(no subject)

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

apparently, Analese has been spamming autism journal's trying to get some information.


I was wondering if I could get some help on interacting w/ two different people who are one two different levels of autism and also, if I'm right in assuming they *are* autistic (i don't want to be rude). i have a specific reason needing to know and i'll explain once i get some answers that make sense.

The first girl is lori. she seems to be really intelligent, makes eye contact, smiles and laugh and tries to interact with people but gets frustrated because nobody can really understand her. she can take care of herself well enough that she can live on her own but it's obvious she's disabled. she usually has her head tilted down and sideways and more often than not, has her hands drawn up like a bunny, or she holds her right wrist with her left second finger and thumb. sometimes she'll just carress her right hand with her left hand. She likes to have her left palm scratched with things like sharp new keys, long fingernals and forks. She can sit still but prefers to rock. the more excited she is, the harder she rocks. if she gets angry, she'll stomp or rock back to hit her head or hit her head with the side of her hand. she also likes to click her tounge. She *can* talk but prefers not to, mostly saying "muh" (more or mama, nobody can really tell), "nuh" and "buh bye". she really likes techno music.

What confuses me are her motor skills. she grabs for things with her fingers spread wide and sometimes she'll drop whatever she's holding. she can hold small objects as well as big and it doesnt seem difficult to her. she can also type. not peck but type. but she can't write.

what can i do to interact with her? i kind of want to teach her to talk or to write or something. i dont know. she just seems really freaking cool and i want to be her friend. i just don't know how to act around her. and does it sound like she's autistic? i've kind of just assumed she was.


second girl is Kami. she likes to stare at the ceiling. she doesn't seem to realize that there is anyone around her. You can sit her down and she wont move for hours. Other times, she'll just randomly get up and walk away. She doesn't respond much at all, whether you yell at her or just talk to her. like lori, she responds to techno music. is *she* autistic or is it something else? how can i interact with her? I've been told she responds to me more than anybody else so i'm kind of hoping i can help her...i dunno... i really think some interaction would help her.

anybody's responses would be appreciated.



Anyone have any responses to that? I've always just assumed that Lori and Kami were autistic because they..behave that way. I've never understood *why* I have autistic personalities. I just do. I actually think that Lori is the main person, not me. I've mentioned that before. anyway. I'm tired.

Comments

[echoesnspectres.livejournal.com]

About Kami; sometimes if talking or yelling doesn't work (yelling is usually not good), whispering does.

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

whipsering? why would that work?
~*~/-\~*~

[echoesnspectres.livejournal.com]

Argg something went wrong with my reply, had to delete it, gone...

Possibly: either brain or ears shut out loud sounds but let in soft sounds.

Have you ever read anything about autism, or is it totally new to you?

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

It's totally new to me. I've only seen Lori and Kami. I know nothing about it other than what I've learned today.

Heather has interacted with people who are autistic but I don't think she knows anything other than the technical things she was told about austism.

~*~/-\~*~

(Just for reference, the shapes inside the ~*~'s stand for who is posting.
I (analese) am ~*~/-\~*~
Heather is ~*~/-/~*~
Lori is ~*~L~*~
Sarena is ~*~><~*~)

[echoesnspectres.livejournal.com]

Just for reference, the shapes inside the ~*~'s stand for who is posting.

Hmm cool.

In the reply I deleted (before copying it, stupid brain) I linked to autistics.org; they may have some info you might find useful in their library (http://www.autistics.org/library/) (particularly under "the autistic experience").

[strangelings.livejournal.com]

Well, for one thing, severe trauma (if that's part of your background) can cause children to *act* in ways very similar to autism. A lot of the kids in my system act autistic-like for that reason. (I've also worked with outside kids who were autistic and/or severely traumatized).

Maybe Kami can't hear you because you're also inside? Does she respond to *outside* people at all? I know our autistic-like kids respond far more (when they do) to outside people- some of them don't seem to be very able to "hear" us inside.

I would guess, based on my own experiences, it might be easier to have someone outside (like a therapist, if you have one, or a trusted friend) interact gently with Lori or Kami first... Maybe help them "learn" how to hear the rest of you.

Another thought: at least from my perspective and w/in our system: the people in here who are autistic-like are that way for a *reason*, and working with them has often brought up those things. And I think that as members of a multiple system there is a really good chance that working with them can help make them more able to interact, better, etc. You can email me if you want to or ask more questions here if you want.

