait exists then is more diagnosis occurring? Just think about it and then ask yourself what is the Autism epidemic? We live in a society which focused on the individual more so than the community. Whereas before the community provided support and structures, people today exist as individual units. It is up to the individual to find support and structures thus alienating and complicating the lives of persons on the Autism Spectrum who need communities to support them as often too much reliance on multi tasking can be seen as overwhelming and stressful. That's how I see it as an adult on the Autism Spectrum in my introspective way.
To begin with, society in both the mid C20th and C19th were societies that were different from today. Adherence was to family and routine. Employment opportunities were also fewer and society in itself was more structured. Take for instance the 1850's. The basic nuclear family lived in a home within a small village with the only transport available being a horse and wagon and if you were privileged the soon to arrive steam train. Back then, venturing out of the home or more so beyond the town or street was in itself non existent. What I am simply saying is that society was more or less governed by routine and just getting through a day was often dictated by a set of mundane chores. Expectations were fewer and opportunities very scarce.
If we look at the 1950's for instance, society was advanced somewhat as with the arrival of certain levels of technology, some more opportunities became available. Airplane travel was something new and also the motor car. However, society was more from what I see divided into class distinctions. People could move around more but the nuclear family was still the main focus and moving around like we do more today was more or less non existent.
I am now going to focus on the so called Autism Epidemic. What exactly is this and does it exist? I would attempt to answer this question by saying that the re-discovery of the Hans Asperger files which had been lost during the war, re-ignited a basic understanding of a character trait which was previously suppressed or contained in a society which was previously more structured than multi varied which it is today. In the early 1980's, the work of Dr Lorna Wing as I understand it, researched the work of Hans Asperger who was the psychologist who Asperger Syndrome was named after. Hans Asperger noted behavioral traits in children which he observed in his clinic. Lorna Wing, and closely soon after, Dr Tony Attwood brought this research to the world's attention.
If there is an epidemic and an increase in diagnosis of the Autism Spectrum. This is because I believe that the re-discovery of these files have made certain sectors of the community aware of a diagnostic criteria which was previously suppressed or tolerated in previous generations. I often wonder if the mental institutions or the psychiatric wards of the last and previous centuries were filled with people on the Autism Spectrum who exhibited the secondary symptoms as perhaps society could not understand and thus wrongfully institutionalized? Perhaps I am making a bold assessment but you have to wonder? Also it is probably likely that areas of the clergy and monasteries housed persons on the Autism Spectrum who preferred routine and structure more so than change or socialization?
When focusing on the Autism Spectrum ask yourself the question. Do you think that perhaps an Autism epidemic exists as society is now more aware of a personality trait that previously remained undetected? As more awareness of this personality trait exists then is more diagnosis occurring? Just think about it and then ask yourself what is the Autism epidemic? We live in a society which focused on the individual more so than the community. Whereas before the community provided support and structures, people today exist as individual units. It is up to the individual to find support and structures thus alienating and complicating the lives of persons on the Autism Spectrum who need communities to support them as often too much reliance on multi tasking can be seen as overwhelming and stressful. That's how I see it as an adult on the Autism Spectrum in my introspective way.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Coming to terms with God
I often feel in my life that I am a martyr. This is because I believe it will take several generations to actually understand the difficulties associated with being a person on the Autism Spectrum. We all come to terms with the fact that our lives on this planet are temporary and not many people can grasp the fact that we are mortal and that our life on earth will come to an end. I believe that the work I am doing will not be recognised in my life time and perhaps one day people will understand me better more so than distancing themselves from that which they do not understand.
I make no promises nor do I have any vision to please people. I stand firm behind my beliefs and I feel that the rest of my life is now devoted to raise awareness of being a person on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes life tends to become all to much in the regular sense. If people will never try and understand then I have to survive my best as a person who will be sometimes misunderstood or wrongfully judged.
