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! 

Autism and ADHD At the Same Time?

Back-to-back blog number two today. Yesterday, I talked about the imaginary friend subject.
Today, I'm going to answer the question: do I have ADHD as well?
My answer is yes. I do have ADHD/ADD. My ADHD is a bit more severe than my Autism because I'm a hyper, easily distracted kid. I'll be working on something, and then I'll get distracted by something like a Folger's commercial or a bird flying past my window or something like that. I get so easily distracted that I cannot focus properly and normally. I have the attention span of a three year old. It's bad.
I also have to take a medication every day to help me control it. My medicine helps me a lot. I was asking my mom about this subject, and she said the best thing I've ever said to her is this: "You know how Dad is constantly changing the channel really fast on the TV? If I don't take my pill, I feel like my brain is changing the channel really fast." She said that she explained it in this way to her co-workers at my old charter school, and they were able to understand it more. Not a very bad way to explain what not having my medicine feels like, if I say so myself. This medicine helps me focus and helps me stay not so hyper, and not so loud!
Like I said, I am very easily distracted. I'm also very naturally hyper, which is why it's on a very rare occasion that I drink Mountain Dew. I've even been banned from energy drinks (DARN IT!) because of the amount of caffeine and sugar in them. Having ADHD is really hard when you're like that dog from UP and you see a squirrel. It's like: "La de da, working on the blog, working on the updates, so excited about goi-SQUIRREL! (few second pause) Okay, now where was I?" Some what like that, except, it's not a squirrel every single time. It could be the TV, it could be a noise, it could even be my phone. Either way, that's what my attention span is like without my medicine.
Having ADHD and Autism at the same time is chaos. Absolute chaos. These two things do not go well together. It makes my mental stability worse and my mental capability a bit lower. Even though the downsides are obvious, there is a good side. Having both makes it me be able to help people understand my Autism and ADHD better, and to know how we live and how we do things. In God's eyes, we are all his children and the disabilities and differences don't matter. That's how I view it. That's why I'm here. To help people understand us better. And I'm more than happy and honored to do just that.

My (Imaginary) Squad...

First of all, I don't think I could begin writing this post without sending my thoughts and prayers to Paris, Japan, South Africa, Lebanon, China, Mexico, and Baghdad. They have experienced a Friday the 13th like no other, a day filled with immortality and devastation. I'm asking you not to only pray for these countries, but pray for the world and pray for peace.
Ok, now I have TWO, count them, TWO blogs for you all this week. I was asked about having imaginary friends, but if I also have ADHD too. So, being the person I am and helping you guys understand Autism a little bit better, I am going to deliver.
First up, I'm going to answer the question: Did you have any imaginary friends? And, I answer, without any living doubt, yes. Yes, I did have imaginary friends when I was younger. I had, what's now called, a "squad" of imaginary friends. Seriously, I'd literally ask my mom every night if I can have a slumber party with these imaginary friends. I would talk about them 24/7 as a kid. I'd talk to them and about them at school and I talked to them at home. The imaginary friends I had varies from Nemo, Dora, and Barney (yes, Barney) to girls named Holly, Stephanie, and Maddy.
Again, these people are imaginary, they weren't real. I looked at them and in my mind, they were real. They just had imaginary paint on them and I'd actually be their voices while talking to them. In my mind as a little 10 year old, the imaginary friend concept was still ignored by me and I kept talking to all these imaginary friends, I'd walk with them, and I think an imaginary friend named Ashley taught me a few tips on how to be popular. Yeah, that didn't work out so great. It was on that day, I realized that if you want tips on becoming popular, do NOT seek advice from imaginary friends!
That was then. You're probably wondering, what about now? Do you still? My honest answer to you is yes. I still do. That doesn't mean I've "gone mad" or "mentally unstable" or even "crazy." It just means I still have imaginary friends. I now have a small group of these friends (four to five), are all made up in my imagination, and are with me whenever I'm alone. They're with me right now as I'm writing to you and being as real and honest as I can about this subject.
Here's the thing guys...I'm not crazy. I didn't go mad. I'm just Autistic. I'm a human with TWO worlds; this world and my world. Whenever I'm alone or by myself, I slip into my own world at any given moment, and these imaginary friends are waiting for me to be with them. One of the biggest bits of comfort I find if I'm upset is if I go in my world, and hang out with these imaginary friends, even if it's for five minutes or five hours, maybe even five days. Every day, I talk to them and they bring me a sense of comfort and relief.
Every day, I encounter them, but I've learned to separate them from this world if I am out in public. Sometimes, I often forget that there are people around, and here's this 20 year old talking to someone that isn't there. I get looks and whispers all the time if this happens. Some, unfortunately from adults who do not understand the battle of Autism I'm currently fighting. I'm someone with Autism, trying to find a place in this crazy world, and trying to survive in this world.
Again, as I've said numerous times in numerous posts, it comes down to acceptance, which is why I'm doing what I'm doing. I cannot stress the word "acceptance" enough. The Autism communities around the world need to know they are accepted and feel like they belong. So, please. Accept us.

