tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17011091458851070642024-03-13T23:07:22.551-07:00Diary of a Non-NeurotypicalRoad map to life somewhere on the spectrumNon-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-27742467771976330552013-05-23T03:59:00.002-07:002013-05-23T04:02:40.968-07:005 Weird things about the UK eduation system. I am just done with my first year as a post-grad and things have been crazy. The hardest part about this year has been adjusting to the school system in the UK because it is so different from my Hippie College and everything else I have ever experienced. So, here is the skinny on being here in the UK.<br />
<br />
1. You will probably not see your professors ever.<br />
There are way fewer contact hours between students and the professors. On average, I saw my lecturers for about 3 hours per class every week. At the Hippie College I saw lecturers about 10 hours a week. In theory, students should be spending their time in library doing their own research. But there isn't much guidance in how to do your own research and their isn't an emphasis in teaching study skills. Which brings me to my second point<br />
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2. Soft skills are not taught.<br />
Students don't really know how to take information from the lectures and transfer them to notes and then study those notes to know the information. Guidelines are vague regarding writing guidelines, and professors will often tell students conflicting things about assignments. I haven't seen a rubric for any assignments. With the exception of one class I haven't seen a class breakdown. It seems like no one is really talking in a clear or effective way <br />
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3. Communication<br />
Getting to talk to anyone can feel like one of two things: a giant Rube Goldberg machine made of paperwork and offices that are on opposite sides of campus, or it feels like Frodo's quest to get to the ring to Mordor. Office workers are sometime surly and sometimes act as if it is a great inconvenience to answer questions.<br />
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4. "Not my problem"<br />
This is the weirdest one I encountered. You go into an office with a question pertaining to the things the office does, and they will tell you that it is not their problem. How weird is that? Some people say that there is a culture of laziness in parts of the UK. I'm still undecided about this. <br />
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5. You will not have assignments. You will just have tests.<br />
Most classes will will end in a test that is 70-100% of your grade. As a non-neurotypical you can see where this might be a problem. <br />
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<br />
I'm also on tumblr now, if you're interested. diaryofnnt dot tumblr dot com. Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-30922262563316113462012-07-24T21:27:00.000-07:002012-07-24T21:27:25.459-07:00Unconventional TherapyI'm a little old to be in conventional therapy anymore. When I was young, we did run the gambit of regular therapy. Now I'm older, and my therapy is a little less conventional.<br />
<br />
Movie and I recently started Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Movie has been doing some form of ground fighting for the last couple of years, so he knows what he's doing. It was way easier for me to start something new because he was there to talk to me about it.<br />
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Wikipedia (the oracle of all knowledge) defines <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu">Jiu-Jitsu</a> like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person
can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using
leverage and proper technique – most notably by applying <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint-locks" title="Joint-locks">joint-locks</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokehold" title="Chokehold">chokeholds</a> to defeat the other person.</blockquote>
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What that really amounts to on a day to day basis is me getting flattened by people who have at least 60 pounds on me.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j2YWcrZisBg/UA9w9IpNiwI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/dCFx2TOTW4o/s1600/pancake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j2YWcrZisBg/UA9w9IpNiwI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/dCFx2TOTW4o/s320/pancake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Now here's where this gets interesting, <u>I love it</u>. The amount of pressure from other people moving and working on my joints feels amazing afterwards.<br />
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You know how therapists recommend weighted blankets and doing exercises that put pressure on the joints? Jui-jitsu is like that, but <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: small;">on steroids.</span> <br />
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Here's how I know that these classes are good, and more importantly, safe:<br />
Classes are small, and supervised by a black belt. Like bowling and unlike Vietnam, there are rules.<br />
If it hurts, you tap and everything stops.<br />
Before you start a move, everyone checks and makes sure that they are on the same page. <br />
You can only spar with people who are more advanced than you.<br />
The best part, if you don't want to do something, don't do it.<br />
Boundaries are totally respected. <br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But this isn't the only thing that I think makes for good unconventional therapy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
SeaStar and I started doing a Bosu class at our local gym.<br />
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A Bosu is essentially half of a huge exercise ball. The main focus of the class is to improve balance and build muscle. <br />
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It's like an hour of intense balance, cardio and strength building. You end up crossing the midline a whole bunch, which is supposed to be good for you. <br />
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<br />
Now I can totally do this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Athe3EvIGHY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> (not)</div>
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I actually think that in some ways I get more out of this than I do conventional therapy. It may be because you're thrown in the mix with people who are NT. It might also be because it works more than the parts of me that are NNT. Whatever it is, I know that after practice, I feel better about myself and that's what counts. <br />
<br />Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-87176666172513424682012-05-11T22:02:00.000-07:002012-05-16T01:44:31.492-07:00Do the science to it.<br />
Sorry, y'all, let's try this one again. I've made some edits!<br />
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One time, I was on the swim team. I learned a lot from swimming. I gained better balance and slightly better coordination from it. I also learned about the importance of the uniform. <br />
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<br />
You see, the swim team had mostly middle class and upper middle class kids from a few neighborhoods in my hometown. Most of the kids grew up together and had been friends for a long time. This being the middle school/high school years everyone dressed the same. <br />
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For the girls this meant the footwear was Ugg boots in the winter, and Old Navy or Abercrombie flip flops in the summer. For tops in was something from Abercrombie, Old Navy, American Eagle or Pacsun. The shirts usually had a tank top or cami under them. Jeans were either Abercrombie or American Eagle if you were cool and Old Navy if your parents didn't want to pay $50 per pair of jeans. <br />
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If you were super cool you had a name brand purse, like one from Juicy Couture, Dooney and Burke, or Coach. If you were less cool (your parents had better things to do) then your purse was from Walmart. Hand me downs were only cool if they were vintage, and they were never called hand me downs. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was an uncool kid</u>. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vc4kiEhIzYE/T7NoDzbqG_I/AAAAAAAAAdo/atwrFsI-nik/s1600/O9pBu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vc4kiEhIzYE/T7NoDzbqG_I/AAAAAAAAAdo/atwrFsI-nik/s320/O9pBu.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/post/22803182683/whenever-i-try-to-join-in-the-dance-party">whatshouldwecallme</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I didn't wear any of these things for the first couple of the years that I swam. My clothes came from Old Navy or Walmart, and that suited me fine. I thought that Ugg boots were stupid (they aren't even water proof!) I would have rather spent $50 on books or something. The purse I carried was really just an extension of my huge backpack and was totally not cool. <br />
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The Matriarch saw what was happening, (in fact she might be a wizard.) She saw that there was totally a group of girls that wouldn't talk to me despite the fact that we had known each other for two years or more. <br />
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She bought me a pair of Ugg boots when they went on sale at Christmas. She dragged me to the store to buy a pair of non-Walmart jeans. We went to Abercrombie and Fitch, which by the way, Dr. Capt. Daddy once described as bush wacking through a smelly jungle club. (It's not exactly sensory friendly.) <br />
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Exactly 100 exasperated teenaged sighs later I had what came to be known at the house as a uniform. The uniform was clothes that made me fit in rather than stand out. I had clothes that looked more or less like my peers along with a purse and boots to match. I thought The Matriarch was crazy and that this was a stupid idea. Surely we lived in a world where I would be judged by the content of my character and not on the label of my jeans. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;">We do not</span></b></span>. <br />
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I wore the whole shebang one day to swim practice. <br />
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People who had not said so much as three words to me the whole time I'd been swimming were talking to me. They wanted me to have a locker next to theirs. They wanted me to swim in their lane. <br />
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<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">It was totally weird.</span></div>
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People treated me differently because I was wearing different clothes. What is even weirder is that it is quantifiable.I wore my normal clothes one day to swim practice and counted the number of people who talked to me. The next day I wore the uniform and counted. More people talked to me when I wore the uniform than when I wore my sweat shirt and jeans. <br />
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The same thing remains true to this day. When I went to college, the uniform was different. I wore the same uniform Id worn in high school, and instead of fitting in I stood out more. Let me illustrate. <br />
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Paris, when we met, had shaved half of her head and wore the other half short. She wore combat boots and dresses that came from second hand shops. She didn't own a purse. We looked super different. <br />
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So our hippie campus has no less than three anarchist groups. They are super interested in taking down the man or something. Paris regularly got asked if she belonged to an anarchist group or if she would be interested in joining one. <br />
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Never once in the three years that I lived and attended hippie college did I get asked if wanted to join an anarchist group. (which is totally fine by me)<br />
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The point is that with a shaved head and combat boots Paris looked more like she belonged to an anarchist group than I did. In fact, my uniform was so wrong that often got looked at as though I was lost and had wandered onto campus by mistake. <br />
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Again, I did the science to it. I observed what people in campus wore, then bought it and wore it to class. I got the same results, more people talked to me when I wore a plaid shirt and traded my name brand purse for something less showy. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dT_GLBA0Vuw/T7Nnl1eyWjI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5MUfa-_MtTY/s1600/P918u.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dT_GLBA0Vuw/T7Nnl1eyWjI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5MUfa-_MtTY/s320/P918u.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/post/22828165168/pondering-the-meaning-of-life">whatshouldwecallme</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Shortly after I conducted the first experiment,I asked The Matriarch why people talked to me because I had Ugg boots. </div>
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It's because those clothes make you less scary to them. Wearing those boots makes you One Of Them. It says that you share the same interests as they do. If you are the same as they are you can't be threatening to them.
I like to think that my clothes are like keys, if you have the right ones, you are accepted socially. Learning how to dress allows you to pass more or less as a NT.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-79383283805847954762012-03-21T23:54:00.003-07:002012-04-04T09:49:24.205-07:00Throwing rocks that create tsunamisSeveral commenters on Stark Raving Mad Mommy seem to be concerned that if they attempt to teach their children how to read facial expressions, the parents might come off too strongly and their children's feelings might get hurt. <br />
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<br />
<br />
I'd like to share a story with you, if I may, that might shed some light on the subject. <br />
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When I was in elementary school, I didn't understand the social thing. I didn't get personal space, or waiting for a pause in the conversation to talk, and my personal hygiene was lacking.<br />
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This did not go over very well with the other kids. <br />
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As punishment for my out of bounds social behavior, the kids at my school found a fitting punishment for me: they threw rocks. They were never very big rocks- mostly the pea gravel from the playground. <br />
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In contrast, any kind of guidance from parents is sweet and kind by comparison. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LH0ICVxtWc/T2wCqTNlVEI/AAAAAAAAAY8/tQnUgU22ju8/s1600/2009_10_18_Tsunami_4_lo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LH0ICVxtWc/T2wCqTNlVEI/AAAAAAAAAY8/tQnUgU22ju8/s320/2009_10_18_Tsunami_4_lo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From johndavidthorntondrawing.blogspot.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<b>Think about a tsunami</b><br />
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Most of them are caused by an earthquake in the ocean. This earthquake doesn't have to be very big; it can be fairly small. In the middle of the ocean, a tsunami isn't very big- only about a foot higher than normal sea levels. As the earthquake causes a shockwave that travels closer to shore, the wave caused by the earthquake becomes more visible as it increases in amplitude. <br />
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There are stories of Japanese fishing vessels going out to sea on a calm day and returning at night to find their villages destroyed by tsunamis they didn't even see. <br />
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This is like the social thing. NNTs are like Japanese fishermen out at sea; we can't see the tsunamis until we get close to shore again. Everyone else are like villagers; they can see the tsunami coming. Parents, teachers, psychologists, etc. are like scientists: they have the equipment to see a tsunami coming- they might even be able to teach the fishermen to use those instruments.<br />
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Now, if you don't know what a tsunami is- or what causes them- you might attribute it to God, or demons, or Cthulhu. That's where parents come in: they can tell you that it is not God or Cthulhu, but an earthquake/weird behavior that causes tsunamis/rock throwing. <br />
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Today scientists have equipment that can help detect earthquakes that cause tsunamis; they detect changes that aren't visible to the naked eye. Even with this equipment, if you were to be in the ocean above an earthquake, you might not see anything other than a small wave. But you are a scientist! You know an earthquake has occurred- your instruments say so. <br />
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Children can be incredibly cruel and mean. If you love your kid and tell them so, and just keep trying to teach them the social thing. <br />
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I almost never get that my behavior is a problem until it becomes tsunami-sized. I still sometimes don't see others' facial or body expressions unless they are tsunami-sized. I forget to use my science equipment to look for the early warning signs of other peoples happiness, sadness and anger. <br />
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As a parent, your job is to give your child the tools they need to successfully navigate the world around them. If you are doing your best to prepare your child by teaching them facial expressions, you can bet that your techniques are more kind than the techniques used by your child's peers.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-39791545980757949862012-02-08T02:09:00.000-08:002012-02-08T02:09:31.764-08:00I'm still angryThere are a lot of great posts out there about teachers who made a difference. There are great stories from moms and dads about teachers, staff and administrators who are making a difference in the lives of non neurotypicals.<br />
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<u style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">That's awesome</span></u>, I love hearing those stories. They make my heart joyful and I'm glad to see those changes happening.<br />
