Autism Spectrum Exhibition

[CoolConfucius 52]

Hi Folks! 

This topic isn't related to MLP but I'm looking for help. 

I'm a Santa Clara University undergrad and this season I'm in charge of putting up an exhibition to spread autism spectrum awareness for my campus. In this exhibition, I'm making an oppression section: on stigma, misrepresentation of autism in the media, news of individuals abused due to their condition. 
I'm also making a hope section: good information on the autism spectrum, celebrating neurodiversity, resources that'll help individuals on the spectrum.

For interactivity, I'm thinking of letting viewers write anonymous letters. Students who identify on the spectrum may write their experiences anonymously (or identify themselves if they feel comfortable). Students who don't identify on the spectrum may write about their experiences with people who are on the spectrum. It could be their friends or family. Students may also write their impressions regarding the topic on autism. I'm also planning to have a comment box for students to write questions or suggestions to support SCU students on the autistic spectrum. Students may anonymously write encouraging statements and post them on the wall. Statements may include "I love someone who is autistic." or "I'm autistic and proud."

Any ideas and resources are appreciated!

 

[Shanks 10,811]

As someone who is on the Autism spectrum myself I appreciate efforts like this, there are certainly no shortage of misrepresentations and misconceptions about Autism. It was once thought to be exactly as mental retardation, the doctor that diagnosed me thought I was and recommended putting me in an institution. It was commonly believed in the 40's and 50's that Autism was caused by neglectful mothers which has been dubbed "refrigerator mother syndrome." With better awareness these myths are not as widespread as they used to be but there are some others that still persist. The most damaging one being that it is somehow a fate worse than death, organizations like Autism Speaks for example simply focus on the negative in order to scare people into giving them money which is very dangerous.

 

What are is a parent who just had their child diagnosed supposed to think when they hear stuff like that? I am not saying it is all sunshine and lolipops but it is called the Autism spectrum for good reason with cases ranging from mild to severe and even serious behavior problems and social defects can in many cases be effectively treated with the right therapies and interventions. It is different in every case but in most cases the most effective treatments are early intervention and full inclusion which is a system of gradual mainstreaming into society. Because an Autistic brain works differently we have to be taught social cues which most people are able to pick up through simple observation as if we had to learn an entirely different language.

 

The Autism Society of America and Autism Tree Project Foundation are both organizations to get information from as well as general resources. I myself have a youtube channel where I post videos discussing my own experiences and opinions on various subjects on this rather broad and complicated topic and am currently writing a book as well. It used to be my main channel and my main focus used to be politics so there are still quite a few videos about that on there but I now have another channel dedicated to that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/BladeEdge86

[CoolConfucius 52]

I really appreciate your response, EarthbendingProdigy! I'm looking into The Autism Society of America and I'm seeing information that I'll include in my exhibition. 

In my exhibition, I'll emphasize that the autism spectrum is a spectrum. 

[bailey2 114]

I am on the autistic spectrum and no-one ever notices until I tell them, People have told me "if you wouldn't have told me, I would never have guessed", I guess there's some sort of misconception that people with Autism are dumb but I attend meet-ups with the National Autistic Society every month and I highly doubt you'd be able to tell the autistic people from the non-autistic people, Some of the people with severe autism you can tell but they have hearts of gold and are really nice people but most of us you can't really tell.

 

My ex-girlfriend even told me "I would never of guessed you had autism" and apart from my occasional spells of depression, Most people wouldn't be able to notice either.

 

When I grow up I want to help people with autism because some of the best people I have ever met has been from the regular meet ups at the Nation Autistic Society.  

[Adachi 772]

I'm autistic, and autistic people are usually more compassionate, intelligent, and although we focus on a limited amount of things, we tend to be really good at the few interests we do have. And I'm not sure if this is true or a stereotype, but I heard autistic people are more willing at to think outside the box (well at least I am)

[long gone 8,929]

As someone who is on the Autism spectrum myself I appreciate efforts like this, there are certainly no shortage of misrepresentations and misconceptions about Autism. It was once thought to be exactly as mental retardation, the doctor that diagnosed me thought I was and recommended putting me in an institution. It was commonly believed in the 40's and 50's that Autism was caused by neglectful mothers which has been dubbed "refrigerator mother syndrome." With better awareness these myths are not as widespread as they used to be but there are some others that still persist. The most damaging one being that it is somehow a fate worse than death, organizations like Autism Speaks for example simply focus on the negative in order to scare people into giving them money which is very dangerous.

