I am scheduled to speak at a workshop sponsored by the Autism Society of Minnesota on January 23, 2008, in St. Paul. If anyone cares to meet me and hear me ramble about university students with autism spectrum disorders, this is a good opportunity. (Visit http://www.ausm.org for more information.) The…
The Autistic Me
Today the media are reporting an analysis of autism rates in California since the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines. The autism rate, or more accurately the rate of diagnoses, is still climbing in the state. Study challenges drug’s role in autism By Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer…
I am definitely a hypersensitive individual — physically (and emotionally). The cold weather of Minnesota forces me to wear more clothes, including hats, gloves, and even a face mask at times. Thermal pants for the windchill are also required some mornings. I itch. I scratch. I get annoyed. It’s like…
November 29, 2007, was a lousy day. I did poorly, very poorly, on an exam in statistics. The damage to self-esteem was fairly deep. I’m not supposed to do poorly on any test, in any class. I’ve seldom done well with written tests — it is painful to write for…
In the last two weeks, I spoke at two universities, prepared two elaborate brochures, and continued analyzing research dealing with online communities and autism. To be blunt: I’m exhausted. And yet, tonight or tomorrow I will submit another proposal to present my research to a conference. Though I am tired,…
I missed some school deadlines. I know excuses are inexcusable, and being even a week or two off schedule bothers me. But, the last few weeks have been miserable. New Glasses. I’ve never worn prescription glasses before, but I ended up needing them to deal with some strange color separations…
My original intention was to seek a doctorate to develop better digital writing tools for students, without specializing in autism or other special needs. Right now, it seems I’m heading towards disabilities and writing. I wish I could educate far more teachers on developmental disorders and brain injuries so we…
I recently left two Yahoo Groups for autistic individuals and their families. Now, before you dismiss this as being hypersensitive in general, understand that I still read posting on several political, philosophical, and academic forums. These forums deal with controversial issues with some regularity. The difference seems to be that…
For a graduate course in curriculum, we have been asked to experiment with “mind mapping” software. I believe any organizational tool might help autistic students. They probably help most students. As my previous post reflects, I’ve never been comfortable with such maps personally, though I realize many people find the…
Some weekends are long, even when they technically aren’t that bad. They just seem to pass slowly, while I get nothing accomplished. We have a bathroom to finish. It’s tiled, almost. It is usable. But unfinished. I don’t know why I am so exhausted by the weekends, but I am.…