Don't Think I Can't Hear You...I Can

Time for another post, and this one is, I think, one of the most insightful posts I've ever written since I started this blog back in May.

The topic today is about something I 100% can relate to and to this day, still struggle with, as this individual with Autism. I'm talking about my EXTRA sensitive hearing.

So, as many of you doctors, researchers, parents, and even Autistic people like me may know, Autism partially effects our sensoric parts and components in our brain, making us more sensitive to how we see, how we touch, how we react to certain textures, and most importantly, how we hear. People with Autism, as Elmo puts it (props to Sesame Workshop and Sesame Street for Julia, the first muppet with Autism), have really good hearing, so we hear much more acutely than the average non-Autistic person.

There are so many videos on YouTube to help people better understand, but I figured I'd share what it's like from my own perspective. Let's say I'm upstairs doing homework in my quiet room with soft music playing. Then, all of the sudden, you hear cars passing by. Then, you hear a baby and toddler yelling and crying with the TV on downstairs. And let's not forget the music from the bathroom with the shower head running, the thumping from the dog scratching, and the sirens from THREE, yes THREE, blocks away. Now, take all that and add the ability to try and focus as hard as you can at the same time. See where I'm going with this? In my mind, it starts out with a "I'll just ignore it," and the noises grow more and more and more loud in my mind. With the amount of concentrating and trying to ignore the noises, it gets too much. I lose it. I put my work aside, crawl in this ball, and cry and sometimes, I wail and scream.

I do this because it releases the tension and plus, I can't handle that much noise. I crumble and breakdown like no tomorrow. It's pretty bad. What most people don't understand is how this effects people like me. If they did, then they'd help us instead of judging us. And I get the judgement all the time, even now as I'm older. They give me whispers. They think I can't hear them, but I can, and it hurts. It hurts a lot.

So, THAT, my friends, is the reason why I'm on my phone with my earbuds in my ears when in a restaurant and in the store. It helps me escape from the real world to my world. My world is my calming place and helps me relax and not get worked up in public. I cover my ears when everything gets too loud, which is usually a "Hey, I'm kind of struggling here," sign. I distance myself from everyone and my surroundings, and 65% of the time, I don't even speak at all until I'm stable enough to talk without even thinking about my possible meltdown.

This is how I cope; when I notice it early, I take deep breaths, count to ten, and take a break. If I notice it a little bit later, I take my Play-Doh, and I use that for a little bit until I'm okay. If I notice it a little bit later than that, I start going in my world, which involves me dancing, acting, and singing at the very top of my lungs (I mainly do acapella experimentation, but we're not getting into that), and watching VeggieTales. If I notice three seconds before the meltdown, I realize that I need to let it out, and I do. It's not the way I want to let it out, but it's the way I am, and I love who I am. I just wish I didn't have to wail and scream 65% of the time.

Bottom line: I wish people would try not to look at me like Autism is a disease and that I can control it, when in reality, I can't. Educating people about Autism is the first step to understanding us and become more aware that things like this is WAY beyond our control. That is why I decided to take this job as an author/advocate, to help everyone better understand us so they are not too quick to judge us.

So, don't think I can't hear you, because believe it or not, I can.

Autistic Maid of Honor...

