What's So Great About Having Autism/Aspergers Syndrome?

Hey, guys! It's been WAY too long, I know. I've been meaning to post sooner, but the Blogger app on my phone hasn't been working and been all wacky. And I've also been super busy lately. I figured since that I'm currently editing the next YouTube video discussing the same topic, I'd go ahead and write about it on here. AND if you came to the blog via the video, thanks for stopping by! :)
Today, I'll be talking about something that's positive. I'll be talking about what's good about having Autism and/or Aspergers Syndrome (btw, that IS what I actually have).
So, I've been pointed out the bad things about being on the spectrum for as long as I can remember, and up until a few years ago, it was basically all I knew. Something was wrong with me was the daily message sent to me a lot, and sadly, in some, subtle ways, that message gets sent sent loud and clear sometimes. I've heard it so many times, it's basically stuck in my mind, and I just can't get rid of it. That's what those things can do to you. Everyone just assumes that just because I so happen to have a disorder in my brain, that I am an idiot and that I have a disease, when that is seriously not the case. I may have learned how to live with it, and know what to do if bad days occur, but I'm going to be on the spectrum for the rest of my life, THERE IS NO CURE. Sorry I had to say that negative realization, but I found that out the hard way. Not one thing can cure Autism, but with time it can be much more easier to manage and live with, ask my mother.
But, that doesn't necessarily mean that I have to look at that as a bad thing when in reality, it is an awesome thing. Yes, I said it. It's awesome to be on the Autism spectrum, and I'm darn proud of it, too! Most Autistic people are incredibly gifted. I was fortunate enough to be artistic and musically inclined. I haven't used my gifts to back off the doubters just yet, but in time, I'll figure it out. We use our gifts to show people how incredibly talented and gifted we actually are. We also see the world in a whole different perspective, and we often catch things that you may not notice and that you may not see. It also helps if you need an extra input or opinion on something. How we see things versus how you see things is so different. What you may think is enjoyable might be scary to us. What you may think is not funny might be funny to us and so on. With that different perspective we have, we can see things in a new way, and we can use that perspective to let our voices of opinion to be heard. And honestly, that's pretty amazing.
But that's not as amazing as the fact that we can use our Autism for good, IF we are given the chance. If you guys don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about what I'm doing at this moment in my life; educating everyone about Autism, and highlighting the importance of awareness. We can use our stories, our insight, our experiences to help you understand how we live, how we act and react, how we show emotion, how we communicate, and how we survive in this world we live in. Why I'm continuously doing just that is because I want you to understand what's going on, and I'm trying to help prevent these Autistic kids from suffering the horrific, unfortunate, unhappy childhood I had to endure because I was Autistic and judged CONSTANTLY. Just knowing that I'm so far doing a pretty good job at that from reading your comments and reponses you leave just make me feel awesome.
There are some downsides to being on the spectrum, but there are also some good things about it, not to mention being really intellegent. It's not always to look on the bright side of things, but it helps make living with Autism much more easier, happier, and it really boosts the confidence a lot.
Well, that's it for now! Until next time...

Autism and Trying Something New...

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I last blogged on here but I've been super, super busy! Now that I have a free moment to myself, I thought I should get on here and talk to guys about something.

Today I'm going to be talking about Autism and trying something new.

I did a blog last year about the changes aspect of this topic, but I felt that I should write about this topic because they go hand-in-hand.

In the world, everyone has their own personal preference for a lot of things. Their clothes, hair, shoes, food, stuff like that. However, there's that one person whose specialty is peer pressure, and you're in a surrounding that isn't your personal preference, that's outside your comfort zone. That person's saying "Try it, you'll like it." And you feel compelled to try it.

For people like you, that seems really easy. But for people with Autism, like me, it's much harder than it sounds. We like our comfort zone, our little bubble. We like the way things are. It's hard trying something new because it's different to us and it throws us off, a lot.

If you don't understand, I'll give you a great example. Up until my 19th birthday in 2014, I HATED roller coasters. I never went on one, I would see the loops, the speed, and all that noise, and I'm like, "Nope. No way I'm doing that." On my birthday, we went to Cedar Point to celebrate. My sister, her boyfriend (now husband) and brother were persuading me to try riding The Gatekeeper. I kept asking if it was smooth and if there were a lot of turns, you know, the typical. After about 10 minutes, I said "I'll go if dad goes." So we waited, and I went on. I actually turned 19 on that ride, believe it or not. So, I rode the coaster, and I absolutely LOVED it!! It took a while, about 15 years to convince me to go on a roller coaster, but I did and I love them.

I also didn't like parties at all when I was a kid. To this day, I still don't like going to parties because of the issues related to my Autism. Too much commotion, and people, and chaos, and noise. I still have a problem with birthday and regular parties, but thankfully, my mom has set places for me to go in for a few minutes to calm down if my sensory issues are being berserkers, so it's not that big of an issue. But knowing my family and friends are there with me makes everything better.

Let's not forget the candle issue. For the longest time, I was afraid of candles. Yes, candles. Don't judge me. One day, I told my mom that I want to try blowing out a candle to see if I could handle it. So, on a Saturday in March, I was going back and forth about it. Did I really want to do this? So, I decided that I needed to do this, alone. So, I tried it, and now, I want to blow those suckers out every time I see a lit candle.

Funny how when you try things and see that it's not so bad, you start to like it. But, some things never change. I still like my bubble. I have my sensory issues when it comes to going places and foods and stuff like that. I'm still not the biggest fan of going to parties (Autism issues), I like doing things the same, I still like wearing dresses and nightgowns more than sweat pants and jeans. I'm a picky kid, ask my mom. She'll 100% agree with me.

Honestly, I HATE trying something new, because it's different. The constant judgement, ridicule, and bullying I received as a child and teen left me with one message: different is bad. Be careful what you say, you never know who could be listening. I like keeping things the same, and after a long time of doing the same things over and over, the more I become relaxed and used to it. Any sudden change throws me off.

Moral of the blog: Autistic people are struggling to trying something new. Help them. Encourage them. And even if they don't like it, accept them for their Autism and who they are.

Well, guys, until next time...

Autism and...Public Speaking?

Hey guys!! It's Taylor, again.

I hope you guys had a great Autism Awareness Day. I sure did! I went to the mall with my mom, and I even got a "Through My Autistic Eyes" video from it. I can't wait to share that with you guys, so look forward to that next week.

Also, I have released the video of my story! So far, I've gotten an incredible positive response, so thank you all very much for that.

Now, onto today's topic...public speaking.

This is something I've been wanting to talk about for a long time. Autism and public speaking, like every topic associated with public speaking, go hand-in-hand with one another. It's something that I feel should be talked about from both experience and opinion.

I have spoken publicly before. I spoke to my class in February 2015, and April 2015. The actual speaking part is the easiest, I'm saying that right now. The difficult part is figuring out what I'm going to say, how I'm going to address what I'm saying, the words I use, how to connect with the people I'm speaking to, what volume and tone I'm going to be using, simple stuff like that. A lot goes into speaking in front of people.

The first time I spoke publicly in April of 2015, I was so excited, but very nervous. It was my first time speaking publicly and I didn't know what to expect. I spoke at a church of a friend of my dad's, and I had my notes, I had my practices alone in my room, I was ready to go. The nerves kicked in as I was walking up to the stage, but as soon as I got up there, I felt so comfortable. After I was done, I realized that it was actually pretty awesome.

After that first speaking opportunity, I had a passion for speaking. I loved it that much. The coolest thing is seeing first hand the impact you're making on so many lives. When people came up to me and said thank you for what I said and sharing my story, it made me feel good. Really good.

I haven't been speaking much since mainly because of my school schedule that I had. Now that I'm taking a break from school, I have some time on my hands, and I can speak some more.

Would I love to public speak again in the future? YES, I'd love to. I love connecting with people and sharing my story. If someone were to ask me to do it again, I'd have to consult my mom first, but I would absolutely say yes. I have this passion to speak publicly, and it's worth it. The stress, rehearsals, restless nights, note redo's, and the nerves are all worth it. That's because I know I've made a difference in someone's life in one way or another.

Talk to you guys, later!! :)

Autism and Reading...

Hey guys! I am so sorry I haven't blogged on here lately, but with between the YouTube videos and a lot of stuff going on in my life right now, I just didn't have the time and I got super super busy. I am so sorry, but I am back and I have a very good topic to talk to you guys about.

Today I'm going to be blogging about Autism and reading and how they kind of go hand-in-hand with one another and how they can relate to each other. I am also going to explain how reading can help people understand Autism a little bit better.

So, I wasn't really that much of a bookworm when I was a kid. But as I grew older, the more I begin to appreciate the fresh book smell, the sound of crisp pages turning, and the words that are typed in Times new Roman font. There's absolutely nothing like it.