Humanity seems to push forward in this false perception that turning away from truth or putting aside ignorance is the way that is best to cope. Sometimes we need to come to terms with the realities that confront us as hard as these may be. Death is certain and it comes to each and everyone of us but it gives us the driving force to make the most of our lives and to pioneer to the best of our ability in our own achievements. Why then is life so tough for some and some of the lessons in life so devastating or hurtful? I relate my own experiences of hurt and bullying in the past to lessons of humility. I see that God provides us with obstacles so that we can better relate to experiences of divine intervention. I do not care what anyone believes but God in my opinion does exist. Just some people do not try hard enough to search and discover.
When we stare into the face of mortality how exactly do we see ourselves and our achievements? I use the final scene in 2001 Space Odyssey in this post to encourage people to think at a higher level if possible? Perhaps one day my voice will be heard and will help people understand better but for now, I just have to live for the moment and do the best I can. I really wonder at times if God does exist but there are episodes in own lives that perhaps confirm our beliefs and we are unable to explain?
Please look at this final scene in a deeper sense and try to imagine how it may relate to you?
I make no promises nor do I have any vision to please people. I stand firm behind my beliefs and I feel that the rest of my life is now devoted to raise awareness of being a person on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes life tends to become all to much in the regular sense. If people will never try and understand then I have to survive my best as a person who will be sometimes misunderstood or wrongfully judged.
Humanity seems to push forward in this false perception that turning away from truth or putting aside ignorance is the way that is best to cope. Sometimes we need to come to terms with the realities that confront us as hard as these may be. Death is certain and it comes to each and everyone of us but it gives us the driving force to make the most of our lives and to pioneer to the best of our ability in our own achievements. Why then is life so tough for some and some of the lessons in life so devastating or hurtful? I relate my own experiences of hurt and bullying in the past to lessons of humility. I see that God provides us with obstacles so that we can better relate to experiences of divine intervention. I do not care what anyone believes but God in my opinion does exist. Just some people do not try hard enough to search and discover.
When we stare into the face of mortality how exactly do we see ourselves and our achievements? I use the final scene in 2001 Space Odyssey in this post to encourage people to think at a higher level if possible? Perhaps one day my voice will be heard and will help people understand better but for now, I just have to live for the moment and do the best I can. I really wonder at times if God does exist but there are episodes in own lives that perhaps confirm our beliefs and we are unable to explain?
Please look at this final scene in a deeper sense and try to imagine how it may relate to you?
Friday, April 8, 2011
Book updates
I am pleased to announce that copies of my book "I Want To Work - An Asperger Story" will be available by the end of next week. Copies of the book will be sent to Asperger Services Australia and some books will be sent to me and hopefully added into library collections. Depending on demand, the copies of further books will vary. Should you wish to purchase a book please go to my website by double clicking on the Title "Book Updates". This will take you to my website with further information and a picture of the book.
As my advocacy work continues, I am becoming more committed to ensuring that I raise awareness wherever possible. I will be presenting information at next Monday's conference for the Australian Productivity Commission and will also be interviewed for the UQ Student Magazine next Wednesday. Hopefully this magazine will raise more awareness and support to UQ Student Disability Services for their work and efforts in ensuring this group continues and for the University of Queensland to recognise the group and to provide useful and much needed funding and support. The name of the group currently is Aspergers@UQ
For anyone interested in reading my book, I hope that it provides and honest reflection of my own personal experiences of having Asperger Syndrome and more importantly hightlight the difficulties associated with not being able to find employment or not do well in the interview process. I really encourage anyone to obtain a copy and I will be trying to add my book to library collections in both Australia and overseas. Of course this is going to take much time and effort. Marketing the book is a huge undertaking and anyone can assist by contacting in the first instance Asperger Services Australia. As things evolve distribution will improve. I am one person, I am working on my own, I am self funding my own advocacy and I do not have a secretary, so I need to be admired for the work that I carry out.
I am currently writing my second book "Crikey I'm Eccentric" and after it has been written and hopefully published (Interested publishers welcome for publication) I will then be writing another book about my travels overseas which will hopefully provide other adults on the Autism Spectrum that overseas travel is possible and that it also broadens cognitive function and development.
Please be patient if you wish to purchase or obtain a copy of my book. I will be having a book launch on Saturday 7th May 2011. Please contact Asperger Services Australia for more information. There may or may not be a big turn out but it is here that hopefully people will be able to purchase a copy of my book if not earlier. I will still be pushing ahead with promotion of the book and advocacy regardless! Once again I am doing my best and so to Asperger Services Australia without necessary funding. I also will be personally sending a copy of my book to Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. She wants to cut disability pensions more so than unemployment benefits. I think this is a major disservice to adults on the Autism Spectrum and who have a disability. Such discrimination has to stop.
I hope to hear from everyone soon and please provide support wherever you can as it is very much appreciated and welcomed!
Garry Burge
As my advocacy work continues, I am becoming more committed to ensuring that I raise awareness wherever possible. I will be presenting information at next Monday's conference for the Australian Productivity Commission and will also be interviewed for the UQ Student Magazine next Wednesday. Hopefully this magazine will raise more awareness and support to UQ Student Disability Services for their work and efforts in ensuring this group continues and for the University of Queensland to recognise the group and to provide useful and much needed funding and support. The name of the group currently is Aspergers@UQ
For anyone interested in reading my book, I hope that it provides and honest reflection of my own personal experiences of having Asperger Syndrome and more importantly hightlight the difficulties associated with not being able to find employment or not do well in the interview process. I really encourage anyone to obtain a copy and I will be trying to add my book to library collections in both Australia and overseas. Of course this is going to take much time and effort. Marketing the book is a huge undertaking and anyone can assist by contacting in the first instance Asperger Services Australia. As things evolve distribution will improve. I am one person, I am working on my own, I am self funding my own advocacy and I do not have a secretary, so I need to be admired for the work that I carry out.
I am currently writing my second book "Crikey I'm Eccentric" and after it has been written and hopefully published (Interested publishers welcome for publication) I will then be writing another book about my travels overseas which will hopefully provide other adults on the Autism Spectrum that overseas travel is possible and that it also broadens cognitive function and development.
Please be patient if you wish to purchase or obtain a copy of my book. I will be having a book launch on Saturday 7th May 2011. Please contact Asperger Services Australia for more information. There may or may not be a big turn out but it is here that hopefully people will be able to purchase a copy of my book if not earlier. I will still be pushing ahead with promotion of the book and advocacy regardless! Once again I am doing my best and so to Asperger Services Australia without necessary funding. I also will be personally sending a copy of my book to Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. She wants to cut disability pensions more so than unemployment benefits. I think this is a major disservice to adults on the Autism Spectrum and who have a disability. Such discrimination has to stop.
I hope to hear from everyone soon and please provide support wherever you can as it is very much appreciated and welcomed!
Garry Burge
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Why we use only 10%
Have you ever wondered why as humans we only use 10% of our brains? Why not the other 90% and what could we do and achieve if we used more of our brains. We know very little about the human brain and perhaps we are able to do a whole lot more if we learn to untap the other 90%.
Perhaps and again I am only speculating, we may have the power to cure ourselves of disease, or overcome some of the difficulties that affect us in our day to day lives.
The brain does seem to have the ability to change. For example a person may experience trauma or an accident and different parts of their brain may grow to take over other areas which have been damaged.
I have heard that people on the Autism Spectrum have difficulties with both hemispheres of the brain not working together. Rather than there being a balance of both hemispheres of the brain, one side of the brain may be stronger than the other thus causing some difficulty in areas of function. Of course such findings and speculation need further investigation. How can a savant for instance as with the case of Stephen Wiltshire draw the details of a city with only a brief glance? Are such talents a result of certain parts of the brain being stronger than other parts? Again another area of interest.
I have included with this post an episode from "In Search Of" which was hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Perhaps you may get something out of it by watching?
Perhaps and again I am only speculating, we may have the power to cure ourselves of disease, or overcome some of the difficulties that affect us in our day to day lives.
The brain does seem to have the ability to change. For example a person may experience trauma or an accident and different parts of their brain may grow to take over other areas which have been damaged.
I have heard that people on the Autism Spectrum have difficulties with both hemispheres of the brain not working together. Rather than there being a balance of both hemispheres of the brain, one side of the brain may be stronger than the other thus causing some difficulty in areas of function. Of course such findings and speculation need further investigation. How can a savant for instance as with the case of Stephen Wiltshire draw the details of a city with only a brief glance? Are such talents a result of certain parts of the brain being stronger than other parts? Again another area of interest.