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But here's the deal: <span style="color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;">I'm still angry</span>. I graduated highschool in 2008, I graduate college this spring, but there are still things I'm angry about. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #e06666; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">I'm still STILL angry at these things that happened to me 15 years ago.</span></b></div><br />
I'm angry that I had to stay in for recess and re color my rainbow because I can't draw inside the lines, four times.And when my teacher let me outside, it was less than 2 minutes before the bell rang to come back in. <br />
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I'm still angry that it took me <u>7 years</u> to recover from the trauma of being in that kindergarten classroom. <br />
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I'm mad that my first teacher ever told my parents that <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the fear of God needed to be enstilled in me.</span> <br />
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I'm angry that I didn't ask where the bathroom was because my teachers made me feel stupid. <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I held it the entire day. </span><br />
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I'm still mad that <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">my teacher watched as the other kids threw rocks at me</span>. Both my teacher and the aide did nothing.<br />
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I'm still mad that when The Matriarch came to class to help my teacher would act one way and when she was gone she'd act another. <br />
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I'm still angry that I was the only kid in the class who didn't get an award for being helpful, the teacher's favorite student got two.<br />
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I'm angry that you let the bullies sit together, right next to me, in the back of the class. <br />
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I'm still angry that bullying was such a problem that I would walk to my SeaStars class and walk her to the car so no one picked on her.<br />
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I'm still mad that <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I spent more time in the hall than in the classroom.</span> <br />
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I'm still mad that my third grade teacher embarrassed me in front of the whole class because I got the lowest grade on the spelling test. She told me I should have studied. I spent hours studying.<br />
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I'm mad that the administrators said those accommodations would be difficult because the teacher would have to come in early to prepare a separate test for me. <br />
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I'm mad that the admin told me <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I didn't need accommodations because I got good grades.</span><br />
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I'm angry that <i>the smell of elementary classrooms gives me anxiety</i>. Before I go to Bunky's classroom, I have to take three deep breaths and remind myself that I am an adult now. <br />
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I'm still mad that I spent more time doing homework than I did sleeping.<br />
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I'm mad that my parents spent more time helping me with homework than they did sleeping. <br />
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I'm still mad that I couldn't sleep because I knew school would be awful.<br />
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I'm angry that I had a constant stomache ache from the anxiety. <br />
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I'm still mad that I let all of my teachers convince me that The Matriarch wouldnt believe me, that these things were really happening. <b>I spent many years thinking that these things were in my head</b>. <br />
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I'm angry that when I talk with my friends about school, they all have fond memories of it. I have memories filled with anxiety, fear and hatred. <br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today</span>, when my friends tell me that they are thinking about becoming teachers, I sometimes look at them like they eat babies. When my friends talk about their school expirences as being mostly positive, I have little to contribute. When they talk about the joy of learning in the classroom all I can think about is how<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> I don't have a single joyful memory of learning in the classroom from elementary school. <span style="font-family: inherit;">When they talk about how they loved school and learning, I think how I would have been happier if I had been left alone. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When</span> friends talk about how teachers are underpaid and often work in harsh conditions, I agree, but here's the deal: <span style="font-size: large;"><u>for every awesome teacher out there making a difference in the life of a child there are two teachers and one administrator who are making life difficult. </u></span><br />
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I am very sorry that these things happened to me. I hope at some point, they stop happening at all. This life has made me who I am, for better or for worse.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-21913982342592280792011-12-28T11:02:00.000-08:002011-12-28T11:07:23.222-08:00Read this article<span style="font-size: small;">I h<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ave lots of feelings </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">about <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1350115436">this </a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/us/navigating-love-and-autism.html?_r=1">article</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">appe</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">aring in the NYTs </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">about love </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">among young </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">adult</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">aspies</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i>It's relev</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ant to you interests</span></i></span> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"></span></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
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Wh<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">at </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">are your thoughts? </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Is love true love possible?</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XF3SKZRNTuw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />
</span></span>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-20820762921884727482011-12-16T08:33:00.000-08:002011-12-16T08:35:20.250-08:00Womhood.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So, I've been here in Kygyzstan since the end of August. I love it here. I'm learning a lot and making friends.<br />
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</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ut1akXN83OI/Tuted4kG1LI/AAAAAAAAAWk/BpM-Ccn6Bkc/s1600/bff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ut1akXN83OI/Tuted4kG1LI/AAAAAAAAAWk/BpM-Ccn6Bkc/s1600/bff.jpg" /></a></div><i><br />
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<i>Of course, there are those weird quirks that pop up whenever you travel.</i><br />
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The biggest one for living in Bishkek is the idea of <span style="background-color: #f9cb9c; color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;">Womhood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wom: a combination of the words Mom and Wife </span><br />
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The word Womhood, also to be used as a noun (Wom), and a verb, (Womming) came into being after Paris, and had a very long day in which we were <u>asked multiple times why we weren't married</u>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Uh obviously because books are way more interesting than husbands or partners.</i></span> </blockquote><br />
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It being very late at night and all of us being very very tired, Paris said,<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">I don't want to be a Wom.</span></i></blockquote><br />
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Dudes and Dudettes, we get asked that all the time here. Most girls who are between the ages of 16-22 <u>are married or about to get married.</u>They think about weddings that last for many days and having a husband who will take care of them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRo0aa8cSdk/TutvxRHtIaI/AAAAAAAAAXk/F8VS0uAj8Bc/s1600/330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRo0aa8cSdk/TutvxRHtIaI/AAAAAAAAAXk/F8VS0uAj8Bc/s640/330.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Count the number of wedding dresses at this soviet monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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It's gotten so bad that I've contemplated telling blatant lies to get out of explaining why I don't have a husband and two kids. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">It's like a big deal. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Like if you don't want to get married <u style="background-color: #ffd966;">there is something wrong with you kind of big. </u></div><br />
<i>I want really hard to respect their culture</i> but I cannot think of something that I want less, except maybe to become a teacher.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXbSCnbFTF4/TutdGu1PKYI/AAAAAAAAAWc/nX2oEtZpCSE/s1600/powerful+news+woman+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXbSCnbFTF4/TutdGu1PKYI/AAAAAAAAAWc/nX2oEtZpCSE/s320/powerful+news+woman+coffee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want to be this powerful</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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So with this topic in mind, let's begin today's post. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">MARRIAGE TERRIFIES ME.</span></div><br />
I'm pretty sure I'm too <span style="font-size: large;">"quirky"</span> to get married. read: I'm not sleeping unless all the dresser drawers are closed and all the lights are off. I own at least 12 nail clippers because I pick at my hang nails and have a compulsive need to clip my nails. I cannot stand the sound of people sniffling in a quiet room.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fQOmkeMda5M/TutZwkh3KMI/AAAAAAAAAV0/iB921KqQWys/s1600/flair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fQOmkeMda5M/TutZwkh3KMI/AAAAAAAAAV0/iB921KqQWys/s320/flair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've got mad flair, yo. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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We all know that NNTs are pretty <span style="background-color: #6aa84f;">awesome</span> and <span style="background-color: #45818e;">unique</span>. But it's also hard to find a partner, they usually have to be as smart as we are AND <span style="background-color: #e06666;">willing to be patient with the weirdness that comes along with being different.</span><br />
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<u>Also dating is really freaking complicated:</u> there is so much social stuff involved, Like smiling and stuff. I'm not super good at that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GsWsXHStWsk/TuMhHuicH8I/AAAAAAAAAUg/XhHsT-hCmlA/s1600/ant-farms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GsWsXHStWsk/TuMhHuicH8I/AAAAAAAAAUg/XhHsT-hCmlA/s320/ant-farms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Issues so far with the whole Womhood concept:</span></div><br />
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1. Any partner I had would have to be at least part saint and part astrophysicist<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-xiga2mfPU/TutakV49DOI/AAAAAAAAAWE/FyerflDyzeQ/s1600/dontlikethisgame.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-xiga2mfPU/TutakV49DOI/AAAAAAAAAWE/FyerflDyzeQ/s1600/dontlikethisgame.gif" /></a></div><br />
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2. Other qualities include: editor, social navigator, and key locater person<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0d9VD0jEOgg/TutaRCTy5CI/AAAAAAAAAV8/B7CYVpwXH1g/s1600/theonlyexplaination.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0d9VD0jEOgg/TutaRCTy5CI/AAAAAAAAAV8/B7CYVpwXH1g/s320/theonlyexplaination.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One time, I put my keys in the fridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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3. They have to be interested in some of the same things I'm interested in, including: astronomy, gender theory, philosophy through pop culture, space, social justice, literature not written by dead white dudes. They also need to bathe regularly, show up to class on time, wear clean sock and underwear, and chew with their mouth closed. This is only the start of my list. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4h1I3QOpOMY/TutbmXLJsDI/AAAAAAAAAWU/uuf4a44cMCY/s1600/this-man-is-not-a-terminator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4h1I3QOpOMY/TutbmXLJsDI/AAAAAAAAAWU/uuf4a44cMCY/s320/this-man-is-not-a-terminator.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, they can't be a terminator</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Relationships are a ton of work.</i></span></div><br />
You have to listen to the other person<br />
and remember what they said<br />
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And like care about them and stuff<br />
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You have to like, know what they're interested in<br />
and remember their birthday<br />
and then remember to get them gifts <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dqd7lgDHiBg/TutbIvYud-I/AAAAAAAAAWM/Hy6ympyKcio/s1600/getoffmylawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dqd7lgDHiBg/TutbIvYud-I/AAAAAAAAAWM/Hy6ympyKcio/s320/getoffmylawn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><br />
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<i>That seems exhausting to me. Like for real. </i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">MOTHERHOOD TERRIFIES ME EVEN MORE</span></div><br />
My mom is pretty much awesome. (HI MOM) I think she might be a wizard. Like actually. She had a career and stuff and then had a baby and then the baby wouldn't sleep ever. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9wNvAZoNwU/TutooNwLKMI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Tk5v-BKCln8/s1600/butmom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9wNvAZoNwU/TutooNwLKMI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Tk5v-BKCln8/s320/butmom.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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This one time, a babysitter called her at work to come and get the baby because the baby had been crying for like the last three hours straight. So the Matriarch had to go and pick up the baby and miss work. True story.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-djxjpD8TS5c/Tuth8DNBAwI/AAAAAAAAAWs/8GbpSuAXR64/s1600/capebaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-djxjpD8TS5c/Tuth8DNBAwI/AAAAAAAAAWs/8GbpSuAXR64/s320/capebaby.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br />
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I think The Matriarch did a pretty good job at raising me. I'm pretty self sufficient. I'm pretty good at going to school and getting stuff done.<br />
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She spend so long teaching me math and stuff it would feel really weird if I didn't do something with it, <span style="color: #8e7cc3;">like have a career or something.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Usyp852TcYg/TuMrjEoLRmI/AAAAAAAAAVA/OVwv4f13oyc/s1600/i-want-to-levitate-in-paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Usyp852TcYg/TuMrjEoLRmI/AAAAAAAAAVA/OVwv4f13oyc/s320/i-want-to-levitate-in-paris.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />
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If I had a baby how would I ever raise it? My parents did a pretty bombtastic job at it that I don't think I could do any better.<br />
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Like it would probably grow up to be weirder than I am. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even these points aside: Pregnancy is still scary</span></span> </div>People say that pregnancy is beautiful. They say that it is a miracle to grow another life inside you. It scares me. When people talk about pregnancy and the miracle of it all, all I can think about is that a baby is essentially a parasite growing on the inside of me.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like a tapeworm. </span></blockquote><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oxjibw8KNF8/TutjqHDVQLI/AAAAAAAAAW0/f_E4xXFEWdw/s1600/pregnantwomensmug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oxjibw8KNF8/TutjqHDVQLI/AAAAAAAAAW0/f_E4xXFEWdw/s320/pregnantwomensmug.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
I also could not handle that many people wanting to touch my belly. <br />
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Among other reasons I am not fit to parent I also find the following pictures Hilarious<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6D0Of7Tmnt0/TuMPWQbH5EI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/ZWOvk210w3Y/s1600/babysitter-prank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6D0Of7Tmnt0/TuMPWQbH5EI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/ZWOvk210w3Y/s320/babysitter-prank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uP0b_ResJzw/Tutkt3HetDI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Bhj2wcAAGBA/s1600/mustachifiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uP0b_ResJzw/Tutkt3HetDI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Bhj2wcAAGBA/s320/mustachifiers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IQ5VGZZjOfE/TutlQ--x7RI/AAAAAAAAAXE/7BpLPze_ZlM/s1600/squeals-on-wheels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IQ5VGZZjOfE/TutlQ--x7RI/AAAAAAAAAXE/7BpLPze_ZlM/s400/squeals-on-wheels.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XNY4Ycd-NLo/Tutlx5r_4DI/AAAAAAAAAXM/SUQjwh3Mnt0/s1600/bully+with+the+allergy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XNY4Ycd-NLo/Tutlx5r_4DI/AAAAAAAAAXM/SUQjwh3Mnt0/s400/bully+with+the+allergy.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />
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I like babies, <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">babies are cute.</span> They usually smell good. My issue is that babies are also <i>fascinating</i> and the temptation to use them for <b>*harmless*</b> social experiments is almost overwhelming. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XUG6-IfZB3w/TuMiIgwUxtI/AAAAAAAAAUw/mAPFfeonOCE/s1600/parenting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XUG6-IfZB3w/TuMiIgwUxtI/AAAAAAAAAUw/mAPFfeonOCE/s320/parenting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #93c47d;"><br />
</div><span style="color: #93c47d;">Babies are not predictable.</span> Babies do not sleep when they are supposed to sleep. Babies cry when they want. Babies need constant attention.<br />
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Do you know what I don't do well with? <u>Constant change.</u> Babies are constantly changing/in need of constant change.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EeQ6fwGZefo/TuMhooU2EPI/AAAAAAAAAUo/ypQJehX2dpM/s1600/blues-clues-rage-cereal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EeQ6fwGZefo/TuMhooU2EPI/AAAAAAAAAUo/ypQJehX2dpM/s320/blues-clues-rage-cereal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate kids shows</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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I do not do well with change. Change makes me want to sit in a dark room for many hours and not leave. <i>Change makes me cranky.</i> Change and especially unpredictable change makes me less flexible than normal. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xt9KKxJ2ARA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">This makes me jolly</div><br />
<br />
I am totally not responsible enough to handle being in charge of something else. Like today for example, <u><i>I totally had milk that was at least a week expired,</i> and I didn't notice until I was done with my bowl of cereal.</u><br />
I submit this as evidence that I am not able to take care of another living thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gm2HAUOxfJs/TutoUSq3lcI/AAAAAAAAAXU/JJfiJ-PsK1Y/s1600/snow+wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gm2HAUOxfJs/TutoUSq3lcI/AAAAAAAAAXU/JJfiJ-PsK1Y/s320/snow+wolf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will go and bury my head in the snow now. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
I totally admire you Moms who can do it all. Seriously parents make my day, you do you so much.<br />
<br />
I'm just not ready to be a mom. Like ever.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I wanted to show you this awesome video that Paris showed me. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YfY1lfFu8j8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Is this video disturbing or awesome? Thoughts?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Also, y'all I'm going to be traveling to China, the US, Hong Kong, Macao and finally back to Bishkek over the next 6 weeks, so I don think I'll have time to post. I'll see you all in February. </div></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-1062035244118475062011-11-17T22:32:00.000-08:002011-11-17T22:32:17.858-08:00All hail the nerd culture.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>How's y'alls November going? <br />
<br />
Did you know that Kindle let's you download a bunch of classic books for free? Guess who has <u>40 new books to read?</u><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1pV7MTRyGk/TrdoU-4oN0I/AAAAAAAAARI/vMFJrxTYfOU/s1600/hogwarts+twilight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1pV7MTRyGk/TrdoU-4oN0I/AAAAAAAAARI/vMFJrxTYfOU/s320/hogwarts+twilight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
As you know, I claim to be a nerd.<br />
<br />
I'm also on the spectrum.<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I have </span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a shinny certificate</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> from a nice </span><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">lady doctor</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> who told me I was different.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUm34bb_JS0/Tdgye5wyMpI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/u-tUobGAb3M/s1600/JediCertificate_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUm34bb_JS0/Tdgye5wyMpI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/u-tUobGAb3M/s320/JediCertificate_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: large;">Unfortunately</span> I don't have a certificate for my nerddom, but that's okay I know you all will <b>believe me</b>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEpX6w34ihs/TrdmXCuHTKI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/yb3ICPAYC7E/s1600/popevadar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEpX6w34ihs/TrdmXCuHTKI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/yb3ICPAYC7E/s320/popevadar.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">offensive/awesome?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Today I want to talk about<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">a very special nerd who is also on the spectrum. </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ioaj5t7ZFBc/TsXeJAio97I/AAAAAAAAARw/a9y-V9YQduw/s1600/dexterslab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ioaj5t7ZFBc/TsXeJAio97I/AAAAAAAAARw/a9y-V9YQduw/s320/dexterslab.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You must be familiar with 90s cartoons and The Big Bang Theory to find this amusing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Have y'all seen this show called the <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Big Bang Theory</b></span>?<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d;">I know you have a life so let me tell you a little bit about it.</div><br />
It's a show about a group of <u><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">super smart nerd scientists</span></u> and the <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">waitress</span> who lives next door.<br />
<br />
Mostly, waitress says <b><u>boring blond things</u></b> and some downright weird things about being from <span style="color: #cc0000;">Nebraska.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj1Fp3wFiSE/TrdiMQ17j6I/AAAAAAAAAQo/4ICo7vVdTBo/s1600/dotitos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj1Fp3wFiSE/TrdiMQ17j6I/AAAAAAAAAQo/4ICo7vVdTBo/s320/dotitos.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do not like the waitress character but maybe you do, so I won't say anything mean about her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
BUT I DIGRESS.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>The best character on the show is totally one of us</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JhDPzP8d2Gc/Trdm-WIFzfI/AAAAAAAAARA/sbsnc8YDgRI/s1600/Unique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JhDPzP8d2Gc/Trdm-WIFzfI/AAAAAAAAARA/sbsnc8YDgRI/s320/Unique.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
His name is Sheldon, he is an awesome scientist.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3wcZqucAeo/TsXuP1l0f4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/mP2EQyuZ164/s1600/sheldonsspot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3wcZqucAeo/TsXuP1l0f4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/mP2EQyuZ164/s320/sheldonsspot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">But How Do I Know This?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8isWnL6-adQ/TsXgHsKsK3I/AAAAAAAAAR4/aS5bXVkLl4U/s1600/mrbond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8isWnL6-adQ/TsXgHsKsK3I/AAAAAAAAAR4/aS5bXVkLl4U/s320/mrbond.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I did scientific research for you.</b></span></div><br />
Your welcome<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bthoqlowBWI/Trdo7lt6UjI/AAAAAAAAARQ/CmG6_6tVSIw/s1600/ducksinarow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bthoqlowBWI/Trdo7lt6UjI/AAAAAAAAARQ/CmG6_6tVSIw/s320/ducksinarow.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br />
I watched an entire season and took notes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0_SWoZQ5vg/TsXl8rs96XI/AAAAAAAAASY/ieyyHQ5WQFw/s1600/Sheldon+supervillain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0_SWoZQ5vg/TsXl8rs96XI/AAAAAAAAASY/ieyyHQ5WQFw/s320/Sheldon+supervillain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Sheldon is from <b><u>East Texas</u></b>, he graduated college at 14 and is a theoretical physicist living in <u><b>California</b></u>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">"I'm not insane, my mother had me tested"<span style="font-size: x-small;">True story. </span></span><br />
<br />
He has a spot that no one else can sit in.<br />
<br />
<br />
He gets mad and no one else can sit there. Like ever. It's his spot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XehL2hCulCs/TsXkmf5HfWI/AAAAAAAAASQ/NZtGuVbwz0c/s1600/restrictedarea.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XehL2hCulCs/TsXkmf5HfWI/AAAAAAAAASQ/NZtGuVbwz0c/s1600/restrictedarea.gif" /></a></div><br />
<br />
He does not understand social things, sarcasm, or people in general.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/R756xpFd8Q8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">But we already did that, for example, once I learn Finnish I'm not going to learn it again. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Here, his friend is trying to convince him to hang out with girls again. </div><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #a2c4c9;">He doesn't touch people on principal.</div><br />
<div style="background-color: #76a5af;">He loves comic books and video games. </div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div style="background-color: #45818e;"><b>He is super smart!!</b></div><br />
<br />
He has problems with situations that are unfamiliar to him. He has a set rigid schedule. He knows he is smarter than most of his peers. He does not temper his language to social situations.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><u><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">However, the creators of the show continue to deny that Sheldon falls anywhere on the spectrum.</span></b></i></u></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zruwp1WfMZE/TsXnNj3XToI/AAAAAAAAASg/usx6cAg0al8/s1600/his-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zruwp1WfMZE/TsXnNj3XToI/AAAAAAAAASg/usx6cAg0al8/s320/his-is-why-we-cant-have-nice-things.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">BUT!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> How can this been when <b><u>we have overwhelming evidence otherwise?</u></b></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jyRcMAGjqc/TrdkDsdXbnI/AAAAAAAAAQw/MPLph7h_qPU/s1600/didyouplanthis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jyRcMAGjqc/TrdkDsdXbnI/AAAAAAAAAQw/MPLph7h_qPU/s640/didyouplanthis.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I have some theories.</b></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ILUFkckFq8/TsXn0e-pjnI/AAAAAAAAASo/YU4RnjVZlGs/s1600/ifiwerewrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ILUFkckFq8/TsXn0e-pjnI/AAAAAAAAASo/YU4RnjVZlGs/s1600/ifiwerewrong.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">1. The writers of the show don't know what ASDs are, they didn't have anyone to use the Google for them.</div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. They didn't want to offend people who are on the spectrum because they were using what could be a serious disability as part of their comedy. </div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">3. They are waiting to reveal that this will become a major point in future seasons.</div></blockquote><br />
I think that theory one is possible, but theory two is the most likely. <span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">I've thought about emailing the writers and creators of the show with a list of helpful and informative links</span> to eliminate theory number one from being a possibility. <br />
<br />
But even without my super creeper status it seems pretty far fetched that they would have no idea about ASD. <i>I think the only people who are super ignorant of ASD are elementary school teachers and administration.</i><br />
<br />
<b><i>That's a story for another post</i></b>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egfCHjK3zNs/TsXwpXWgwpI/AAAAAAAAATY/l4qTGRSabkA/s1600/soon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egfCHjK3zNs/TsXwpXWgwpI/AAAAAAAAATY/l4qTGRSabkA/s320/soon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Here's why theory number 2 is wrong</span>.<br />
<br />
Sheldon is pretty self sufficient, he lives away from his parents, has a job that he gets to everyday, has friends, and feeds himself.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNk27FgI_3g/TsXn-kPALlI/AAAAAAAAASw/DLSq2bIEz5Y/s1600/Big+Bang+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sNk27FgI_3g/TsXn-kPALlI/AAAAAAAAASw/DLSq2bIEz5Y/s320/Big+Bang+food.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SEE! Food and Friends, Functioning Adult!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are very, very few NNTs visible in popular media, and even fewer that are portrayed positively.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><u>Off the top of my head I can't think of a single person who is in the public eye who is NNT.</u><br />
<br />
The only one who comes to mind is Temple Grandin, while <u style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm appreciative for all that she has done</u> gaining publicity for ASD and raising awareness, cows kind of scare me.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hU8mgq7AYBo/TsXo_HA3ewI/AAAAAAAAATA/EO0T0KKLHGQ/s1600/utterlysuprizing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hU8mgq7AYBo/TsXo_HA3ewI/AAAAAAAAATA/EO0T0KKLHGQ/s320/utterlysuprizing.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
<br />
A Google search turns up <span style="color: #93c47d;">Jett, John Travolta's son who died after having a seizure</span> and <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Dan Aykroyd, who might have been kidding about being on the spectrum.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><b><u>It doesn't really give me, or any other young person on the spectrum a whole lot of hope for role models.</u></b></div><br />
Sheldon may not be the best role model, he can be inflexible and come off as uncaring, but he has friends and a job and is mostly a functional adult. He even has a girl who is a friend starting in the 4th season. I would rather admire Sheldon for the things that he has done then think about how he could improve.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>I wouldn't mind if I grew up to be like Sheldon, I think that would be a pretty awesome goal.</u></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/734kM2b3EPY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">GOODNIGHT PUNY HUMAN </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The big issue is that we aren't seen. <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are invisible.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYs5cLjS0Dg/TsXpWOCqUSI/AAAAAAAAATI/RSKWtI0wKbg/s1600/hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYs5cLjS0Dg/TsXpWOCqUSI/AAAAAAAAATI/RSKWtI0wKbg/s320/hair.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<br />
And life is hard when you're invisible. It's hard when <span style="color: #ea9999;">you don't see anybody like you on TV</span>, <span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: #f9cb9c;">hear about them on the radi</span><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd; color: #f9cb9c;">o</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;"> </span>or read about them in books or magazines. You end up (at least I do, I obv don't speak for everyone) feeling <span style="font-size: large;">very</span>, <span style="font-size: x-large;">very</span> <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">alone</span></b> and <i>like no one in the whole universe understands you</i>. Which is why it was really refreshing to see Sheldon and have ( kind of for the first time) <b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">someone I could really relate too. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was really nice to see someone on TV who is like me, at least a little bit.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #76a5af; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>But doesn't he get laughed at by the other characters for being different, or being Other? </i></span></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, it's true that his weirdness is often used for comic humor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VwrCZa3aKo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the show is a comedy</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And the other character's weirdness is also used as comedic relief. </i></div><br />
For example, one of the other characters can't speak around women. He whispers to the other characters when there are women folk in the room.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pwAjWd3Jlmw/TsX1uTNQFKI/AAAAAAAAATg/gjIxE9qlnYg/s1600/raj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pwAjWd3Jlmw/TsX1uTNQFKI/AAAAAAAAATg/gjIxE9qlnYg/s1600/raj.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The other characters <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">are just as weird and nerdy and different as Sheldon.</span></span> It's not as though Sheldon is the only comic relief.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HTjcX5DuL0k/TsX3DZ_ORDI/AAAAAAAAATw/PYPXbjRsHfo/s1600/superherobigbang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HTjcX5DuL0k/TsX3DZ_ORDI/AAAAAAAAATw/PYPXbjRsHfo/s320/superherobigbang.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penny the waitress really bothers me. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>I think it can be really good to learn to laugh about what makes you different, sometimes it keeps you from crying.</i></div><br />
Watching the show there were so many moments where<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> I could relate to Sheldon</span></b></span> and a couple of moments where <b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">I've said the same thing as Sheldon.</span></b><br />
<br />