Hey guys! Sorry that it's been a while since I've been on here. These past few weeks have been SUPER BUSY!! I was getting ready for this week (Finals Week) before I take the Winter Quarter off, and also my sister got married on Saturday. Yep, she got married on Halloween. The colors were white and horizon blue, THANK GOODNESS for that. I had an important role that day. I was the Maid of Honor.
I was so confused when the wedding was approaching as to why she chose me, her Autistic little sister, to be her Maid of Honor when she had so many friends who could easy take that title. My mom told me that it was because I'm her baby sister and that sisters will remain with each other forever, and that she adores me. So, with that answer in mind, I had to figure out how in the world was I going to mentally handle the commotion, the ceremony, the limo ride, the pictures, and, most importantly, the reception.
Those who know me EXTREMELY well know that I can't handle loud noises, loud music, open flames, flashing lights, and commotion.
So, I made the difficult decision to leave my Play-Doh, stress toys, and sketch pad at home. This day was the most important day of my big sister's life, and I did NOT want my Autism to overshadow her and her day. It was about her and what she wanted. I did keep my iPhone and earbuds with me, just in case I needed that escape to my own world to keep me sane and calm.
The rehearsal and hall decorating the night before went pretty well. Then, the day arrived. Wedding day. I knew I had a major job to do to keep my sister proud, and I did not want to let her down. So, we arrived at the church, got my hair and make-up (yes, make-up) done, and I got into my dress. My sister looked so beautiful in her dress and with her hair curled and halfway up. We lined up to walk down the aisle, and my over-emotional self began crying because my big sister is getting married. As the little sister I was, I cried the entire ceremony. On the stage, it was my sister, the groom, the best man, and me across from him and next to my beautiful sister. They poured the unity sand, and they kissed. It was official, they were married. I gained a big brother, but I also gained two little sisters and one KID brother. After the ceremony, we had a receiving line. By the way, it was a family friend of ours who suggested I blog about this whole wedding day experience while talking to her in the receiving line. After that, I grabbed the ever so important limo bag, and the whole wedding party went into the limo. We were all in this tiny space and all crammed up, which kind of made me feel a teensy bit uneasy. Then, we took the outside pictures before it poured and went back to the limo to head back to the reception at the hall. During the ride back, in my mind, I was thinking 'how in the world am I going to get through this? I have to try for my big sister. This day is so important to her, and the last thing I want is for people to go up to my mom asking if I'm okay.' So, I took a deep breath, put my Autism issues aside, and attempted to make it through the reception without wanting to go home.
Well, the important part of the reception went well. I gave my speech, I watched the dances, and I was EATING!! The rest, not so much. I suddenly was triggered by the yelling and the candles on the tables, and being right behind the speakers where music was blaring 300 didn't help much either. I had to constantly tell myself that it wasn't about me and how I felt, it was about my sister, and this was what she wanted. I did manage to catch the bridal bouquet, but gave it to an old woman, and then she gave it back to me, so looks like I'm next. Sorry, mom and dad.
After that, all I kept hearing was 'I want to go home now, my job is done, I'm too overwhelmed, is it almost over,' stuff like that. I'm right now, as I am typing this, crying because I feel bad for even thinking about that. I kept telling myself to try and stay calm. Then, it was over. It was 10:30, 11:00 at night. On the way home, I broke down. I held my meltdown this long and I'm now letting it out. My mom and dad kept telling me I did good with handling myself, but I felt defeated. My Autism won, again. Sometimes I look of Autism as a blessing, but in this case, I looked at it as a curse. Autism got the best of me, and Autism defeated me on my sister's big day. I feel awful just talking about it. I'm still trying to recover from everything, and I feel bad about that too. Being Autistic can be rewarding, but it's also very hard.
I reflect on this day as a day of love, and a day where my Autism was put to the ultimate test. In the end, my sister got married, she's with the man she loves, she's happy, and I did my job wonderfully as the Maid of Honor, and that's all that matters to me. Sending love to all of you, and remember to vote today.

Routine, Routine, Routine...

Hey guys! It's me again. And if you are someone who has Autism, like yours truly, or if you're a parent with a child with Autism, then this topic will be very relatable. I'll try my best to keep this as simple and understandable as possible.

Today, I'm talking about routines and how routines affect lives with Autism in the mix. Here's the thing: routine is the MOST IMPORTANT, I repeat, MOST IMPORTANT, thing in an Autistic person's life. Everyone should have some sort of routine, like getting up for work, going to school, eating food, ect., but a routine is what Autistic people depend on to help them learn the basics of living and how to make it through this world. I don't remember having a routine when I was younger, which I'm pretty sure I did, but I think mine was more verbal than visual. I think that has helped me learn how to do certain things by myself. Things like brushing my hair, knowing how to shower/bathe, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, stuff like that.

I do think that Autistic people should have a routine. You know those little lists with the simple shapes and stick figures in a box that Autistic people use? I've used that and trust me when I say this: they help. Autistic people learn and think by using pictures. I feel that I cannot do something unless I have someone show me how the first time. Using pictures and visuals will help the person with Autism better understand the daily routines they have to partake in. It's not only needed at the home, but I strongly feel that this method should be used in schools across America. It will help the children and adults with Autism understand what they need to do, what is allowed in school, what not to do at school, rewards, punishments, what to do during drills, where to go, stuff like that. I also feel like it should be allowed in the workforce, with Autistic adults going to work who need some guidance as to what to do, what not to do, where to go, and stuff like that.

I may be young right now, but throughout my life, I'm going to try to make these last two things happen. It's so crucial for someone with Autism to have a set routine or two. One slight, tiny change will set them off and they go into a meltdown. Trust me, I've done that before and I know what it feels like; it's not pretty. If Autistic children have a routine at home and school/work, it will help them understand and function better.

Well, that's what I have to say on that. I hope I made this as understandable as possible. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog.