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! 

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.