Giving a talk on Asperger's

Post Reply New Topic

I'm going to be giving a 45 minute talk (not including discussion/q&a) to a group of school therapists/counselors/clinicians about Asperger's Syndrome. Many of them are acquainted with it and have been to a workshop, I'm told. This is my first big public speaking gig (well, not a gig since I'm not paid, hehe) and I'm nervous as hell, but confident I can prepare and deliver it well.

There is a certain set of issues/points in my mind. If I were to put them into a book, I'd call the book "Real Aspergers" or "Aspergers Today" or something like that. The kind of issues that people like us talk about and contemplate and get riled up over...that aren't known by the public and aren't known even among people in the field. And to dispel misunderstandings.

One focus of my agenda is to be as accessible as possible. A lot of the people speaking for our cause aren't always the most reasonable...."autism establishment!! !!1 genocidez0rz!! ! boogaboogabooga!!!one" (exaggeration). I'm going to try to be an engaging speaker and try to communicate some of the issues in a bit more toned down manner that NTs, hell, people in general, can understand.

My question to you: what points would you make about Aspergers if you had a spiffy opportunity like mine? These can be the political kind I've made fun of above, or just personal things, as significant or insignificant as possible.

Also: how should it be delivered? what are some good tricks? what kind of audience participation should I invite? any good jokes to open with?

I've been told by others I should try to tell my own story and firsthand experiences. I'm not sure because I might talk about myself too much. what do you think?

thanks!

I would say that patience and respect for difference are key to working with anybody, particularly those on the spectrum. It is the kind of thing that shouldn't need saying, but it does.

I would also say that children with AS grow into adults with AS, and adults with AS now were probably just seen as wierd kids, and might still just be seen as wierd adults. The recurring theme I find with any information on the autistic spectrum is the heavy focus on children. We grow up! As you are talking to people who are possibly only working with kids this still needs to be pointed out - what do those kids they are working with do when they leave school?

Robin

I'd say spending a good time talking about sensory issues for one. Also dispelling some myths/stereotypes of lack of creativity, imagination, etc. Talking about the "spectrum within a spectrum" and how if you've met once Aspie, you've only met one Aspie-- about how different we all are. How individual and not clones under a gigantic label. That each of us have different problems at different levels of severity; whereas one person might consider their greatest hardship social issues while another considers sensory issues to be the most debilitating.

Stress moving away from the Aspie stereotype. That's my biggest suggestion.

You also need to mention that AS is often combined with something else, be it AD(H)D or OCD, and that it can often confuse the person trying to diagnos the person. A few of the PDD-NOS stories sound a lot like mine. And that we can be successful, while still showing symptoms in public and without some kind of cure.

Mention subjective vs. objective descriptions... I.E. how many NT's tend to see us in a light that suits them, vs. how we see ourselves.

This takes some thought, as we make faux pas after faux pas, and we unintentiontionally misunderstand some situations.

My advice is to sit and think about these situations because that is something that we, as people with AS, should practice. There is no time like the present to do this. Considering that we've been through a lot, that doesn't mean that we are going to go through more. This is just my honest opinion.

Reminds me. Stories. Anybody got any stories? I want to tell a few stories, preferably some that aren't my own.

Kind of like how presidential candidates are always like "I met Ol' Momma Bo-Chunk Wilson in Omaha, Nebraska. She's a father of 84 and has breast cancer of the head. Her pension was cut off at the factory."

Except not that stupid. You know what I mean. I want to talk about some people I know/have corresponded with so it's not just me.

Stray thoughts, not knowing you, or your audience.

Do you have any idea what they are expecting? Giving a little bit of that might warm and prime them for more unexpected material...

Give them some different examples of AS folk and their behaviours and abilities. At the least, making them carry three or four stereotypes is going to be better than letting them get hooked up on one. If you spend TOO much time on yourself, might you give them the impression that AS is like you, which is a step too far?

Look at the other end of the spectrum: point out where too much connectivity and social interaction also causes problems... More isn't always better.

Point out where "normal" isn't always the objective: we don't, on the whole, "cure" olympic athletes.

We want some jokes... maybe you could ask here for them.
"Many AS children do not have any sense of humour"
Would not go down too well with many of them.
(and yes, literalism can be a problem for some)


One morning his wife came into Einstein's study and said:
"Quick, put a suit on, there's some men from the government here to see you."
Einstein replied: "If they've come to see my suit show them the wardrobe. If they've come to see me, show them in."

I can ditto that. I think the "personal narrative" angle ought to inform the research and the literature.

But also, the issue that is seriously crawling up my behind is that if AS is going to be classified as a neurological condiiton, that some discernible indications of its specific neurological disposition should be central to the dx. I'm getting very fed up with kids and adults getting dx'd based largely or solely upon observations of social or emotional developmental problems that are not exclusive to AS. It's turning AS into an umbrella dx which not only blurs its relevent distinction, but hurts the AS dx creditablity over all.

Oh yeah another thing - and specific comorbid psychological problems, like MDD, GAD, impulse control, anger management, personality disorders, etc., need to be looked at as comorbid on an individual case basis and not something inherently universal to AS, even if these problem may have a correlation to AS or another comorbid neurological condition, such as EFD, NVLD, ADD, etc.

Last edited by Cade on 16 Jan 2006, 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The issue of diagnosises is an interesting one. In some ways, I'm not against the use of it as an umbrella term, because we still live in a society that does not respect neurodiversity.

You have to have an excuse to be who you are these days. If you're a bit different, that's terrible, horrible! You should try to be more like everyone else! But if you, however, have Condition X™, then nobody can question it or deny you accommodations, in theory.

It's a crazy world we live in. People need to be more respectful of these differences rather than trying to pigeonhole everyone. I mean, I do agree, it does undermine credibility, absolutely, but hey, what are you gonna do?

wow, you and alex are my heroes. im gonna try and see if i can speak at some seminars and conferences soon. i am actually going to a gillberg seminar in only a few days. i think i will try and interrupt, coz no one asked me to speak.
anyway: u could tell them that we are brain-enhanced, instead of brain-damaged, or brain-hindered ("funksjonshinder", i dunno the real word)
thats what i call myself these days.
well, try and focus on anti-cure, and different demographics. on how different we are, that kinda stuff, thats what i would do. i dont think u shold tell your story. just try and talk about different things you have heard about different aspies. i dunno
good luck

I'm not talking about looking for accomendations or understanding from society. I don't expect that of society. I talking about the understanding of AS on the part of psyhciatrists, psychologists, therapies and counselors. If they don't bother to make disctinctions that lay closer to the root nature of AS, then how well are they going understand this condition ina larger context, as something with a human face who lives within huan society? And its these people who inform the larger society. If they don't appreciate AS on a deeper, more understanding level beyond "difference=disease," the larger society won't either. Furthermore, if they themeselves discredit the AS dx, unintentionally or intentionally, what does that tell the larger society? It tells them that anyone who claims to be AS is full of s*** . And I'm not talking hypothetically here - that backlash is already happening, because I have to deal it myself.

Moreover, if these people, the "experts," just see us are primarily socially or emotionally dysfunctional, with only a vague idea that there's some neurolgoical disposition behind it, AS will always be a disorder in their minds and nto a matterof "neurodiversity." It will always be something that is undesired and should be avoided or fixed. What good is that for us, really? They're still emphazing what is "wrong" with us without considering there is more to AS and to us as Aspies that isn't necessarily dysfunctional, perhaps even very positive, desirable and worthwhile. That last part is just ignored, and we are where we were before: being bombarded with messages there's something very wrong with us and we're not valuable to society because of it.

As for pigeonholing, yeah that's what society does. And that's what society did to us before we could say we were AS. I don't expect that to change. I just would like the people who claim to care about us and our situation - the researchers, the shrinks, the therapists - to acknowledge the whole package of teh As person and not so quickly write us and anyone else that seems AS-ish off in bunk beause of only what they see on the surface. If they treat us like that, then the rest of society will too. And we'll be just as screwed as we ever were.

Definitely.
Cure all Olympic athletes at once. They're definitely not normal. Nowhere near it.
Ah. Now you tell me *sometimes* it's good not to be normal.
Ok. Who gets to decide?

It is simple be Yourself, do it in a clear and understanding way enough said.

I have spoken hundreds of times in front of hundreds of people just remember what I have stated above and You will do great.

Nonononono, I'm not *saying* that myself, I'm saying that's that's what society often thinks of people. Geez. I agree with you.

Ah, I see what you mean now. That's kind of the point I want to drive. I want to explain how critical the work they do is and show how damaging these misconceptions can be, because there are a lot of misconceptions among well-meaning people. I can see that backlash too, when I think about it. I will definitely try to discuss that, the issues that arise from it being used as an umbrella term.

They only *started* diagnosing us less than 20 years ago. Most of us are from that first generation that has grown up being diagnosed and "treated" and stuff....and in a lot of cases, it doesn't help. Now this generation is talking on websites like this one, and few people are listening. I'm really hoping to come down on some of these ways of thinking about AS that are wrong, and the broadening of it is one I didn't think about as much...but I do also want to discuss the "spectrum within a spectrum" idea as well....they're not entirely at odds. I think really the overarching concern here is tolerance and understanding, from which a lot of these other things stem.

Here's another question. I remember seeing this guy giving a presentation on giving presentations (here's the presentation: http://www.tedroche.com/Present/2005/Speaking.html) and one thing from it was that you should always have three major points, no more, no less. What three points are the most important, and in what order?

I do have an outline that I could run off of, but I'm trying to optimize it for effectiveness and also to get as much input from the community I'm trying to represent.