I have included with this post an episode from "In Search Of" which was hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Perhaps you may get something out of it by watching?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The sleep issues
It is always frustrating when you are unable to sleep. You lie in bed and your brain just does not switch off. Thoughts go over and over in your head and you realise you are not sleeping. Sometimes I find myself analysing the sleep process itself. How will I know when I will fall asleep. It is like the anxiety hijacks my mind or the over obsessing part of it.
I have noticed and I may not be correct that perhaps people who don't think a lot are more likely to fall asleep faster than those who think a lot. Trades people probably have less sleep issues than other groups for instance academics or eccentrics. How much sleep did Einstein get for instance?
I find my brain is like a violin at times. If I am stressed the strings make more noise and the vibration of sounds around me are harder to block out. Sleep is often an area where I am most hit. I just have to find ways to switch my mind off. When I worked full time some years ago, I was having to take sick days as I could not function for a full day. This is what lead me to go part time as I don't get as stressed as much but not always. I find the social side of employment more difficult. If I am moved around a lot or am pressured, I sometimes struggle to perform. At the moment I am coping as best I can but I need to be careful in that I do not exert myself too much so that I cannot function at all.
I don't like taking medication for sleep but sometimes all of the tips and advice simply do not work. My obsessing and anxiety just hijack any sense of relaxation. Currently I am not in a very good sleep pattern but I am fine if I can have some time to myself (isolation from those around me). I do like to have friends but unfortunately I can only handle so much interaction.
I know other Asperger adults who have sleep issues. Some can function on as little as 2 hours sleep but they are often not comfortable with sleep deprivation. Just simply the anxiety controls their minds and causes them to not sleep. Just imagine also if you have just written a book and now you want to inform the rest of the world what you have written? Do you think you would feel anxious?
I have noticed and I may not be correct that perhaps people who don't think a lot are more likely to fall asleep faster than those who think a lot. Trades people probably have less sleep issues than other groups for instance academics or eccentrics. How much sleep did Einstein get for instance?
I find my brain is like a violin at times. If I am stressed the strings make more noise and the vibration of sounds around me are harder to block out. Sleep is often an area where I am most hit. I just have to find ways to switch my mind off. When I worked full time some years ago, I was having to take sick days as I could not function for a full day. This is what lead me to go part time as I don't get as stressed as much but not always. I find the social side of employment more difficult. If I am moved around a lot or am pressured, I sometimes struggle to perform. At the moment I am coping as best I can but I need to be careful in that I do not exert myself too much so that I cannot function at all.
I don't like taking medication for sleep but sometimes all of the tips and advice simply do not work. My obsessing and anxiety just hijack any sense of relaxation. Currently I am not in a very good sleep pattern but I am fine if I can have some time to myself (isolation from those around me). I do like to have friends but unfortunately I can only handle so much interaction.
I know other Asperger adults who have sleep issues. Some can function on as little as 2 hours sleep but they are often not comfortable with sleep deprivation. Just simply the anxiety controls their minds and causes them to not sleep. Just imagine also if you have just written a book and now you want to inform the rest of the world what you have written? Do you think you would feel anxious?
Today's gripes
I know there is always someone worse off than you are but at the moment I seem to be feeling stressed. Although I have written my book, there is a lot of work involved once the book has been self published to market it. Most people are aware that I needed to wait quite a period for Dr Tony Attwood to write the Foreword to my book, but the next step is getting my book into circulation.
When an author writes a book no matter whether the book is published or self published, it is the responsibility of the author to ensure that a legal deposit is made. For any book published in Australia, it is the responsibility of the author to send a copy to the National Library of Australia, and the State Library of their state. This is the obligation under the Australian Copy Right Act 1968.