Learning to laugh at yourself makes the disability seem less serious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfL84suj38s/TsXhn3Vr9tI/AAAAAAAAASA/i95r9kAKfOg/s1600/monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfL84suj38s/TsXhn3Vr9tI/AAAAAAAAASA/i95r9kAKfOg/s400/monster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Sometimes, it can feel like an <span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">all consuming monster</span> that is going to eat my life. If you are NNT or know someone who is, you know this feeling. It is the single most awful terrifying feeling ever. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Seeing anyone, even a fictional character not be bothered by the disibility is really refreshing.</span> </div><br />
I was talking with my Mom and she mentioned that having a kid on the spectrum is hard because you never know how they're going to turn out. They might turn out to be like Sheldon, <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">pretty happy and functional</span> or, like so many with learning disabilities, <span style="color: #6aa84f;">they could end up in jail</span>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyq5bLMBRHE/TsX4LPppsjI/AAAAAAAAAUA/-vbrbK_al0w/s1600/momdadstop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyq5bLMBRHE/TsX4LPppsjI/AAAAAAAAAUA/-vbrbK_al0w/s320/momdadstop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Mom and Dad, for always being awesome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
When I first wrote the letter to stark raving mad mommy the thing that overwhelmed me the most was the responses from moms who were just <span style="font-size: large;"><u style="background-color: white;">happy to know that someone with ASD had turned out okay</u></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span> I </span>think it gave people hope that maybe they could turn out okay too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZgrdwI6gkE/TsX4TXEjiyI/AAAAAAAAAUI/wNVjDTppFIY/s1600/victorious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZgrdwI6gkE/TsX4TXEjiyI/AAAAAAAAAUI/wNVjDTppFIY/s320/victorious.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory is mine!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
That's what's nice about the show: It's about a character who is smart, funny, has friends and has his own difficulties.<br />
<span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I would really like to see more sucess stories both fictional and non fictional. </span></div><br />
<br />
What do you all think? Are their good NNT role models out there and I've just been living under a rock this whole time?Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-7755100789451198292011-09-28T04:51:00.000-07:002011-10-06T21:05:17.555-07:00Friends.Hey Ya'll. What's up? How's life going?<br />
<br />
It's the same old same old here. You know.<u> Living in Kyrgyzstan.</u><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9BEKylluTc/TmtG-CSuEXI/AAAAAAAAAPg/i3NppeQke9g/s1600/kyrgyzstan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9BEKylluTc/TmtG-CSuEXI/AAAAAAAAAPg/i3NppeQke9g/s320/kyrgyzstan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Kyrgyzstan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
So, in Kyrgyzstan there are these things called Marshutkas. They are like super tiny buses. And usually they are filled like clown cars. LIKE CLOWN CARS.<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_135234686"></span><span id="goog_135234687"></span><br />
Which is funny, <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">until you have to ride one</span>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LcoLT82991o/TmtGqqTe5NI/AAAAAAAAAPc/Am51MV-G0JQ/s1600/NO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LcoLT82991o/TmtGqqTe5NI/AAAAAAAAAPc/Am51MV-G0JQ/s320/NO.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br />
Did I mention that I'll be here for the next 9 months? <br />
<br />
<u><i>Marshutkas, they aren't airconditioned.</i></u><br />
<br />
So riding a marshutka is like riding a sensory overload mobile.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CLNESKAHT8/TmtIIJJ0RaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/NfEtCkbJ08c/s1600/babycrying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--CLNESKAHT8/TmtIIJJ0RaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/NfEtCkbJ08c/s320/babycrying.png" width="242" /></a></div><br />
SENSORY OVERLOAD MOBILE<br />
<br />
Riding a Marshutka is like riding a small sweaty crowded clown car.<br />
<br />
So, there is that part of what I'm doing with my life. But I'm also doing other things, like learning Russian. Which is awesome. <u>And I'm also making friends. </u><b>Which is the subject of today's post. </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7FX6jshYk/TcdR3wPMOBI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/IqyaSyHT6Yg/s1600/thestunnedlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7FX6jshYk/TcdR3wPMOBI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/IqyaSyHT6Yg/s1600/thestunnedlook.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I spent so many sleepless nights thinking about how to write this post. </div><br />
<br />
Making friends is possibly one of the single most anxiety inducing processes ever. Possibly more anxiety inducing than an outdoor concert.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udA0FZp2XfQ/TbIObCy8LGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/Hz5L1QP3_As/s1600/kanye+glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udA0FZp2XfQ/TbIObCy8LGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/Hz5L1QP3_As/s1600/kanye+glasses.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Kanye. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
So here are some things that I have handily discovered about making friends.<br />
<br />
<br />
There are <span style="font-size: large;">6.94 Billion people on Earth</span>. There are probably only about 7 people I would willingly hang out with for more than four hours.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze2OfSBbEmo/TmtKG6952iI/AAAAAAAAAPw/EyehQCXqHJ8/s1600/I+love+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ze2OfSBbEmo/TmtKG6952iI/AAAAAAAAAPw/EyehQCXqHJ8/s320/I+love+food.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True Story</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">WHY</span></span>:<br />
<br />
NT's are weird. They find weird things meaningful, like touching each others hair, and braiding it. And talking about which Spiderman character is the best. <br />
<br />
Wouldn't you rather talk about the number of endangered languages, or compare Starwars to modes of philosophical thought?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLkfsIcGKgA/TmtKpsMLfmI/AAAAAAAAAP0/rfe5Am4R34I/s1600/sharpie-wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLkfsIcGKgA/TmtKpsMLfmI/AAAAAAAAAP0/rfe5Am4R34I/s320/sharpie-wars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YES.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Because I would way rather do that. </b><br />
<br />
People are kind of a lot of work. Sometimes it feels like interacting with them is job. NT's don't have a readily compatible interface. Like a Mac and PC. It feels sometimes like I need translation software.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uep_DnOYSAE/TnCS7UcGOHI/AAAAAAAAAP4/kX-xOl-JJGM/s1600/leacyclan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uep_DnOYSAE/TnCS7UcGOHI/AAAAAAAAAP4/kX-xOl-JJGM/s320/leacyclan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes!! (from leacyclan.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
SO a conversation usually goes,<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #ffe599;">Think of something to say</span>.</span></div><span id="goog_268838215"></span><span id="goog_268838216"></span><br />
<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-size: large;">Think of a way to say that follows social norms so that NT's won't be offended/confused.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #cc0000;">Wait for a response.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYkemqFJBY0/TdRe7c5O_0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/KwiK7_mbPnA/s1600/keepcalmusetheforce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYkemqFJBY0/TdRe7c5O_0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/KwiK7_mbPnA/s1600/keepcalmusetheforce.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life would be easier if I had the force!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
Retranslate verbal response with body language clues to figure out what the NT <i>ACTUALLY </i>(because why use perfectly good words to say what you mean when you have body language and other less useful ways of communicating.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dh0EsRpbtA/TbhtCfpV9CI/AAAAAAAAAFo/aZvHAGIRqVg/s1600/whyhappening.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dh0EsRpbtA/TbhtCfpV9CI/AAAAAAAAAFo/aZvHAGIRqVg/s320/whyhappening.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have this thought often during social interactions</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Do you see where this becomes exhausting?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qiWx5GWQvoA/Tbhtcnv5RtI/AAAAAAAAAFs/Sm9n2jeiE0Y/s1600/littleboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qiWx5GWQvoA/Tbhtcnv5RtI/AAAAAAAAAFs/Sm9n2jeiE0Y/s1600/littleboy.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I spend most of my time doing this and the other part of my time figuring out what <a href="http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/p/terms-you-should-know.html">Weird Social Thing</a> I've missed.</span></div><br />
So typical friendships usually only last as long as I'm willing to put this amount of effort into them. <br />
<br />
So what is the best way to find friends?<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Other NNTs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pTAl_v5Nl_A/TgpipD7Ex5I/AAAAAAAAAMg/Son8Y4DE9rA/s1600/there-can-be-only-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pTAl_v5Nl_A/TgpipD7Ex5I/AAAAAAAAAMg/Son8Y4DE9rA/s320/there-can-be-only-one.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You know that other weird kid in class? The one spending <u><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2/3 of their time out in the hall</span></u> because they can't sit still? They are pretty much interested in being your friend, because you can't sit still either.<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Side note: do they even send kids to sit out in the hall any more? Because I'm pretty sure I spent more time in the hallway than I did the classroom in kindergarden.</blockquote><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">People who have siblings who are NNT.</span></u></div><br />
You know who knows how to handle weirdness? These people.You know you also might be weird. These people.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31DGwILTi6w/TcxHDTqgUoI/AAAAAAAAAIE/kPD9UBLJKFw/s1600/batman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31DGwILTi6w/TcxHDTqgUoI/AAAAAAAAAIE/kPD9UBLJKFw/s320/batman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: x-large;"><b>Adults who know that children are actually just tiny adults.</b></span> (And treat them that way)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
Adults are awesome. They use big words and are not interested in Bratz/My Little Pony/ Spider Man. They are often interested in Ancient History/Astronomy/Current Events in Central Asia. And if they are super awesome, they will talk with small NNT's about it.<br />
<br />
And they use the big words and not look at you weird when you understand them and can use the big words too. <br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where do you find these kinds of people?</span></div><br />
Clubs/ Activities with a beginning and an end and predictability and something to do with your feet. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h_T6Ly1Ge0c/TbS3SGe7MVI/AAAAAAAAAEI/bOB_ObRILpU/s1600/starwars2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h_T6Ly1Ge0c/TbS3SGe7MVI/AAAAAAAAAEI/bOB_ObRILpU/s320/starwars2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like Dance!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">Have I mentioned I love predicatable things? Because they are my favorite </div><br />
So one of my worst nightmares is being thrown into a room with people.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What do I do?</b></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Who do I talk with?</i></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>What am I supposed to do with my feet?</u></div><br />
All of these are important questions. I like people (sometimes) But I need a structured enviroment with predictable modes of interaction in order to feel comfortable!<br />
<br />
This means dinner parties are out indefinately and so are cocktail parties. Any glamourous images you have of yourself with a martini glass making everyone laugh can be replaced with awkward girl with pigtails sitting in the corner.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZIJcUkl_Y0/TbIUTDyrnXI/AAAAAAAAACI/8eKfEvrXSso/s1600/%255Bvia+loveswamp%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZIJcUkl_Y0/TbIUTDyrnXI/AAAAAAAAACI/8eKfEvrXSso/s320/%255Bvia+loveswamp%255D.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awkward face. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;"><u>There simply isn't enough structure in these kinds of situations for me to feel safe.</u></div><br />
BUT you do have to interact with people at some point. Because, they are like everywhere. <br />
<br />
SO, why not join a <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">club</span>, or some other <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">after school activity</span>?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Why</span>:<br />
<br />
Glorious Predicatability!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VADz15Ngy0/TgP7cdVStdI/AAAAAAAAAMA/0c3W_bK2LPQ/s1600/top-gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VADz15Ngy0/TgP7cdVStdI/AAAAAAAAAMA/0c3W_bK2LPQ/s320/top-gun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Cruise approves</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
They have a beginning and an end time. This means that I can predict when it will start. I can also predict when it will end. <span style="font-size: large;">I know that it will end. <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know that I will only have to interact with my peers until time runs out. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
For Example: I swam competitivly for 7 years. <i>My parents decided I would be less injured if I was boyant for most of the time.</i> <span style="color: red;">I knew the plan.</span><br />
<br />
2:30 arrive at pool.<br />
2:35 go into locker room<br />
2:45 go out onto pool deck.<br />
Spend 10 minutes on pool deck avoiding getting into pool/socializing with others.<br />
<br />
Wait for coach to say get in the pool for the 4th time.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Get in the pool.</b></u><br />
<br />
I knew this was the plan, every day. Every time. It was wonderful, because this was predicatable, the Weird Social Stuff was also predicatble.<br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
Acceptable topics to talk about on the pool deck:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">How cold the water probably is</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">How sore you are from yesterday's workout.</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">How sore you will probably be from today's workout. </div><br />
If I want, I can practice these conversations.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>And they happen pretty much every day. In the same manner, with the<br />
same people.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyJ6hMP5wbA/TnCX_Y20W-I/AAAAAAAAAQA/eDMGAlHCJk8/s1600/thinkplanahead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyJ6hMP5wbA/TnCX_Y20W-I/AAAAAAAAAQA/eDMGAlHCJk8/s320/thinkplanahead.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Perfect. Mostly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
The other reason for things like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://7.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/c/d/collegehumor.97191e1cd5639bfdfcb7d81d5a29e81e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://7.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/c/d/collegehumor.97191e1cd5639bfdfcb7d81d5a29e81e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Activities.<br />
<br />
<br />
The focus isn't on the Weird Social Stuff that's happening (for NNTs) The focus is on<br />
the activity.<br />
<br />
<br />
Activities are more goal oriented than Weird Social Things.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am going to swim across the pool and back</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> I am going to learn how to make this knot</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I am going to learn all of the notes to this song.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is really different than doing the Social Thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.briansolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/not-talking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://cdn.briansolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/not-talking.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although, I don't get most of the social thing. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">Talk with my peers about make up? </div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Find this conversation meaningless as it does not pertain to my life. </i></div></blockquote><br />
Activities are handy because I can (sort of) opt out of doing the Weird Social Stuff thing<br />
<br />
<br />
Activities also give NTs something to do too.<br />
<br />
<br />
They sort of put everyone on the same page as to what they should do with their feet.<u style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> And a level playing field is the best thing. </u> <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Friends</span></span>:<br />
<br />
<br />
I didn't really have very many friends growing up. I had my sister, I had my Mom and Dad. I had our dogs.<br />
<br />
<br />
I did have a couple of friends at school, and at other activties but to be honest with you <br />
Most people were so mean to me that I didn't really want to interact with them, <span style="background-color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">they were scary.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