 

What are is a parent who just had their child diagnosed supposed to think when they hear stuff like that? I am not saying it is all sunshine and lolipops but it is called the Autism spectrum for good reason with cases ranging from mild to severe and even serious behavior problems and social defects can in many cases be effectively treated with the right therapies and interventions. It is different in every case but in most cases the most effective treatments are early intervention and full inclusion which is a system of gradual mainstreaming into society. Because an Autistic brain works differently we have to be taught social cues which most people are able to pick up through simple observation as if we had to learn an entirely different language.

 

The Autism Society of America and Autism Tree Project Foundation are both organizations to get information from as well as general resources. I myself have a youtube channel where I post videos discussing my own experiences and opinions on various subjects on this rather broad and complicated topic and am currently writing a book as well. It used to be my main channel and my main focus used to be politics so there are still quite a few videos about that on there but I now have another channel dedicated to that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/BladeEdge86

Um, what he said! I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 1996 and a lot of the misconceptions of autism have made it harder for me to make friends in real life, gain social skills and, when I'm ready for it, get a job. Appreciate you working on raising awareness of it.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Daring

[Shanks 10,811]

Most people wouldn't be able to notice either.

Most people can't tell I have Autism either but that wasn't always the case with me, even into my high school years it was obvious due to my social awkward tendencies and strange tics and quirks. I was highly intelligent, I was on the honor role throughout middle school and high school yet there were still many obvious signs people picked up on so I guess it depends on the individual as to how obvious it is for people to know.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

Um, what he said! I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 1996 and a lot of the misconceptions of autism have made it harder for me to make friends in real life, gain social skills and, when I'm ready for it, get a job. Appreciate you working on raising awareness of it.

 

I can vouch for that. I'm officially diagnosed with the same and one of my teachers read some crappy book about it and came in with the notion that I would be a borderline sociopath with very little capacity for empathy(which is actually the opposite of me, I can be so overly emphatic that it's down right harmful to me on a emotional level). I have no idea what book it was but after getting to know me she admitted it was dead wrong and I proved to be the opposite of what she was expecting. 

Edited April 6, 2014 by Shoboni

[Shanks 10,811]

it was dead wrong and I proved to be the opposite of what she was expecting. 

Uh, that is one of the misconceptions I was talking about that still persists. I think for many of us it is like Maud Pie and enthusiasm, it wasn't that she never got happy or excited it is that she expressed it in a different way. This myth stems from the difficulties of many individuals with Autism have from interpreting social cues and reading the emotions of others which can sometimes make us appear to lack empathy but it is hard to be empathetic at times if you miss certain cues so in that sense there is a small degree of truth to this even if it is an inaccurate assumption.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

Uh, that is one of the misconceptions I was talking about that still persists. I think for many of us it is like Maud Pie and enthusiasm, it wasn't that she never got happy or excited it is that she expressed it in a different way. This myth stems from the difficulties of many individuals with Autism have from interpreting social cues and reading the emotions of others which can sometimes make us appear to lack empathy but it is hard to be empathetic at times if you miss certain cues so in that sense there is a small degree of truth to this even if it is an inaccurate assumption.

 

I'm actually rather bubbly unless I'm in a state of boredom or exhaustion(sometimes to a rather embarrassing degree where I have to make a serious mental effort to keep myself restrained).  

Edited April 7, 2014 by Shoboni

[CMQuickfireTK 751]

I have high functioning autism ( very slight variation of Aspergers syndronme ), I appreciate this spread of awareness. It will be helpful for the future generation.

[CoolConfucius 52]

Thanks for all the responses, Folks! My first girlfriend has Aspergers Syndrome and she is one of the best people I know. I want to show that there are great people on the spectrum. 

[SCS 7,443]

Hello , I have moved your topic from General Discussion to Creative Resources. Although this is not an artistic project, it is a project that involves creative elements nonetheless and could subsequently benefit from placement in this forum section. 
 
General Discussion is designed for discussion topics that do not fit in other sections, while Creative Resources is the ideal section to ask others for help and advice with projects that are often of an artistic nature.
 

---

 
I am very glad that you are spreading awareness about autism. I can't think of any suggestions at the moment, but I wish you the best with this.

[CoolConfucius 52]

That makes sense. Thanks, SCS!  

[Hive King 1,998]

As much as the rainbows have come down, time to look at the darker side.

 

My cousin has autism and is...not pleasant to be around. He slurs every single word, making him hard to understand, will wander out of the house for lolz, laughs when he gets hurt, and finds it very amusing to constantly hit and then run off. 