The gripes I mainly have are as follows. I am annoyed with the traffic in Brisbane. I start work at 9.15am but have to leave at 6.45am so I can at least try and drive in a temporary carpark known as the Centenary/Western Freeway. Every morning I am confronted with traffic congestion so bad that it makes coming to work seem like a real chore. Added to this I think the Social Sciences and Humanities Library at the University of Queensland needs to be re-built. This building is struggling to make it in the C21st. For a start the passenger lift is incredibly slow and the internal stair well is a nightmare. On top of this student conduct is appalling. I have been in my current position now for almost 6 years and some students today are incredibly lazy. They expect you to do all the work for them and they seem to have litter or no respect for the environment they use. In this case being the university library.
I am also about to start a house sit shortly minding two cats for an elderly lady who will be away overseas. This arrangement was made through a family friend. So apart from this and some other commitments I have a lot on my plate at the moment. There are people always worse off than me so I keep reminding myself of this very fact.
When an author writes a book no matter whether the book is published or self published, it is the responsibility of the author to ensure that a legal deposit is made. For any book published in Australia, it is the responsibility of the author to send a copy to the National Library of Australia, and the State Library of their state. This is the obligation under the Australian Copy Right Act 1968.
The gripes I mainly have are as follows. I am annoyed with the traffic in Brisbane. I start work at 9.15am but have to leave at 6.45am so I can at least try and drive in a temporary carpark known as the Centenary/Western Freeway. Every morning I am confronted with traffic congestion so bad that it makes coming to work seem like a real chore. Added to this I think the Social Sciences and Humanities Library at the University of Queensland needs to be re-built. This building is struggling to make it in the C21st. For a start the passenger lift is incredibly slow and the internal stair well is a nightmare. On top of this student conduct is appalling. I have been in my current position now for almost 6 years and some students today are incredibly lazy. They expect you to do all the work for them and they seem to have litter or no respect for the environment they use. In this case being the university library.
I am also about to start a house sit shortly minding two cats for an elderly lady who will be away overseas. This arrangement was made through a family friend. So apart from this and some other commitments I have a lot on my plate at the moment. There are people always worse off than me so I keep reminding myself of this very fact.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Catching up with friends from primary school
Facebook does have its merits. Recently I have caught up with some old school friends on it. It is interesting the stories that we remember. For instance, I remember when talking to a school friend when he lived across the suburb on another street and both he and I sent different coloured lights through torches. I am glad to catch up with old friends again. I would like to know what some of my friends are up to now in their lives. Like me, they too are pushing 40. Who cares though as aren't the memories important?
Some of my friends from primary school have asked about the book I have written and whether they can purchase one. I am working on my own so I will need to work out strategies for it to reach a wider audience.
Tonight I am chilling out a bit and working out how to market my book. I will get back to you in the next few days (not literally) with some updates.
Some of my friends from primary school have asked about the book I have written and whether they can purchase one. I am working on my own so I will need to work out strategies for it to reach a wider audience.
Tonight I am chilling out a bit and working out how to market my book. I will get back to you in the next few days (not literally) with some updates.
Autism Documentary in Australia
I have been contacted recently concerning a documentary on Autism, including adults with Autism. The show will hopefully consist of myself, another adult and parents of children with children on the Autism Spectrum. On the panel will hopefully be Professor Tony Attwood (in terms of Dr Attwood's availability) and Dr Andrew Rochford. This information as yet is being considered and organised.
I have provided information on persons who may be able to assist with this documentary and what is awesome is that Autism with adults will be discussed. Topics of concern will hopefully include the need for more employment support and job placement, more of a need for services and support. Also discussed will be my latest book "I Want To Work - An Asperger Story".
I also will be soon interviewed at the University of Queensland for the UQ Student magazine. This article will hopefully assist student services at UQ with the good work they are doing in helping to run Aspergers@UQ.
As soon as I know more information, I will update my blog accordingly. The great thing is that the Autism Spectrum is becoming more known and hopefully better understood.
My current engagements are as follows
Monday 11th April - Presentation to the Australian Productivity Commission as an adult on the Autism Spectrum
The Social Brain - Study being undertaken at the University of Queensland
As I am attending a lot of appointments and undertake a lot of advocacy, I am unable to provide information on every and each. I will also be visiting Professor Tony Attwood in July.
Thanks again everyone for your support!