I still have <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>a lot</b></span> to say about this, because having friends is super important, and<u style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I love the friends that I have</u>. I know it seems like many NNTs don't have friends, or don't have enough friends,<span style="font-size: large;"> <u>but that's because we need a different kind of support than the kind that comes from a conventional friendship.</u> </span>We need different things to help us make friends than other people. <i>We can have happy, successful lives</i>, they will also be filled with some kind of interaction, it might not be the typical kinds of interactions that are expected or that fufill the lives of NTs. <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What matters is that you find something that makes you feel safe and happy. </span><br />
<br />
People are really really weird and they don't make sense, but I don't know a single person NNT or not who doesn't want at least some form of companionship. The best advice that I can think of that is the truest to me is to keep trying.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gG_rFXZKX_w/TnCWiL4q6WI/AAAAAAAAAP8/UowQPDLqXt0/s1600/whenthatway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gG_rFXZKX_w/TnCWiL4q6WI/AAAAAAAAAP8/UowQPDLqXt0/s320/whenthatway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
They may not seem like they're around right now, but soon you'll find them.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-50458090621236118582011-09-01T03:09:00.000-07:002011-09-01T03:11:54.514-07:00The intersection of NNT and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.Here is a quick list of things that are awesome about traveling and being in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
1. Giving up control, traveling teaches you to adjust you expectations, you really are no longer in total control of your life and you have to be Okay with that. It's super hard thing to do, but totally a life skill worth knowing.<br />
<br />
2.Different for different reasons. In America, I am different because I am NNT. Here I am different because I am an American. It's nice to (sort of) loss part of that identity.<br />
<br />
3. Language Barrier. Here I have to rely more on the body language and customs, but because I am not from here, people are way more willing to explain it to me and I get a lot more chances to get it right.<br />
<br />
4. Weirdness sometimes comes off as just being an American. Here, if I do something differently than my host family, they may attribute it to me being an American rather than me being different.<br />
<br />
5. Traveling is awesome. I love being in a different country, I think that is has given me a really unique opportunity to expand my horizons and changed my way of thinking.<br />
<br />
What is your most valuable travel expirence? How is it to travel with small NNTs?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-68830681491602600942011-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:002011-08-09T10:47:07.598-07:00This is not an invisible disability.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1afC-v6-XoY/TiUPslHmdaI/AAAAAAAAAOw/SudD2D90gJg/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1afC-v6-XoY/TiUPslHmdaI/AAAAAAAAAOw/SudD2D90gJg/s320/car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
What's up there Y'all lovely NNT readers? Sorry these posts are all sporadic. You see. <em>The internet here at the house is possessed.</em><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KShkrG084pc/TiUgJTs52cI/AAAAAAAAAPA/nXkoMmLc6bc/s1600/06-wimps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KShkrG084pc/TiUgJTs52cI/AAAAAAAAAPA/nXkoMmLc6bc/s320/06-wimps.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be Afraid</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Sometimes I'll be all writing a blog about how much being NNT is awesome, and I'll be getting to the really profound part where I compare myself to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then the internet will disappear.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcsReVYryvY/TiUP6IfxMOI/AAAAAAAAAO0/LX4jc-oLnog/s1600/catheadturn.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcsReVYryvY/TiUP6IfxMOI/AAAAAAAAAO0/LX4jc-oLnog/s320/catheadturn.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There goes your internet...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
So Then I'm all annoyed and can't remember what was so profound about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and sad that I don't remember what I was writing about.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uvTwzzoJkrw/TiUQi9VxPQI/AAAAAAAAAO4/11ux-XpyOYQ/s1600/emohorse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uvTwzzoJkrw/TiUQi9VxPQI/AAAAAAAAAO4/11ux-XpyOYQ/s320/emohorse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
And the internet is all<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">HAHAHA. We're running off with all your best ideas!</span></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_zKXACd-IyY/TchIAwpNaCI/AAAAAAAAAHY/da20dh1VJdE/s1600/firstiwaslike.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_zKXACd-IyY/TchIAwpNaCI/AAAAAAAAAHY/da20dh1VJdE/s320/firstiwaslike.png" width="284" /></a></div><br />
But I am going to finish this one. <strong>Promise.</strong><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1-rsnILWIOk/TiURCB5tc0I/AAAAAAAAAO8/8uWkB5CuFfM/s1600/ginger2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1-rsnILWIOk/TiURCB5tc0I/AAAAAAAAAO8/8uWkB5CuFfM/s320/ginger2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have an honest face</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
So I wanted to talk today about invisibility. On my last post we talked a little about how I am not going to let this disability define me.<br />
<br />
Today I want to talk a little bit about how weirded out by the term <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">"invisible disability"</span> I am.<br />
<br />
<br />
So you see because I take these things literally I imagine that my disability is an actual entity, like an invisible person. No one else can see him but me. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuEqdIPkQ9o/TiUi9pWW3PI/AAAAAAAAAPI/gZWTW7gZhxg/s1600/shoo-go-on-get-outta-here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuEqdIPkQ9o/TiUi9pWW3PI/AAAAAAAAAPI/gZWTW7gZhxg/s1600/shoo-go-on-get-outta-here.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
But in reality, it's not like that at all. My disability is real. And it has a visible effect on my life. Most of the time it makes life harder.<br />
<br />
<u>It's harder for me to connect with people.</u><br />
<br />
I don't always understand what they want me to do. Sometimes, people don't understand me. <br />
<br />
I don't remember what someone wrote down on a piece of paper at work yesterday, but I can remember entire conversations that I had <span style="background-color: blue;">3 years ago.</span> <br />
<br />
But my disability is <b>very much visible</b>. Most people just don't know to look for it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIWl44wDSAk/TgpTOhLFJQI/AAAAAAAAAMM/jWVJVBRR6a4/s1600/i-see-it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIWl44wDSAk/TgpTOhLFJQI/AAAAAAAAAMM/jWVJVBRR6a4/s320/i-see-it.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<em>It's true it doesn't change my appearance the same way that a broken leg, or blindness might. And it's not as obvious as Down syndrome. But the signs are still there.</em><br />
<br />
After all, the doctors don't just pull a diagnosis out of thin air. (I hope)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPYRASK3xOs/Ta9UTSY8CbI/AAAAAAAAABo/lAkqRRbUr7c/s1600/meninlabcoats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPYRASK3xOs/Ta9UTSY8CbI/AAAAAAAAABo/lAkqRRbUr7c/s1600/meninlabcoats.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks Legit</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
There have to be signs along the way<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMFHYi5WqlY/TiUqkxxO6VI/AAAAAAAAAPM/fEekc3ySmLo/s1600/stopcallyourmom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMFHYi5WqlY/TiUqkxxO6VI/AAAAAAAAAPM/fEekc3ySmLo/s320/stopcallyourmom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The main issue is that the Bubba's of the world don't really know what to look for. No one ever told them. No one ever told most people.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggZ0kG5iI24/TbhpgfrRWSI/AAAAAAAAAFM/GMMIkLUGln8/s1600/toothless.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggZ0kG5iI24/TbhpgfrRWSI/AAAAAAAAAFM/GMMIkLUGln8/s320/toothless.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And that in my opinion is the fundamental problem. <span style="background-color: red;">There isn't enough education around ASD</span>. Most teachers and other educators don't know enough about the problem, at least they didn't when I was in elementary school. What is actually a manifestation of my disability was taken to be bad behavior, or bad parenting. In our rural town, there was no one who knew about ASD. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7FX6jshYk/TcdR3wPMOBI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/IqyaSyHT6Yg/s1600/thestunnedlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7FX6jshYk/TcdR3wPMOBI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/IqyaSyHT6Yg/s1600/thestunnedlook.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is this 504 plan of which you speak? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When my parents went to get accommodations at the school for me, they were met with confusion and distrust. Administrators just wanted to dismiss the whole thing. <span style="background-color: white;">Teachers were mistrusting of the diagnosis. You could tell that they were thinking</span><br />
<blockquote></blockquote><div><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But she doesn't look disabled. Obviously her parents just want special treatment for her. </span></blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-myLvDaZiX5k/TayuqqGKbNI/AAAAAAAAAA4/7n0gAU5RkyM/s1600/notamused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-myLvDaZiX5k/TayuqqGKbNI/AAAAAAAAAA4/7n0gAU5RkyM/s320/notamused.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Other parent's just didn't get it either. They thought my Mom was just a bad Mom, you know, totally unable to discipline her child. They saw my parents as being <span style="color: #c27ba0;">lazy</span> or <span style="color: #e06666;">incompetent.</span> They saw me and my sister as being <span style="color: #6aa84f;">willful</span>, or just <span style="color: #3d85c6;">ornery. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9WOZQercEs/TeqT50ZsVEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/qncDAx5c8jY/s1600/obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9WOZQercEs/TeqT50ZsVEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/qncDAx5c8jY/s1600/obama.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like congress</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I hope that now parents don't face that same discrimination, I hope that people are a little more understanding. I hope that children are a little bit more accepting. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YgDyvdm2EhE/TiU1A5hOFrI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/TfSsi2_yDuA/s1600/hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YgDyvdm2EhE/TiU1A5hOFrI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/TfSsi2_yDuA/s320/hair.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>Readers: it's been 15 years since I got my diagnosis, and at that time no one knew what the Autism Spectrum was, is it the same for you now? <span style="color: #674ea7;">Do people have any idea about Autism Spectrum Disorders? What do they know about it? </span> I would love to know please leave me a comment! Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-55345739364884609382011-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:002011-07-12T18:06:26.280-07:00This will not define me<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r27pPiTUFcY/ThzefqfDN4I/AAAAAAAAAOs/--d9Bt7mG-I/s1600/somuchmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r27pPiTUFcY/ThzefqfDN4I/AAAAAAAAAOs/--d9Bt7mG-I/s320/somuchmore.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Postsecrets.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>This disorder will not define me. </b></span></u></div><br />
<br />
<br />
It is not my whole being, because <span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">I am more than that.</span><br />
<div style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">I am a daughter</span></span>, and my parents love me. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #45818e;">I am a big sister</span></span>, and my siblings love me no matter what.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">I am a friend</span></span>, and those who are close to me are lucky.<br />
<div style="color: #e69138;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #e69138;">I am a peer educator</span></span>, and people can learn from the way that I think and teach.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">I am a hard worker</span>, and the time and effort I put into things shows.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">I am beautiful, <span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">inside and out.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #45818e;"><br />
</div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">I am a student</span>, and I am working to improve myself through education. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">I am a writer</span></span>, and what I say has an impact. <br />
<br />
<br />
This is not all I am, this disorder is not the sum of my being. No matter how it looks today I know I will find a reason to keep pursuing my dreams tomorrow. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOpgdydRLOU/TbIVZBdJtPI/AAAAAAAAACM/BoJaBsY1YvM/s1600/reachforthestars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xOpgdydRLOU/TbIVZBdJtPI/AAAAAAAAACM/BoJaBsY1YvM/s1600/reachforthestars.jpg" /></a></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-52975032048446782902011-07-01T17:09:00.000-07:002011-07-01T17:09:01.684-07:00Wing Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VADz15Ngy0/TgP7cdVStdI/AAAAAAAAAMA/0c3W_bK2LPQ/s1600/top-gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VADz15Ngy0/TgP7cdVStdI/AAAAAAAAAMA/0c3W_bK2LPQ/s320/top-gun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hey, How's it going?? Today I want to talk about Wing Men. But not traditional Wing Men.NNT Wing men.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm kind of fond of this concept. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5TLuzwIKXg/TgP83FjLh5I/AAAAAAAAAME/y81R7bTXCGw/s1600/at-dawn-we-ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5TLuzwIKXg/TgP83FjLh5I/AAAAAAAAAME/y81R7bTXCGw/s320/at-dawn-we-ride.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and this photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
So, we've talked a bit before about <a href="http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-become-jedi.html">social skills</a> and what is <a href="http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/p/terms-you-should-know.html">socially appropriate. </a><br />
<br />
Now I want to talk a little bit about surviving the social world and some coping techniques.<br />
<br />
<br />
So parents are the ones we usually rely on, if you're NNT you may rely on them more than most.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y50m0mfxbKo/TgpSbLYa7JI/AAAAAAAAAMI/D6q4X8ncDcQ/s1600/moms-do-it-all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y50m0mfxbKo/TgpSbLYa7JI/AAAAAAAAAMI/D6q4X8ncDcQ/s320/moms-do-it-all.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Part of my life has been relying on Mom and Dad to be my Social Wing Man.<br />
<br />
What does that even mean.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OQSNhk5ICTI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
Well in some social situations a wing man helps you out with attracting ladies. Or gents.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzgtRlsWpok/Tg5gfTnah9I/AAAAAAAAAMo/7HuqGPWCqnU/s1600/partyhard.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzgtRlsWpok/Tg5gfTnah9I/AAAAAAAAAMo/7HuqGPWCqnU/s320/partyhard.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
In NNT world Wing Men sort of act as an interpreter of social happenings, an ambassador for the NNT and a translator for unspoken social behavior. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wppN-dPIXiI/TgpZhLAtXeI/AAAAAAAAAMU/XIE9mYwuzJg/s1600/Karen-If-youre-from-Africa-why-are-you-white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wppN-dPIXiI/TgpZhLAtXeI/AAAAAAAAAMU/XIE9mYwuzJg/s320/Karen-If-youre-from-Africa-why-are-you-white.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen you can't just ask people why they're white. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When you're little this is most often your mom. Mom's often point out social happenings when we go on field trips or when she would come and help out in the classroom. This is important part of development, it allows children to help form generalizations about the world around them. Like it's only appropriate to pick your wedgies in the bathroom. Not in public view. With parents guidance children can learn to "see" some of the unseen social things.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIWl44wDSAk/TgpTOhLFJQI/AAAAAAAAAMM/jWVJVBRR6a4/s1600/i-see-it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIWl44wDSAk/TgpTOhLFJQI/AAAAAAAAAMM/jWVJVBRR6a4/s320/i-see-it.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Now, obviously parents cant be with their children always. That would be an unreasonable expectation. So, as a NNT you learn who would make a good Wing Man and who would not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMmhWxPWHo/TgpdgrtK7fI/AAAAAAAAAMY/E67j-gLJ2K0/s1600/a+few+good+men.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URMmhWxPWHo/TgpdgrtK7fI/AAAAAAAAAMY/E67j-gLJ2K0/s320/a+few+good+men.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a Tom Cruise themed post</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So when you're young you first rely on your parents to find someone who has these qualities<br />
<br />
1. Is socially competent<br />
<br />
2. Is nice<br />
3. Can explain what is going on adequately to NNT.<br />
4. Has an unending amount of patience. <br />
<br />
This seems like kind of tall order. It is. Sorry. The first two are the most important. The rest of the list is super useful but not really needed. In a perfect world, you would be able to have a wing man who fulfills all these requirements. Most of the time however, we don't live in a perfect world.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4Eknkkikhk/TgpgHsqTVpI/AAAAAAAAAMc/DDJf8i6afUs/s1600/henryclarke51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4Eknkkikhk/TgpgHsqTVpI/AAAAAAAAAMc/DDJf8i6afUs/s320/henryclarke51.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a perfect world, I look like this. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When you find someone who meets some of these requirements you sort of start to play spy. You undertake a secret mission to observe this person and learn from them. Observe what they do. See how they react to situations. See how they deal with NNT weirdness.<br />
<br />
As you get to know a wing man and they get to know you, they may come to understand how unique it is to be a non-neurotypical.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-86HVSLxtot4/Tg5ftV1BHqI/AAAAAAAAAMk/fuVJ4AnzTfY/s1600/cute-sloth-hug-teddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-86HVSLxtot4/Tg5ftV1BHqI/AAAAAAAAAMk/fuVJ4AnzTfY/s320/cute-sloth-hug-teddy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span id="goog_731093558"></span><span id="goog_731093559"></span>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-44969797535309659192011-06-20T23:29:00.000-07:002011-06-20T23:33:01.597-07:00Video of the inside of an ADD brain.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QEpQa8QNIGI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>So the internet has been out for many days. I have video of what it feels like when you don't take your ADD meds. This is what the inside of my brain.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-38159080329703157732011-06-15T23:36:00.000-07:002011-06-20T23:32:27.992-07:00Welcome to my chaos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Hey Y'all! Thanks for all your support during the LSATs. I stuck it to them. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gfCXRCPnZTo/TfmIUA8PGwI/AAAAAAAAALY/M0CMvlRzppE/s1600/stick+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gfCXRCPnZTo/TfmIUA8PGwI/AAAAAAAAALY/M0CMvlRzppE/s320/stick+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I'm hoping that you missed me. BUT I have a very good reason. <b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My life has been in total chaos the last two weeks. </span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcuDiGlO8AU/TfmGiklCG6I/AAAAAAAAALU/GKm2P2VnqxQ/s1600/welcome-to-my-handbasket-wanna-ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EcuDiGlO8AU/TfmGiklCG6I/AAAAAAAAALU/GKm2P2VnqxQ/s320/welcome-to-my-handbasket-wanna-ride.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like This. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Let me tell you why.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #e69138;">My routine changed.</span> </span></div><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;">I moved out of my dorm room, the place where I have been living for the last 10 months. This means I had to find a new place for all of my stuff. In the end, I went to the airport with two bags weighing more than <u>120 pounds total.</u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;">People were graduating, and moving on with their life. This means I won't see many of them for a very long time. Some of them I may never see again. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #8e7cc3;">Classes ended, and along with them the predictable schedule of studying and classwork I love my predictable schedule. </div><br />
<i><span style="color: #f6b26b;">My life has changed. </span></i><br />
<br />
Which got me to thinking about a question I got from <a href="http://www.starkravingmadmommy.com/">stark. raving. mad. mommy. </a><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>What advice would you give a teacher about introducing new people and changes to routine in the classroom? About helping a student through upsets in class? </i></blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUSVwX4FZMU/TfmNwW_pxpI/AAAAAAAAALc/H9klXDWVqo8/s1600/comewithmeifyouwantolive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HUSVwX4FZMU/TfmNwW_pxpI/AAAAAAAAALc/H9klXDWVqo8/s320/comewithmeifyouwantolive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Great question! <br />
<br />
So, if you are NNT, the world is kind of unpredictable.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j09l25biDv8/TfmPw9RmEjI/AAAAAAAAALg/w3FAvvUJtGs/s1600/chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j09l25biDv8/TfmPw9RmEjI/AAAAAAAAALg/w3FAvvUJtGs/s320/chicks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you poke them, they will cry. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Honestly, things that most people find predictable, I find less so. I think this comes from the fact that I miss a lot of non verbal cues from people. They see things that give them a more complete view of the world than I do. <br />
<br />
Once something new happens I automatically think about the worst thing that could happen. Then I think about everything else that could possibly happen.<b><u> EVERYTHING</u></b>. <br />
<br />
And then I'm exhausted.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpZi_w2629s/TfmYJ5LXiKI/AAAAAAAAAL0/MtI16YynetI/s1600/sleepyalpaca.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpZi_w2629s/TfmYJ5LXiKI/AAAAAAAAAL0/MtI16YynetI/s1600/sleepyalpaca.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like This</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
The older I get the more I can tell myself<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Self that is a dumb thought that is not helpful. Squids will not walk out of the ocean because you tried calamari.</span></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvqIo6sKZIY/TfmTxiwInBI/AAAAAAAAALo/bHvNbLMzJW8/s1600/cthulu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yvqIo6sKZIY/TfmTxiwInBI/AAAAAAAAALo/bHvNbLMzJW8/s320/cthulu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you know this reference, we are friends. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
But as a kid, it's a little harder to predict what is going on in your world. You simply don't have the same amount of experience that you do as an adult. Also, as a kid you don't have as much control over what you do in your life. Parents, teachers and baby sitters pretty much control where you are and who your with all the time.<br />
<br />
If I could go back in time and give advice to the teachers and babysitters who were in charge of me I would ask them to predict the world for me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCFMk_l5uHE/TfmW-G4I-lI/AAAAAAAAALs/6GkE3VZJqhs/s1600/stop-time-microwave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCFMk_l5uHE/TfmW-G4I-lI/AAAAAAAAALs/6GkE3VZJqhs/s320/stop-time-microwave.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Microwave= Time machine</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
If you can make the world more predictable for those of us whose world is less than predictable then we will have less meltdowns and be happier.<br />
<br />
<i>Meltdowns in cases of changes I think come from the emotion and anxiety brought on by not being able to understand these changes. </i><br />
<br />
I would start early, way before a major change is going to happen. I would also be prepared to talk about what is going to happen again before the change happens. <br />
<br />
Discuss what this change means in a classroom. Does it change the hours that you do things? Does it change who gets attention from the teacher? What doesn't it change? Is lunch going to be at the same time? Where is the bathroom going to be?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HYNHOqvx8R4/TfmfGd2IC0I/AAAAAAAAAL4/MvcER5O73RU/s1600/im-using-a-flowerpot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HYNHOqvx8R4/TfmfGd2IC0I/AAAAAAAAAL4/MvcER5O73RU/s320/im-using-a-flowerpot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why are you doing that</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Can you develop some skills that will help the child predict similar changes in the future? For example, if you have half days on the third Friday of every month, would setting up a calendar and marking off the days help make that more predictable? <br />
<br />
The more you can make a child's world view complete, the happier they will be. And after all, happiness is the end goal. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4kJj4kihkDk/TfmiH_qN0EI/AAAAAAAAAL8/4tR6ceg1nJU/s1600/boop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4kJj4kihkDk/TfmiH_qN0EI/AAAAAAAAAL8/4tR6ceg1nJU/s320/boop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AWW</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-57162331059639010372011-06-04T14:00:00.000-07:002011-06-04T14:00:57.079-07:00NNT conquers the LSATsSo Y'all, I got news.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm taking the LSATs on Monday June 6th. </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gb6RdirIXvE/TddfnNcWSXI/AAAAAAAAAJs/B0LiABZVgZ0/s1600/littleboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gb6RdirIXvE/TddfnNcWSXI/AAAAAAAAAJs/B0LiABZVgZ0/s1600/littleboy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My current state</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've got other news.<br />
<br />
I suck at standardized tests. Ever since I was little I've failed so hard at them. In high school, we had to take a test that was the determining factor in whether or not we graduated high school. The test was untimed, which was awesome, The test had three sections, and I knew I was going to be spending some time with the math section. I marched in to the middle of 400 other high schoolers to talk to the proctor on test day. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p0Ked8yZee0/TelUkmN673I/AAAAAAAAAKw/qqUIsR-bDgY/s1600/mathgod.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p0Ked8yZee0/TelUkmN673I/AAAAAAAAAKw/qqUIsR-bDgY/s1600/mathgod.png" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"I am going to be here until at least 4."</span> Current time: 8 am. </blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Most people finish up much sooner, I'm sure it won't take you that long."</span> Witness me with two meals worth of food in my snack bag. I'm going to be here forever. <i>You are a dunder head, I am certainly not most people and I will be here until 4. </i></blockquote>So, do you know how long I was there? I was there until 4. I was the last one to finish the test by a good hour. And do you know who was annoyed, the proctor. But I told you I would be here until 4 it it hecka not my fault you can't plan when I told you I would be here forever. But I passed the test and graduated high school.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have however, helpfully outlined some reasons why standardized tests are the worst.</div><div style="color: #b45f06;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Timed Tests</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNu-J6KAxqA/TelVnJNDBEI/AAAAAAAAAK0/-XEvghZfVqI/s1600/thetimeisnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNu-J6KAxqA/TelVnJNDBEI/AAAAAAAAAK0/-XEvghZfVqI/s320/thetimeisnow.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
You guys, I hate this. Math minutes in elementary school? I hate them. They are dumb and stressful. Why yes, I do in fact, know how to add. I cannot, however do 30 problems in under a minute. Nor can I answer 25 complicated word problems in under 25 minutes. You either test accuracy or speed but not both. I can do things with accuracy, but not quickly. This doesn't mean I can't do it, it just means I can't do it quickly. <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bubble sheets.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XXAaljj5VzI/TelUgPjbgDI/AAAAAAAAAKs/pbMQXW-2Wvc/s1600/something+is+worng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XXAaljj5VzI/TelUgPjbgDI/AAAAAAAAAKs/pbMQXW-2Wvc/s320/something+is+worng.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You never use a bubble sheet except on a standardized test. I lack the skills needed to transfer my answers from the answer booklet to the bubble sheet and spend about a 5 of my time making sure I filled in the right bubble for the right answer. As previously mentioned, I don't do well with timed things. Bubble sheets are dumb.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #c27ba0; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lack of Technology </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love spell check, spell check is my friend. My love for spell check is only second to my love of Microsoft Word. I have great ideas and can write about concepts, I cannot however, spell. This is because the English language is composed of French, Latin, German and Anglo-Saxxon. Their words became our words, and now I have to learn the spelling rules for all of them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do you know what the LSAT requires: A handwritten essay done in 35 minutes that will be sent to every law school you apply for. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dear LSAT people:</div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do you hate me? Because I'm pretty sure you were all sitting around a big table looking smug when you came up with that one.</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_uqYjHYt7U/TeqSPW6OOtI/AAAAAAAAAK4/sBitDYiUgRE/s1600/smug-baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_uqYjHYt7U/TeqSPW6OOtI/AAAAAAAAAK4/sBitDYiUgRE/s320/smug-baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you guys, I have the best idea</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My handwriting hasn't changed since I was 5, that is to say, that it looks like a five year old wrote for me. Also, do you know the last time I hand wrote an essay? It was the last time I took a standardized test. Before that: I was probably not even yet a teenager. As soon as I could use a word processor to type my assignments, I did. Why: because it makes life easier. Because it's still my writing if I can type it and move sections around. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">Non Mechanical Pencils</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love my pencils almost as much as I love spell check. They are soft, and have big grips that help me with my handwriting. They make a satisfying clicking noise when you push on them. They almost never run out of eraser. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some schmuck decided to cheat and put answers in their mechanical pencil and now I can't take my favorite pencils in with me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I have to use regular pencils that hurt my hands when I use them for long periods of time. And they're less satisfying. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #ffd966; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #ffd966; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The application process.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, yeah. The LSAT would like for you to prove 6 ways to Sunday that you are who you say you and that who you say you are is a real person and that the real person is interested in taking the test and that you are not in fact, a robot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9WOZQercEs/TeqT50ZsVEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/qncDAx5c8jY/s1600/obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9WOZQercEs/TeqT50ZsVEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/qncDAx5c8jY/s1600/obama.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please tell me I'm not an American, it was so funny the first time. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="font-size: large;">Getting Accommodations</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, if you thought that getting into the test center required a great deal of paperwork, then you have never applied to have accommodations on a standardized test. Please prove you are not a robot and prove that you aren't making up your disability that you've had since you were 5. </span></span>Please retest and re-diagnose, because you know that it doesn't count unless you've had it done in the last 2 years.Because your disability might have disappeared and you could be totally fine now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBs9x4N3X9g/TeqZd32H5II/AAAAAAAAALM/DFOo-OnDfUQ/s1600/morgan-freeman-cotton-candy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBs9x4N3X9g/TeqZd32H5II/AAAAAAAAALM/DFOo-OnDfUQ/s320/morgan-freeman-cotton-candy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So is your paperwork. </td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #93c47d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The desks.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some reason, every standardized test I've taken, students are required to sit at individual desks where the chair is attached. If you are a parent of a child who lacks the ability to sit still, then you are aware that these desks are no good. I'm also pretty sure they stopped making these desks in the 60s and now only pull them out to torture test takers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #e06666; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NRDZtEjlGHs/TeqWL5ZEPZI/AAAAAAAAALE/K7_5wLys65s/s1600/model-falls-gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NRDZtEjlGHs/TeqWL5ZEPZI/AAAAAAAAALE/K7_5wLys65s/s1600/model-falls-gif.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what sitting in those desks feels like</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #e06666; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">My fellow test takers</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #e06666; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fwFyhd1h36U/Tcja8P9-R9I/AAAAAAAAAHk/dg3j8vL6usc/s1600/thousands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fwFyhd1h36U/Tcja8P9-R9I/AAAAAAAAAHk/dg3j8vL6usc/s320/thousands.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #e06666; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do not like crowds. I do not like them in Disney World, where I am there to ride rides and have fun. Why would I like them when we are all nervous and getting ready to take a test that will determine our future? My fellow test takers are loud gum chewers, pencil tappers, loud breathers, non-bathers, and shoe squeakers. And since we all have to be quiet I cannot tell you that you're the most annoying group of people in the world.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSsGQ-eCTbs/TeqUQzeAQ8I/AAAAAAAAALA/1me1Uk8B39E/s1600/nomnom.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSsGQ-eCTbs/TeqUQzeAQ8I/AAAAAAAAALA/1me1Uk8B39E/s1600/nomnom.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Now here's the clincher:</span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have major plans to rule the world</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FL36a6Li-Po/TeqXl6F6dJI/AAAAAAAAALI/qh-j6TohdjM/s1600/trytotakeovertheworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FL36a6Li-Po/TeqXl6F6dJI/AAAAAAAAALI/qh-j6TohdjM/s320/trytotakeovertheworld.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just have to come up with a plan</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And a major part of that plan is to take the LSATS and go to law school. I have excellent grades and I've got some pretty fantastic letters of recommendations from some impressive faculty. I have a diverse resume, including an internship in high school with a law firm. That law center worked on representing students with disabilities and was a major factor in me wanting to into law in the first place. My list of extra curricular activities is as long as my arm. I would be a fantastic candidate if I could just score high enough on the LSAT. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm pretty sure I would make a good lawyer. I'm a great public speaker and I don't get phased easily. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This LSAT is just one more obstacle I'm going to have to climb over to get what I want. Which is nothing new. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bTJliFaEKJg/TeqbWourb1I/AAAAAAAAALQ/Sz5cNPHzLxE/s1600/one-for-the-star-wars-gals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bTJliFaEKJg/TeqbWourb1I/AAAAAAAAALQ/Sz5cNPHzLxE/s320/one-for-the-star-wars-gals.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can do it</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-76693225002440508542011-05-31T10:34:00.000-07:002011-05-31T10:34:29.894-07:00Learn to Speak Body Tape 5.So, when I first found this video I didn't realize it was a joke video (stupid literal self) and so I spent 15 minutes searching for the other videos in the set.<br />