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

I don't know if there was severe trauma at a young age. There was something at the age of 13 and 16 but the books register that there have been people here before that all happened.

The one time that the husband interacted with Kami, he said he got responses from her.

I would like to have someone on the outside interact with them but I don't know anybody and I want to make sure they don't get hurt. I agree that Lori and Kami are the way they are for a reason. We're all the way we are for a reason. I just dont understand why Sarena and I are "normal" and Lori and Kami are so disabled.

And I don't know why Lori looks exactly like Heather. It bugs me.

~*~/-\~*~

[changelyng14.livejournal.com]

hola

I don't know much about autism, but the behavior you described in Lori (but not kami) sounds alot like tourette's syndrome. generally fully mentally normal but with some sort of 'tick' (rocking) that can be anything (the ones that take to swearing out loud at noone get the media attention).
I worked with a friend for about a year an a half who's tik was to 'clear his throat'.

functional T.S.'s apparently claim that they can learn to control their ticks, but resisting their tik "feels alot like not breathing".

"Mikey" would sit and snort all day (now that I think of it, he did alot of rocking to) and usually didn't bother communicating. I think he knew he freaked people out or something, so he'd go stand under the stairwell of the apartment stairs and do this.

When I lost contact with him, he was well able to communicate in long sentences, and almost hold his own in conversations.
He definately wasn't passing for normal, but he was on his way.
he also would get 'stuck' sometimes. tying his shoes always got him, he'd tie and untie and tie again as long as you let him. (used to shout and clap to get him out of it when we were late out the door)

If you think this might be Lori's thing, I'd gladly offer everything I learned and experienced in more detail.

Synch of the Changelyng

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

I have Tourette. I've more or less outgrown it. It's not nearly as bad as it was when I was a teenager. It's fun. :-D

I dont think that's what Lori has. You would have to actually *see* her to understand what it is that she does. I need to get someone I can trust to take pictures of Lori and Kami.

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

By the way, this is Heather

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Autism is 100% behaviorally diagnosed, as you will see from the official Diagnostic Criteria for Autistic Disorder (http://www.inlv.demon.nl/irc.asperger/dsmaut.html). Therefore, all autistic means is "behaves in some of these ways, and the behavior is not otherwise accounted for." There's nothing implied in the diagnosis as to what causes the behavior.

*wry grin*Being 47, I've had a while to figure out what causes mine. Mostly it all comes back to sensory hyperacuity, perceptual and cognitive anomalies, and lack of pre-programmed social instincts (all of which are physical factors.) Knowing that, I can learn what the expected non-autistic behavior is, and behave that way well enough to 'pass' for normal (or just eccentric, at least) even though the non-autistic behavior seems really pointless and illogical to me.

My 'brother' we call Crist-Erui, who was apparently born into this body with me, would be diagnosed as severely autistic if any doctor ever got his hands on him, but none ever will. His twin duathir denies that the diagnosis of "autism" has any validity, especially when applied to his brother, but says it's my own business whether or not to accept it for myself.

The only reason I do accept it is for the sake of all the autistics who can't speak or write online, because if all of us who can don't stick with them, what's going to happen to them? So I claim the AC designation ('autistics and cousins', not too specific) for basically political reasons, i.e. solidarity with the Nerodiversity movement. Other than that, I think the DSM-IV is a crock, and don't care which of its little pigeonholes I may fit in.

Anyway, autism isn't something one has, like cancer or freckles or a tendency to sunburn - it's something one is, like being born a cat in a world of dogs.

duathir and I interact a lot with our dear, strange Crist-Erui by manipulating his environment. When he has everything he needs, he's generally amenable to persuasion, and his needs are pretty simple, so... we try to set things up so he naturally chooses to do what we want him to do, and help him avoid situations that could be trouble. Maybe such an approach might work with your Kin too: offer them something they like.

[judiff]

the bunny hand thing is quite comen with austitic people (though like obvuisly it's not a diagnostic thing). We do it someimes but our mum always calls it looking like a praying mantis not a bunny which is sad becos i like bunnys a lot better than praying mantisis

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

i like bunny's a lot better, too.

Heather

Autism

[reinahada.livejournal.com]

I have autism. I can type. I can not talk. I can not write. Noise hurts bad so please be quiet. Scrabble is fun. TV is stupid. Never take my ball away from me.

Distraida-Inghe

Re: Autism

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

Language is hard. Listening is easy. What do you do with a ball?

Lori