I have provided information on persons who may be able to assist with this documentary and what is awesome is that Autism with adults will be discussed. Topics of concern will hopefully include the need for more employment support and job placement, more of a need for services and support. Also discussed will be my latest book "I Want To Work - An Asperger Story".
I also will be soon interviewed at the University of Queensland for the UQ Student magazine. This article will hopefully assist student services at UQ with the good work they are doing in helping to run Aspergers@UQ.
As soon as I know more information, I will update my blog accordingly. The great thing is that the Autism Spectrum is becoming more known and hopefully better understood.
My current engagements are as follows
Monday 11th April - Presentation to the Australian Productivity Commission as an adult on the Autism Spectrum
The Social Brain - Study being undertaken at the University of Queensland
As I am attending a lot of appointments and undertake a lot of advocacy, I am unable to provide information on every and each. I will also be visiting Professor Tony Attwood in July.
Thanks again everyone for your support!
Monday, April 4, 2011
A hectic day
Today has been a hectic day. This morning my mother went in for an operation and I felt a sense of unease as I was not sure how the operation was going to go. Last night I did no sleep well either and took 1/2 half a Temazepam (Sleeping tablet). I only rarely use sleeping tablets of Valium when I am under stress, but last night I needed something to help me sleep. I found out at 9.30am this morning that my mother is fine and that she should be home from hospital soon.
As I write this post, I have received an email from Jessica Kingsley Publishers concerning my second book. I will be writing some more on my second book before I submit it for publication. I received the email from Professor Tony Attwood this morning with the Foreword to my firs Book "I Want To Work - An Asperger Story". This book will be published very shortly and I am looking at ways to market the book in order to reach a wider audience.
Things are looking positive and I seem to have meetings here there and everywhere. I was also contacted this morning for a documentary on Autism and updates about this should be out soon.
I guess the only real hectic part of my day was that I did not sleep well and was concerned about my mother but apart from this I tried to get on with what I needed to do. I hope to sleep better tonight and things are starting to look positive for me now.
Thank you to everyone who is supporting me by following me on Facebook, Twitter and my blog. I believe things are moving forward considerably..
As I write this post, I have received an email from Jessica Kingsley Publishers concerning my second book. I will be writing some more on my second book before I submit it for publication. I received the email from Professor Tony Attwood this morning with the Foreword to my firs Book "I Want To Work - An Asperger Story". This book will be published very shortly and I am looking at ways to market the book in order to reach a wider audience.
Things are looking positive and I seem to have meetings here there and everywhere. I was also contacted this morning for a documentary on Autism and updates about this should be out soon.
I guess the only real hectic part of my day was that I did not sleep well and was concerned about my mother but apart from this I tried to get on with what I needed to do. I hope to sleep better tonight and things are starting to look positive for me now.
Thank you to everyone who is supporting me by following me on Facebook, Twitter and my blog. I believe things are moving forward considerably..
Brain Gym for adults with Autism
I have heard that persons on the Autism Spectrum have issues with the left hand and right hand side of the brain not working together. I believe that this is true in my case. I find when I exercise for instance on a treadmill that I tend to have some clumsiness when I walk or try to function in some exercises. Although I can do the treadmill and the cross trainer, I find that sometimes either both hemispheres of my brain are not working in tandem or perhaps my cerebellum is not functioning as best it can.
Many of you know that I did the Dore Program which I completed in 2007. This program was specifically designed to improve Cerebellum function to overcome some of the difficulties associated with both hemispheres of the brain not working together.
I have contacted several gyms to inform them of how they could assist adults on the Autism Spectrum by focusing on brain gyms or exercises to help assist with the issues persons on the Autism Spectrum confront. The gym industry still seems to be interested in wanting to improve a person's physical appearance more so than their mental state. It has been proven that daily exercise minimizes anxiety levels so I hope one day that the fitness industry will look more into Autism exercises. What needs to be remembered is that there is also a growing diagnosis of children on the Autism Spectrum also. I hope things do change in the future. Please watch the Brain Gym by double clicking on the Title of this post.