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It's a joke video but I really wish that there was something like this available.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/x9YTxff3pHU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
I hope your weekend was great!Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-23371602096666147332011-05-30T16:12:00.000-07:002011-05-30T16:20:15.320-07:00How to become a JediBy which I mean learn to use body language.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sRKjCbydolw/TeQLrPN9LRI/AAAAAAAAAKE/sICNaDFqxzM/s1600/Droids-Preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sRKjCbydolw/TeQLrPN9LRI/AAAAAAAAAKE/sICNaDFqxzM/s320/Droids-Preview.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">So obviously, I'm not a doctor, or a psychologist, or any other kind of medical professional, you should use your own judgment, and the judgment of doctors before you use your kid a guinea pig. I just know that these are the things that I found to be helpful. So, yeah, use your judgment and not mine. </span></i> <br />
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<div style="background-color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;">Practice.</span></div>You can't get any better at something if you don't practice it. A lot. Jedi's spend years honing their skills in the academy and they never stop learning. This is totally the same thing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6n61b0AY-mc/TeQdS2FxxWI/AAAAAAAAAKM/CfNDsviYs1A/s1600/baseballtotheface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6n61b0AY-mc/TeQdS2FxxWI/AAAAAAAAAKM/CfNDsviYs1A/s320/baseballtotheface.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">except ball sports, no amount of practice will make me better at them</td></tr>
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But what do you practice?<br />
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<div style="background-color: #e06666;"><span style="font-size: large;">Practice Observing</span></div><br />
Many non-neurotypicals have the ability to focus for long periods of time on a single task. This is an advantage we may have over NTs. I suggest studying people. The best way to do this is to treat it like a science experiment: create a hypothesis and then go out and test it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltN8F8c3Kuw/TeQRx6A476I/AAAAAAAAAKI/UpJQ6SMuaek/s1600/young-frankenstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltN8F8c3Kuw/TeQRx6A476I/AAAAAAAAAKI/UpJQ6SMuaek/s320/young-frankenstein.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing metaphors. </td></tr>
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These experiments are best guided by a parent or other professional. For example: I for many years was not aware of personal space, often entering people's bubbles or yelling at them from across the room. The Matriarch, being a total pro, suggested that we go to the mall and observe how close people stand to each other. Because I was able to use my own observations to inform the my view it felt more like I had "discovered" people's personal space. I was doing original research! If I had just been sent to observe people at the mall, I might not have figured out personal space.<br />
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<div style="background-color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;">Practice Isolated Observation:</span></div><br />
You guys, I love TV. It's pretty much the best thing. And TiVo is also pretty much the bestest thing. If given the choice, I would totally watch TV for hours. Well, TV is also useful for learning about body language.<br />
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You see, actors and actresses have to use body language to sell a story. When I was 10 or 11, The Matriarch would watch TV dramas with me and my sister with the sound off. SeaStar and I are both super auditory so removing the sound took away the thing that we most used to gather information from the idiot box. We would watch the TV and try and relate what was going on in the story based only on the actors body language. If we were wrong, The Matriarch would tell us what she thought was going on in the scene. It's also useful because you can rewind the TiVo and pause on specific facial expressions and re-watch certain scenes. TV dramas work best. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjJuFO6aAGw/TeQgbR5B-ZI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/WxTirp8aiGI/s1600/lietomecontempt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjJuFO6aAGw/TeQgbR5B-ZI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/WxTirp8aiGI/s320/lietomecontempt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lie to Me is my newest obsession, using body language to solve crimes. </td></tr>
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<div style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-size: large;">Practice Research:</span></div><br />
Other than parents, I read books. I read books on body language in office spaces and communication in interpersonal relationships. Movie also read books on Evolutionary Psychology, which shows how relationships evolved in humans. So, you know magazines like People, and US weekly, they sometimes run sections on celebrity body language, they show pictures of celebrities and have body language experts analyze them. Pure Gold. The best thing about these, they show body language in a way that doesn't appear in any of the other formats. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMLOmVVhKUk/TeQhYDuoX9I/AAAAAAAAAKc/xIO7o9ME8iU/s1600/christina-aguilera-us-magazine-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMLOmVVhKUk/TeQhYDuoX9I/AAAAAAAAAKc/xIO7o9ME8iU/s320/christina-aguilera-us-magazine-cover.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found the best reason to buy one of these</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="background-color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: large;">Final Thoughts</span></div><br />
The best way to learn body language is the way that you learn best. That sounds unhelpful, but honestly if you find something that works for you, then you should stick with it. I like being able to get my information from lots of different sources.<br />
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So, writing about this has made me realize that I have about 10 posts worth of material around body language. Which is crazy, because I think that this is one of the areas that I most struggle with. So, I guess I'll spend some time thinking about it and posting more as I hash the ideas out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Memorial Day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCx251oY89A/TeQkPAxxiiI/AAAAAAAAAKk/s1XE2vC8YEE/s1600/american_flag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCx251oY89A/TeQkPAxxiiI/AAAAAAAAAKk/s1XE2vC8YEE/s320/american_flag.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-64273511238067425992011-05-23T22:42:00.000-07:002011-05-23T22:42:01.590-07:00Body language is like having a Jedi powerSo this is a multi-part post that answers a couple of different questions from SRMM.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDcfQD5HsDk/TdRZzZFOuGI/AAAAAAAAAJM/BOqX-AYQ5iU/s1600/cogs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDcfQD5HsDk/TdRZzZFOuGI/AAAAAAAAAJM/BOqX-AYQ5iU/s1600/cogs.gif" /></a></div><br />
Today I want to talk about body language. I've been thinking about writing this post since I started writing this blog. And I've been thinking about this concept since forever. <br />
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Here's the concept: being able to read body language and use body language is kinda like having a Jedi Power.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-es_cVc8nOEg/TdRbo25rtTI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/gAt3iqOL5g4/s1600/stormtroopers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-es_cVc8nOEg/TdRbo25rtTI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/gAt3iqOL5g4/s1600/stormtroopers.gif" /></a></div><br />
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Think about it. Body language is a nonverbal form of communication that guides the way that people interact with one another. If you are NT then this is pretty easy to understand, you can read people's faces and body language, you understand without words the way that people feel.<br />
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Obi Wan says of The Force"It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." The Force is unseen but still incredibly powerful. Many people aren't aware that they have many midi-clorians are powerful carriers of The Force.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYkemqFJBY0/TdRe7c5O_0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/KwiK7_mbPnA/s1600/keepcalmusetheforce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYkemqFJBY0/TdRe7c5O_0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/KwiK7_mbPnA/s1600/keepcalmusetheforce.jpg" /></a></div><br />
You know the scene in <i>Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope </i>where Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi are going into town and they get stopped by storm troopers looking for droids that are totally in the hover craft. Obi Wan waves his hand at the storm trooper and says<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"These aren't the droids you're looking for."</span></blockquote> The Stormtroopers are stupefied and let the merry band of do gooders pass on the way without further incident.<br />
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That's how body language feels for me. It feels like a super power. If you want to take the comparison further, then you can compare learning to use the force to learning to use body language. It takes discipline and work and is hard but totally worthwhile in the end. Like Luke using The Force to destroy the Deathstar, he had to practice honing his skills in order to become a more powerful Jedi. <br />
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Body Language is incredibly powerful, unseen by many NNTs. It is this really powerful thing that exists in the universe that not everybody knows how to access it. Some people are really good at using and reading body language and some people aren't.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjlAArcNZpw/Tdgx1-cn86I/AAAAAAAAAJw/ozHr6DGS6-M/s1600/starwars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjlAArcNZpw/Tdgx1-cn86I/AAAAAAAAAJw/ozHr6DGS6-M/s320/starwars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I'm pretty sure The Force is strong with my mom. She can meet someone and tell you whether or not the person is worthwhile, and she's almost never wrong. When I was younger, I thought she could predict the future, it turns out she was better at reading people.<br />
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Up Next: Teaching NNT's to become better Jedi's. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUm34bb_JS0/Tdgye5wyMpI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/u-tUobGAb3M/s1600/JediCertificate_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUm34bb_JS0/Tdgye5wyMpI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/u-tUobGAb3M/s320/JediCertificate_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-33892712715120854082011-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:002011-05-20T19:59:46.401-07:00If I should have a daughter<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html">Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ... | Video on TED.com</a><br />
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If you haven't heard Sarah Kay's poetry, you really should. I really admire her work and this poem in particular is one of my favorite things she's written:<br />
<blockquote style="color: black;"><a class="transcriptLink" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1701109145885107064&postID=3389271271512085408" style="color: black;">If I should have a daughter,</a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a class="transcriptLink" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1701109145885107064&postID=3389271271512085408" style="color: black;">instead of Mom,</a> she's gonna call me Point B, because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.</blockquote><br />
TGIF y'all. Monday's Post: NNT have Jedi powers.Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-68268949627100167392011-05-19T14:05:00.000-07:002011-05-19T14:05:49.101-07:00Holding hands: number one threat to childrens safety.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOtWo219AF0/TdV_B378XSI/AAAAAAAAAJY/IB_e_CwRWyo/s1600/bumper-sticker-win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOtWo219AF0/TdV_B378XSI/AAAAAAAAAJY/IB_e_CwRWyo/s320/bumper-sticker-win.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Y'all I was going to finish writing a kick ass piece about how body language was like having a jedi power (which I will finish over the weekend)<br />
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But then I read <a href="http://www.autostraddle.com/the-unfortunately-true-story-of-two-lesbians-outed-and-disciplined-for-holding-hands-89507/">this article</a> about how these two girls got suspended for holding hands. Their Principle drove up to them in a golf cart and told them not to hold hands, seperated them and outed one of them to her parents. HE SUSPENDED THEM FOR HOLDING HANDS.It's also worth noting that the principle has not suspended any straight students for holding hands. Just the gay ones. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oqMkOtdI3Hk/TdWDc0pI5tI/AAAAAAAAAJc/b82SnTCCtDU/s1600/comon-rly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oqMkOtdI3Hk/TdWDc0pI5tI/AAAAAAAAAJc/b82SnTCCtDU/s320/comon-rly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This man seriously needs a high five to the face. <br />
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This is unacceptable. Here is a list of reasons why:<br />
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1. Why does the principle have a golf cart? If you have money to have a golf cart you have money to spend on special education classes and a Gay Straight Alliance. <br />
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2. Why was the principle driving around on a golf cart? Don't you have a real job to do, like, I don't know, EDUCATING THE CHILDREN WHO WILL ONE DAY LEAD THE WORLD/PAY FOR YOUR MEDICARE? Seriously friend, you have that kind of free time to hop in your principalmobile and chase down students who are holding hands? I'm putting a camera in the office and watching what you do all day. Because my guess is it's not your job. <br />
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3. It's not okay to discriminate. This really should be reason number one. It's not okay to single someone out because they are different. Didn't you learn that in kindergarten? I did and so did most other people. Also there are laws against this kind of thing. If you aren't kicking out the straight kids for holding hands, you can't kick out the gays. <br />
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4. They were holding hands. They weren't doing drugs. They weren't naked. They weren't cutting class. They weren't vandalizing the school. They weren't bullying other students. THEY WERE HOLDING HANDS. Until you fix the other things on this list holding hands shouldn't be a priority. <br />
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5. It's not okay to out someone, espcially a kid. So, at Hippie U you learn about what is and isn't acceptable, and it's totally not okay to out someone to their parents. That kind of information is very personal. Information about your sexual orientation is not a topic for discussion between students and authority figures.If you use out a student to their parents, then in my book you're a bully. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7sBuam8UCdI/TdWDr4qWMOI/AAAAAAAAAJg/nDJ3nhh4GQc/s1600/babycrying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7sBuam8UCdI/TdWDr4qWMOI/AAAAAAAAAJg/nDJ3nhh4GQc/s320/babycrying.png" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bullies make me cry. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Whenever I see/hear about something like this, I get SO mad. My thoughts on the person who is perpetrating this kind of behavior usually go something like, "Big man made little high schooler cry. You have all the power and authority. Jerk. This is how you get your jollies? Making high schoolers cry? You ought to be ashamed. And fired."<br />
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ANYWAY IF YOU ARE INTERESTING IN WRITING A STRONGLY WORDED LETTER TO THE PRINCIPLE HERE'S HIS EMAIL ADDRESS.<br />
<strong>Principal Karlton Johnson</strong>:<br />
email karlton.johnson@browardschools.com<br />