I know that not all Autistic people are able to read. I was one of those kids who did not know how to read that well because of my mental disability. But, after a lot of practice, and a lot of tutoring, I began to learn more how to read each day and till I got to the point where I actually could read. Some Autistic people are more severe than I am and they really don't know how to read. But at the same time, there are people out there in the world who have Dyslexia, which is a disability that has you read backwards. See you know those pictures on Facebook that say if you can read this backwards you're very smart? Well, that's an every day issue people with Dyslexia have, and I honestly don't know how they do it or how they handle it.

So how did I, as an Autistic child, learn how to read? It's very simple. Most of my childhood contained picture books with very limited word usage. Autistic people think in pictures and that's how they learn. To this day, I still think in pictures and I have learned about 90% of what I know from pictures. There are some Autistic adults who spend every single day of their life reading books with pictures and very limited word usage, and that's OK.

But how do Autism and reading relate to each other? They relate to each other because now, there are books that serve as resources to help the world understand Autism. Now I wish those books were a little bit more accurate, nevertheless, but it's still serves as a tool to help the world better understand Autism and to help the world become more aware of the disability that I have. Take a look around you. There are Autism related books for children, teens, adults, and even professional doctors. Reading a book about Autism is something that I highly encourage everyone in the world to do. That way, they can understand what all I'm going through and what I do and how they can help me feel like I'm in a safe place at a time where the world is a very scary place right now.

So that's all what I have to say about reading. I did end up making a Lazy Day Video based around the subject, but I wanted to blog about it because I kind of want to go a little bit more in depth about it with you guys as to how it relates to Autism. I really hope you guys are like in the YouTube videos, I hope you guys are still liking the blog, and I really hope that you guys are still liking what I'm doing, because as long as you like what I'm doing I'm going to keep doing it. Even if you don't like it, (which is NOT THE CASE right now with all the positive response I've been receiving), I'm still going to keep doing it because Autism is something nobody understands. I want to help the world better understand Autism and to shine a light on Autism saying that Autism is not a disease. It's only a disability, so stop treating us like we're really really sick. Treat us with open arms, give us the encouragement and the support we really want, give us the acceptance we strive for. 

Thank you guys for taking the time to read this, and I'll talk to you guys later! :)

Catch Up and Updates

Hey guys. It's me again. I'm so sorry I haven't been on here lately. I've been very busy. If you haven't heard yet, a blog I submitted to Autism Speaks is FEATURED on their website!! I've put a link in my latest YouTube video where I talk about my middle school experiences, if you want to check it out.

Then, I made a very big, life changing decision about whether to go back to school or continue on with this. I felt more passionate about doing this and felt that this is my calling than graphic design. College was an unbelievable experience. I learned so much, had amazing opportunities, and an amazing staff and faculty. I'm so grateful for what I've done in college, and grateful to the staff and faculty. So, there's that.

Here's a current update for you, I'm sick! I'm at home resting and writing up a storm right now since I haven't been on as often as I should have. Sorry, guys. I'll do better.

An exciting thing happened last Monday! So, I sent Reba (yes, THE Reba) two drawings for Christmas, and she sent them back to me SIGNED!!! I freaked out, and I haven't come back down to Earth yet. I'm still on cloud nine. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH, REBA!!!

So, there's the catch up. Now for the updates...

I'm still going to blog on here as much as I can, and I'm also doing the YouTube videos too. So far, it's been pretty hard doing both, so I'm going to try my best to do both on the same topics, but I might have to do a few that are on different topics. So, the video concept idea that I have will be starting in two weeks!! I'm so excited for you guys to see it! So, I'll keep you posted on that. So, April is Autism Awareness month, and I've decided that I'm going to share my story on YouTube instead of a blog post. That video will be uploaded on April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day. So, stay tuned for that.

Other than that, I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the love and support. Whether you jumped on board from the Autism Speaks article, or if you were on board since day one, or if you jumped on board ten minutes ago, I thank you. You continuous love and support from you makes me feel that I made the right career choice, and your positive comments and feedback I always receive from you make me love my job even more. So, I thank you, and I love you guys so much.

Alright, so that's pretty much it for now. Until next time, bye!! :)

My Thought Process While Learning...

Hey guys!!!

SO sorry I haven't been on here for a while. Like I said last time, I took a break for the holidays. BUT, I was starting up my next venture.

CATCH UP TIME! Okay, so I have officially decided to start a YouTube channel and post videos on there to help me provide insight and advice, as well as my story and experiences. I posted the first video up last Tuesday if you want to check it out. I'll put a link in here somewhere.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhcrdneDR21

Okay, so I went on my Instagram and asked you what you wanted me to talk about. I was asked about my thought process while learning and reading comprehension. So, I'm here to do just that.

So, growing up, my reading comprehension was HORRIBLE. To this day, I feel like I still struggle with it at times. I did work with a couple of IEP specialists in my youth up until tenth grade, when I went from IEP to Section 504. If I read something, let's say, a passage from a story, I wouldn't be able to recall what exactly happened in the story.

So, what's helped me a lot is breaking up the passages, little by little, until I got to a point where I am able to explain what all happened. So, I broke it up every 2-3 sentences, and that seemed to help. Another thing that helped me was describing through pictures. I'm a visual type of person, and as someone with Autism, I tend to think in pictures and connect them as best as I could. So, if they used a picture book, or if they drew a picture for me, I would remember that way too. Hearing the story on a tape or CD, that helped too because the words would play in my head. That's how I've been able to learn lines for Christmas pageants.

So, that's what's helped me, but every Autistic person is different. Maybe they need more audio than visual. Maybe less visual and more breaking up. Everyone is different.

I wish I had more methods and ways to share, but I honestly don't remember much because it's been a while since I had an IEP specialist working with me. If this is a little confusing, I'm filming and uploading the new YouTube video tomorrow on this very same topic which I hope can clarify this a bit more.

Before I go, I just want to add that I might do just the blog post on a topic, I might do just a video on a topic, or I might do both. This time is one of those times where I'm doing both. Also, I'm doing fun videos too, which I explained in the first video.

So, I hope you guys liked the post and I hope it helps. See you all soon!!

Traditions, Traditions Everywhere...

Hi, everyone!!

It's been a while since I've wrote on here. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back on here, but my personal life took a huge bad turn. My childhood/church friend, Abby, passed away on November 30th at only fourteen years old. She was an incredible friend, and I'll miss her dearly. To say her passing was a shock is an understatement. Bottom line, the bullying HAS to stop.

So, I made the decision to give myself a temporary break from the blog and social media pages to deal with the loss. Then, the holiday craziness kicked in and I was getting gifts ready and cards sent out. I've been super busy.

So, since I have a few minutes to myself, I thought I'd blog about the Christmas season and my traditions, as well as learning about other holidays and the traditions associated with them.

First, I want to talk about learning about other holidays and their traditions. So, even though I'm a Non-Denominational Christian, I think that as humans, I think it's really good to learn about other holidays. I kind of relate it to my Autism. I mean, I would want people to learn more about Autism to fully understand how I live and act. It's the same concept with that. It's good for Autistic people to learn about other people too, that way, we can understand each other.

So, that's what I'm saying about that. I'm now going to talk about my traditions and how my family and I celebrate Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, we are at my grandparents house who live out of town. I always go a few days early to help them with Christmas Eve (and to make my famous cherry cheesecake). Last year, my Grammie got sick and had to delay Cheistmas Eve. Here's where it was memorable; we went to church on Christmas Eve for the first time. We usually go to a Christmas Eve service a few days earlier. The presence of God filled the room and I felt His presence and love the whole time.

Some things that doesn't change is Sloppy Joe on Christmas Eve, opening the presents from the grandparents on Christmas Eve, and those awesome Christmas Jammie's!! After the Christmas Eve, we head back home and go to bed. I turn on one of the most amazing traditions of all; 24 HOURS OF A CHRISTMAS STORY!!!! Yep, I actually watch that movie over and over again.

Then, Christmas morning! I get really excited for this part. Part of that is my Autism, I get too overly excited about stuff like this. Plus, I LOVE ripping paper. It's really therapeutic.

After that, we relax a bit, eat dinner, then we collapse and relax some more. Everyone sleeps, and I'm like the only one whose fiddling with my presents!

The top things I love about Christmas are really important to me. The first is the true meaning of Christmas. It's celebrating the birth of Jesus, a symbol of God's love for us, who would eventually die a brutal death for our sins and be forgiven and whole with God. The second is being with my most amazing family. God truly blessed me with such wonderful parents and siblings who have my back and stand up for me every day. I love them all.

I wanted to talk about these things because it'll be next year before I get on and blog again. That means I'm giving myself a holiday break. 2015 has been an amazing year, and I cannot wait to see what good and awesome things 2016 will bring me!

So, from my family to yours, have a Happy Holidays and have a very Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year!