Many of you know that I did the Dore Program which I completed in 2007. This program was specifically designed to improve Cerebellum function to overcome some of the difficulties associated with both hemispheres of the brain not working together.
I have contacted several gyms to inform them of how they could assist adults on the Autism Spectrum by focusing on brain gyms or exercises to help assist with the issues persons on the Autism Spectrum confront. The gym industry still seems to be interested in wanting to improve a person's physical appearance more so than their mental state. It has been proven that daily exercise minimizes anxiety levels so I hope one day that the fitness industry will look more into Autism exercises. What needs to be remembered is that there is also a growing diagnosis of children on the Autism Spectrum also. I hope things do change in the future. Please watch the Brain Gym by double clicking on the Title of this post.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
I just wish people would understand
I reflect on the famous poetic words of Omar Khayyam
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
As a person I just wish people would take the time to get to know me more rather than to dismiss me as some kind of odd ball and same weird eccentric.
For each and everyone of us if we read these words carefully and encapsulate exactly what these words are saying, perhaps we can reflect on our own lives. Often we tend to put aside things we may not always understand. We should really see our own lives as a pen which writes our own past and destiny. We need to see more in people who try and who may not always be in the others of others the person they wish them to be.
As the week starts off and the new month, please take the time to read carefully the lines in this poem and see how these words can be encapsulated.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
As a person I just wish people would take the time to get to know me more rather than to dismiss me as some kind of odd ball and same weird eccentric.
For each and everyone of us if we read these words carefully and encapsulate exactly what these words are saying, perhaps we can reflect on our own lives. Often we tend to put aside things we may not always understand. We should really see our own lives as a pen which writes our own past and destiny. We need to see more in people who try and who may not always be in the others of others the person they wish them to be.
As the week starts off and the new month, please take the time to read carefully the lines in this poem and see how these words can be encapsulated.
Boarding aircraft, and other forms of public transport
I am sure many of you watched the movie "Rain Man" some years ago with the scene starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman at the airport? In this scene Rain Man (Raymond) experiences severe anxiety, places his hands over his ears and starts to scream loudly. This is probably a severe incidence of a person being unable to handle the noise and stimulation overloads on board an aeroplane.
I often don't find air travel a problem. The problem I find is the fact that you have to wait around an airport for what seems like eternity in order to board the aircraft. Added to this you find yourself being pushed, prodded and poked by passengers as they move around on the plane. It is these reasons that I ask for assistance on the plane in terms of "Meet and Assist". What people do not always realise or perhaps people with Autism, that persons who may have or experience difficulty on pre-boarding can ask for this assistance in order to board the aircraft just a bit earlier than other people. I have used this service when traveling overseas.
My worst airplane experience happened when I flew from Brisbane to Melbourne on Christmas Day. Not only did I experience turbulence but I remember the cabin crew not being very helpful and a girl starring at me thinking I was some kind of freak as I grabbed hold of the arm rest. The worst plane captain must have been on that day as the descent was fast and rapid. I wondered if I would survive or end up dead upon arrival into Tullarmarine Airport? I managed to survive the flight luckily.
I don't mind flying but take off and descent are probably the worst. As the plane makes it way up to reach maximum altitude, I try to focus on my breathing for the changes in cabin pressure can naturally cause your ears to pop. Once the plane is in the sky then it is a matter of working out how to operate the often fiddly on board entertainment. Long flights can also be a bit taxing as far as sleep is concerned and with my trip to Spain coming up, I need to leave Brisbane Airport at 2am. I then fly to Dubai and then onto Madrid. There is something about going to Europe that always fascinates me. Different countries, different people, and diversity just makes you feel somewhat ecstatic.
One thing I do like to observe is some of the attractive airline hostesses. I often wonder how many would be up for a date if you asked them on one? Not that it would come naturally to ask one. I remember an attractive airline hostess on my flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. She seemed to in my opinion come from Hollywood and try her best to look like Farah Faucet.
I am not a fan of buses or trains. I remember once when I traveled to my internship in the Queensland Parliamentary Library, I sat beside this man who wanted to be anyone but on the bus. In fact people on buses in Brisbane tend to all go into some kind of dissociation from each other. It is forbidden to talk to the person next to you. When I boarded a bus one morning to go to the Parliamentary Library, the bus reached this bus stop and a disorientated and confused man boarded the bus. He was wearing shorts and a lose tea-shirt and he said to everyone "I have to go to work, and I will be late if the bus does not leave now!" I was somewhat confused myself but I think this man had a severe anxiety or panic attack. As I commented to the man next to me by saying "I wonder what he needed help with?" This man instead looked at me and did not comment. I felt like getting up on the bus and walking up and down the aisle with a nazi salute. I wanted to do something funny as people seemed so serious and rigid. I try to avoid buses at all cost in Brisbane as I get tired of cranky bus drivers. One literally beat a school boy up once when I was on my way to jungle warfare school. Oh the public transport in Brisbane? I remember one friend indicating recently that when he sat on a train this person boarded the carriage with a blood soaked shirt and was drunk. Sometimes Brisbane can be a funny place. Not to mention the signage on a train that you will be fined without a ticket when most train stations are unattended. So what can you do but try and take some sort of risk when you try and do the right thing?
I often don't find air travel a problem. The problem I find is the fact that you have to wait around an airport for what seems like eternity in order to board the aircraft. Added to this you find yourself being pushed, prodded and poked by passengers as they move around on the plane. It is these reasons that I ask for assistance on the plane in terms of "Meet and Assist". What people do not always realise or perhaps people with Autism, that persons who may have or experience difficulty on pre-boarding can ask for this assistance in order to board the aircraft just a bit earlier than other people. I have used this service when traveling overseas.
My worst airplane experience happened when I flew from Brisbane to Melbourne on Christmas Day. Not only did I experience turbulence but I remember the cabin crew not being very helpful and a girl starring at me thinking I was some kind of freak as I grabbed hold of the arm rest. The worst plane captain must have been on that day as the descent was fast and rapid. I wondered if I would survive or end up dead upon arrival into Tullarmarine Airport? I managed to survive the flight luckily.
I don't mind flying but take off and descent are probably the worst. As the plane makes it way up to reach maximum altitude, I try to focus on my breathing for the changes in cabin pressure can naturally cause your ears to pop. Once the plane is in the sky then it is a matter of working out how to operate the often fiddly on board entertainment. Long flights can also be a bit taxing as far as sleep is concerned and with my trip to Spain coming up, I need to leave Brisbane Airport at 2am. I then fly to Dubai and then onto Madrid. There is something about going to Europe that always fascinates me. Different countries, different people, and diversity just makes you feel somewhat ecstatic.
One thing I do like to observe is some of the attractive airline hostesses. I often wonder how many would be up for a date if you asked them on one? Not that it would come naturally to ask one. I remember an attractive airline hostess on my flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. She seemed to in my opinion come from Hollywood and try her best to look like Farah Faucet.
I am not a fan of buses or trains. I remember once when I traveled to my internship in the Queensland Parliamentary Library, I sat beside this man who wanted to be anyone but on the bus. In fact people on buses in Brisbane tend to all go into some kind of dissociation from each other. It is forbidden to talk to the person next to you. When I boarded a bus one morning to go to the Parliamentary Library, the bus reached this bus stop and a disorientated and confused man boarded the bus. He was wearing shorts and a lose tea-shirt and he said to everyone "I have to go to work, and I will be late if the bus does not leave now!" I was somewhat confused myself but I think this man had a severe anxiety or panic attack. As I commented to the man next to me by saying "I wonder what he needed help with?" This man instead looked at me and did not comment. I felt like getting up on the bus and walking up and down the aisle with a nazi salute. I wanted to do something funny as people seemed so serious and rigid. I try to avoid buses at all cost in Brisbane as I get tired of cranky bus drivers. One literally beat a school boy up once when I was on my way to jungle warfare school. Oh the public transport in Brisbane? I remember one friend indicating recently that when he sat on a train this person boarded the carriage with a blood soaked shirt and was drunk. Sometimes Brisbane can be a funny place. Not to mention the signage on a train that you will be fined without a ticket when most train stations are unattended. So what can you do but try and take some sort of risk when you try and do the right thing?
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