phone 754.322.0955 <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Now I'm all cranky. I'm going to go finish my other post now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--kgehUd2B5k/TdWEIvyPKPI/AAAAAAAAAJo/_oY6PlVOLaM/s1600/gayumberella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--kgehUd2B5k/TdWEIvyPKPI/AAAAAAAAAJo/_oY6PlVOLaM/s320/gayumberella.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-12336578465598700872011-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:002011-05-20T20:00:05.221-07:00New Favorite Video.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4n5AfHYST6E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Seriously. I haven't been so fascinated by food before. </div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-14066210145889128182011-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:002011-05-20T20:00:36.099-07:00The time I embarrassed my mother at the pool.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yiylKgk0TK4/TdGp6jnmKUI/AAAAAAAAAJI/EyB5ZQ5HIRk/s1600/Swimming-pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yiylKgk0TK4/TdGp6jnmKUI/AAAAAAAAAJI/EyB5ZQ5HIRk/s320/Swimming-pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This story has become family lore and gets told at holidays or when my parents want to poke fun at me.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #c27ba0; font-size: large;">Once upon a time</span> my mother took me to the pool. I had a jolly time splashing around and swallowing pool water.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IbuOUpWXSko/TdGlarHzqRI/AAAAAAAAAI0/x-kqAXx1Mkw/s1600/elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IbuOUpWXSko/TdGlarHzqRI/AAAAAAAAAI0/x-kqAXx1Mkw/s320/elephant.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This water is the best thing EVA</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>well <strike>soon</strike> after four hours it was time for me to go home. Mom took me to the locker room. And then something like this happened.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx0D4u5HImo/TdGfwmzM1gI/AAAAAAAAAIw/nxlzbPwIyqs/s1600/derpyhawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx0D4u5HImo/TdGfwmzM1gI/AAAAAAAAAIw/nxlzbPwIyqs/s1600/derpyhawk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">excuse me why is your booty so large? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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There was a woman in the locker room. This woman had a very large behind. I had never seen a woman with such a large behind. So I asked my mother: <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Mom, why is that woman's bottom so big?"</span></span></blockquote>Well you see I also still had water in my ears so I said this <span style="background-color: orange;">REALLY LOUD.</span> The woman had totally heard me asking about the size of here hinny. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">My poor Mother. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24Jrnv0WkTU/TdGmJhvNDqI/AAAAAAAAAI8/fHSpCj3uiSM/s1600/shocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24Jrnv0WkTU/TdGmJhvNDqI/AAAAAAAAAI8/fHSpCj3uiSM/s320/shocked.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAMAGE CONTROL. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">She used her mom voice. She was going to try and use this moment to teach me. It could have worked out so well. She said:</div><blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"That's not very nice. You should say you're sorry." </span></span></blockquote><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I had recently watched Bambi and learned from Thumper</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecD_dlaTuYE/TdGm1xZHKzI/AAAAAAAAAJA/NOsyU0vEaRo/s1600/thumper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecD_dlaTuYE/TdGm1xZHKzI/AAAAAAAAAJA/NOsyU0vEaRo/s320/thumper2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, with that gold nugget of wisdom in mind I prepared to bridge the gap between myself and this unknown woman. I said in my sweetest, nicest voice possible. <br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"I'm sorry your bottom is so big."</span></span></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSgcnyk5N-c/TdGoZaJSHnI/AAAAAAAAAJE/p28DrzODyhM/s1600/owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iSgcnyk5N-c/TdGoZaJSHnI/AAAAAAAAAJE/p28DrzODyhM/s1600/owl.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what did you say to me small child? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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The woman clearly did not think that was a nice thing to say. My mother scoped me up half clothed and carried my still wet out to the car. And that's why my mother can't take me out in public anymore.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh-YlGmHVq4/TbhuH1tnt6I/AAAAAAAAAF4/Y-y6sxx8qzY/s1600/istillloveyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh-YlGmHVq4/TbhuH1tnt6I/AAAAAAAAAF4/Y-y6sxx8qzY/s320/istillloveyou.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just can't take you to the pool. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-1437946077199368212011-05-13T15:21:00.000-07:002011-05-20T20:01:07.891-07:00How to tell your NNT they are NNT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <i>[author's note: I totally had this post done yesterday and then blogger decided 'No, all your hard work writing clever things WAS FOR NOTHING' and then it deleted half the work I did on this post. So now I'm all annoyed and the post isn't as good ad the one I wrote yesterday.]</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmcHzJlREKU/Tc1zonAWoBI/AAAAAAAAAIM/PN71LagKMSc/s1600/batman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmcHzJlREKU/Tc1zonAWoBI/AAAAAAAAAIM/PN71LagKMSc/s320/batman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of these things is not like the other. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, you have a kid who is NNT? How do you tell them that they are different from all of the other kids?<br />
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This is a hard thing to do, but it's well worth the effort<br />
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This is a process of <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">realization,</span> not a one step and out the door kind of thing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pGgSLtrYB38/Tcmxf3dsUGI/AAAAAAAAAHs/AZp9_j1zM2A/s1600/3-28-white-marble-stairs-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pGgSLtrYB38/Tcmxf3dsUGI/AAAAAAAAAHs/AZp9_j1zM2A/s320/3-28-white-marble-stairs-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the beginning of your journey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><u>The first step: Don't panic. Take a deep breath.</u> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oU3kTi6XxE/TcmvGxisFoI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ITERuUT473E/s1600/tasteofawesome.com_HEY_LOOK_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oU3kTi6XxE/TcmvGxisFoI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ITERuUT473E/s320/tasteofawesome.com_HEY_LOOK_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<u>Step 2: know the facts. </u><br />
You should know what kind of NNT your child is. Talk to the doctor who made the diagnosis and see if they have an resources about the NNT. Do a google search and read the wikipedia page. The more you know about the diagnosis the better advocate and ally you can be for your child. <br />
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<u>Step 3: Tell your kid</u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>OMG PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF POP ICONS TELL YOUR KID. </b></i></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2BSHm0dLzE/Tc15gio522I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/OG88-tXGEVg/s1600/lady_gaga_elton_john_ball2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2BSHm0dLzE/Tc15gio522I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/OG88-tXGEVg/s320/lady_gaga_elton_john_ball2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you kid was anything like me, they thought that they were retarded. Like that there was something wrong with them. <i>They thought this because someone either implied it or said it to their face.</i> Or both. Let me tell you what you already know: there is nothing wrong with your kid. <span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/2011/04/very-scientific-explaination-of-non.html">Their brain is wired differently</a>. </span></span></span></span></span>Promise Promise that any trauma that might occur from telling your kid that they are different is significantly less traumatic than letting your kid go through life thinking that they are broken, dumb or that there is something wrong with them. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>Step 3a: Use a metaphor.</u></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Brains are super complex and not much is known about being NNT. So it might be helpful to use a metaphor. <i>Cautionary note: please explain that it is a metaphor, otherwise your kid will think that there are wires in their brains</i>. The metaphor that helped me was the wiring metaphor, saying that I was wired differently, my brain processes information in a different way than other people. NOT WRONG. JUST DIFFERENT. <br />
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<u>Step 3b: Use the diagnosis.</u><br />
So, this one might just be me. But I found it super helpful to use the exact works that were in my diagnosis. This was helpful because as I got older I found I had to explain to adults and my peers why I was acting the way I was. Knowing the words associated with my diagnosis was helpful to learn to self advocate. <span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Step 4: Tell them that you love them.</u><br />
I think this is the best way to end any conversation, especially hard conversations. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmK1MP2CV2c/Tc2s8g8JybI/AAAAAAAAAIY/OpR4sJTCmRQ/s1600/babykisses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmK1MP2CV2c/Tc2s8g8JybI/AAAAAAAAAIY/OpR4sJTCmRQ/s320/babykisses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AWWW</td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: large;">Side note: using the diagnosis as an excuse</span></span><br />
So, I've read comments on a lot of other blogs that say that parents don't let their kids use their NNTness as an excuse. <i>Good for you. It's not an excuse. </i>But I feel like there's an explaination that might be helpful.<br />
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NNT isn't an excuse to not do things like chores or homework.<br />
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But it can make certain things more difficult, like predicting and generalizing about homework and chores.<br />
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For example:<span style="background-color: magenta;"> If </span>trash day comes once a week, and it comes on Monday, <span style="background-color: magenta;">then</span> it is expected that the trash will be gathered up earlier,<span style="background-color: magenta;"> therefore </span>you should gather the trash on Sunday night. This seems like a simple concept, yes? However, sometimes NNT brains don't make connections that follow the <span style="background-color: magenta;">If Then Therefore</span> formula. You might have to explain the formula and generalize about trash day before that behavior becomes predictable. <br />
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Honestly, you spend so much time trying to convince people that you CAN do things it doesn't make sense to waste time telling your parents that you CAN'T do something. <br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Side Note: what I remember about being told I was NNT</span></span><br />
I was diagnosed when I was 6 or 7 years old. We lived in a small town in rural New Mexico. In order to get tested<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> we had to drive t</span></span></span></span>o Albuquerque. It was a very long drive. We got to the doctors office and a man who looked a little like Santa timed me while I drew pictures of shapes. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7riBAOXwUaI/Tc2rMdiD5NI/AAAAAAAAAIU/uRf82CA0vZI/s1600/Santa-Claus-Pics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7riBAOXwUaI/Tc2rMdiD5NI/AAAAAAAAAIU/uRf82CA0vZI/s320/Santa-Claus-Pics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
There were little desks and he sat the little desk even though he didn't fit at it. After I was finished drawing, he told me that I had Nonverbal Learning Disability. It meant I had a hard time reading emotions and copying things down from the board at school. He told me I was unique. I told him I liked being unique.<br />
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Then in the waiting room there was a tick in <a href="http://non-neurotypical.blogspot.com/p/if-people-in-my-life-were-like.html">SeaStar's</a> hair. It was really gross and The Matriarch pulled it out of her hair with tweezers. She put it in a bag and SeaStar had to go to the hospital.<br />
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So that's what I remember, a man who looked like Santa and a tick in my sisters hair. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejWtR_1vMqo/Tc2tgJ4g0_I/AAAAAAAAAIc/iM0gXxf8R4M/s1600/opticalillusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejWtR_1vMqo/Tc2tgJ4g0_I/AAAAAAAAAIc/iM0gXxf8R4M/s320/opticalillusion.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different way of viewing the world</td></tr>
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</div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701109145885107064.post-20567441906466862282011-05-09T23:32:00.000-07:002011-05-20T20:01:37.758-07:00NPR: Report says that autism much more common.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CUN1Fm7418E/Tcg_AtQqYoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/d47WdKnbvgA/s1600/NationalPublicRadio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CUN1Fm7418E/Tcg_AtQqYoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/d47WdKnbvgA/s320/NationalPublicRadio.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">So this morning on Morning Addition, there was an article about ASD in South Korea. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3uvZS52_ys/Tcg_miES4mI/AAAAAAAAAHM/H9_cQtA-GIA/s1600/meanwhileinchina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3uvZS52_ys/Tcg_miES4mI/AAAAAAAAAHM/H9_cQtA-GIA/s320/meanwhileinchina.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because all Asian nations are the same right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The study looked at 55,000 children in a medium sized town in South Korea. The team of scientists then looked and tested all of the kids for Autism.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">They tested 55,000 kids for Autism. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do you know what they found? </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLDCdZZVUxQ/TchCW2riijI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/2NqtjpEnI-g/s1600/memes-top-secret-ramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLDCdZZVUxQ/TchCW2riijI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/2NqtjpEnI-g/s320/memes-top-secret-ramen.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></span>They found that rates of ASD are 2.5 times higher than in the united states. One out of every 38 children in the study was found to be on the spectrum. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>2.5 times higher than expected.</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>That is so much higher than previously thought. Even the scientists were baffled. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you know what? This wasn't even the most surprising number to me. The number that wins that prize? The 2/3 of those with ASD that were in mainstream schools without any help. These children weren't diagnosed because they weren't failing classes, <span style="background-color: #e06666;">even though they were having difficulties with peer interactions. </span><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wuRIr3pwJaY/TchE8OnB9nI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2k4irOkZAcI/s1600/crybabyjonnydepp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wuRIr3pwJaY/TchE8OnB9nI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2k4irOkZAcI/s320/crybabyjonnydepp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2/3 of those with ASD go without recognition and treatment. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i>The study goes on to say that South Korea isn't unique.They think that ASD is probably higher in other places, but it gets missed because kids only get tested if they're failing classes or <strike>acting out</strike> annoying teachers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQJsJuv-KmA/TchIl1qpJQI/AAAAAAAAAHc/flOWSMm66SU/s1600/studentteacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQJsJuv-KmA/TchIl1qpJQI/AAAAAAAAAHc/flOWSMm66SU/s320/studentteacher.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reason most NNTs get tested. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Further, the authors suggest that children who aren't failing but do have ASD would benefit from treatment. Especially from learning about how to interact with their peers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_zKXACd-IyY/TchIAwpNaCI/AAAAAAAAAHY/da20dh1VJdE/s1600/firstiwaslike.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_zKXACd-IyY/TchIAwpNaCI/AAAAAAAAAHY/da20dh1VJdE/s320/firstiwaslike.png" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how school made me feel. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">The take home message from the authors of the study: </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"></span></span></div><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><div style="text-align: left;">"if you really go look carefully among all children everywhere, you find that things are far more common than you previously expected."</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">The part where I make a snarky comment. </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gN5-_Bf3Ybo/TchJSEr5YWI/AAAAAAAAAHg/pdhoMMm9FOM/s1600/duh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gN5-_Bf3Ybo/TchJSEr5YWI/AAAAAAAAAHg/pdhoMMm9FOM/s1600/duh.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DUHHbya</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">No really?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course there are more people out there that have ASD. People who are NNT and parents of kids who are NNT know this is true. How many times have you met another person and <u>just known that they were NNT? </u><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do you know how many people's lives could be improved by early testing and intervention?</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fwFyhd1h36U/Tcja8P9-R9I/AAAAAAAAAHk/dg3j8vL6usc/s1600/thousands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fwFyhd1h36U/Tcja8P9-R9I/AAAAAAAAAHk/dg3j8vL6usc/s1600/thousands.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/05/09/136066097/autism-may-be-far-more-common-study-suggests">Sorry! Here is the link to the article if you're interested in listening to it. </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Non-Neurotypicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419121863273232579noreply@blogger.com2