 

So yeah, just keep in mind that it isn't all sugar and rainbows

[TwilightFire 55]

I was diagnosed with autism in 1990. The truth is that I had a real hard time in school and making friends. It was just the fact that people looked down on me like I was a psychopath who doesn't belong in society. Fact has it that I am very passive and not very violent towards anyone.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

As much as the rainbows have come down, time to look at the darker side.

 

My cousin has autism and is...not pleasant to be around. He slurs every single word, making him hard to understand, will wander out of the house for lolz, laughs when he gets hurt, and finds it very amusing to constantly hit and then run off. 

 

So yeah, just keep in mind that it isn't all sugar and rainbows

 

There's different levels. He's probably on the lower-functioning side(or his parents just haven't worked with him enough to overcome some of the problems).  

[Hive King 1,998]

@@Shoboni,

True, that side of the family has a ton of hereditary dieases. The other cousin had to have part of his brain taken out and as such acts much younger than he should 

[CoolConfucius 52]

Thanks for the feedback, Folks. I'll definitely emphasize that the spectrum is diverse. At one end are those who have special needs and at another end are those who are capable of taking care of themselves. 

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

I know I may be a little late here, but I was around people who did something similar at my college.

 

I have a diagnosis of mild Asperger's. Over time, many of the classical traits of ASD that I once exhibited have gone down while others remain. When I was in 3rd grade, I was kicked out of general education and spent 6 years in special education, three of them in a school located next to a hospital which was filled with students who had more severe mental disorders and was relatively ill-equipped to handle those of us on the Spectrum, despite having a strong, supportive staff. My self-confidence was dealt a serious blow by the bureaucratic failings of the education system over time, however my mother's strong resolve finally got me placed in an appropriate program in high school.

 

I would've suggested that you communicate awareness in strengthening the appropriate programs not only to the general public, but to the institutions that handle children on the Spectrum so that the rest of us don't ever have to deal with this again. We cannot allow this to continue to happen and harm the confidence and mental health of members of the autistic community.

Edited April 8, 2014 by WindChaserPegasus

[CoolConfucius 52]

Thank you for sharing, WindChaser. I'm sorry you had to experience an inadequate education system. 

My exhibition will be presented on my college campus and I hope many people will come to see it. If fortunate, people who learned something from my exhibition will spread awareness and people will learn how to not harm the confidence and mental health of the autistic community. 

 

You said there were people who did something similar at your college. Can you describe it? That may give me ideas and help out a lot. 

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

On 4/8/2014 at 12:20 AM, BadBoyBrony said:

Thank you for sharing, WindChaser. I'm sorry you had to experience an inadequate education system. 

My exhibition will be presented on my college campus and I hope many people will come to see it. If fortunate, people who learned something from my exhibition will spread awareness and people will learn how to not harm the confidence and mental health of the autistic community. 

 

You said there were people who did something similar at your college. Can you describe it? That may give me ideas and help out a lot. 

The accessibility office here at my school assigned some of us a PowerPoint project. We were to list some of the strengths and weaknesses that came from being on the Spectrum. Most commonly we talked about increased devotion and focus but also social anxiety and hardships coping with stress.

 

Unfortunately, I was out of ideas at the time and did not contribute to the project, but I thought it would be a good idea to mention it here, being almost entirely similar.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wind Chaser

[Shanks 10,811]

I would've suggested that you communicate awareness in strengthening the appropriate programs not only to the general public, but to the institutions that handle children on the Spectrum so that the rest of us don't ever have to deal with this again. We cannot allow this to continue to happen and harm the confidence and mental health of members of the autistic community.

And it is also important to educate companies and employers as well, many adults on the Autism spectrum are struggling to keep steady jobs because of many of the challenges they face at interpreting social cues which causes a lot of misunderstandings. Someone I know personally who is on the Autism spectrum lost his job because of this and he has struggled to find another one all because of a misunderstanding where a customer thought he was being dismissive and rude when all he was trying to say was that he would be with her when he was done helping this other customer. Alot of people on the Autism spectrum because they appear "normal" people don't recognize a lot of the quirks, sensory and anxiety issues as Autism which as I have said causes some misunderstandings. I myself have even had some of these misunderstandings happen to me on the job, not enough to get me in serious trouble but it has gotten to the point where I have gotten frightened of customers.

[CoolConfucius 52]

Thanks folks! I think I'll present famous talented people suspected to be on the autism spectrum. I may also include resources geared towards helping adults on the spectrum in their careers.