Adam is Autistic
Last Updated on Sunday, 17 January 2010 00:12 Written by Administrator Thursday, 07 January 2010 00:34
My name is Adam, I am 22 years old and I have a diagnosis of Autism. I do not talk,(my dad wrote this) I communicate through Picture Exchange Communications (PECs) now but at one time I was unable to communicate my needs to others and it was very difficult for all concerned.
Things have change over the year and it has made life easier for me and others living / working with me. I still need lot'’s of support and sometimes other people show me new ideas to try. Sometime this is enjoyable especially when it is related to thing I like doing.
One of my obsessions is to carry my prized possession around in my bag everywhere I go. This creates problems sometimes when going out I will not put my bag down when I am around the shops and in small confined spaces. People have tried all types of things to get me to leave my bag in the car.
When I was at school I started to put my bag into the box just like my teachers who also had a box for their bags. After a short while I reverted back to my old ways but my teachers still continue to try. I will put my bag into the box when we go swimming and I place this at the side of the pool so I can see it.
In my bag I keep books, my MP3 player, labels and wrappers from various well known products that I have seen on the television. The labels and wrappers sometimes become very messy especially when I do not clean them before I carried them with me.
My parent had an idea when they noticed I related to pictures of the products. They printed the products out or cut them out of magazines then put them in a book. This was much more acceptable to carry around with me and I picked up on this idea and selected items I needed to put into this book. I started to use those same picture’s to show people what I wanted and I found this very useful. I was able to do this before PECs was used in the UK so when I was introduced to the PECs system I was able to adapt to the system very well.
Later I became very able in the use of PECs and my parents noticed that I could identify words with out the picture so they would write these items down on to paper for me. I found if I tried to speak and told them the words I wanted they would writ them down on paper for me.
I do try to say words but it does not quite come out right. People who are working with me regularly have started to understand what I am trying to say. If I am unable to say the words I will find the words on the papers I have collected and point to the words I want so that people can write the word for me again. This may seam very pointless to most people but I like to do this activity.
Recently I have been shown the Internet and I enjoy viewing the Web site’s of various products I like and some of those sites have downloads of the advertisements I have seen on the television. This is brilliant.
My dad has produced this page on the "Autism Networks" website (he is the webmaster). Everything is in one area and I have learned (very quickly) to use a computer like every one else. I can not type in the words but I can find the links to the pages I want to view and this encourages me to use the mouse independently. I find the words sometime in the drop down address menus this demonstrates I can understand written text and can be left (with supervision) to look at thing I enjoy when I want to.
I like to visit youtube and select all the old television clips that I like to watch. I can find my own way around the computer after it has loaded up. Click on internet explorer then find the history section to view the sites I like.
You may not like the things I like and you may thing this activity very boring but I think it very boring playing football but I would not stop you playing it if you like that activity.
I do like to play on my Mario Game on the Nintendo DS I had for Christmas 2006. I usually watch my brother Craig or my Dad when they play these games and that is how I learn.
Sometimes I need no one to show me I just pick things up without any assistance. Once when I went to the Scout’s autumn fare they had a Mario Game there and other children where queuing up for a go. I waited also and paid my 50p like everyone else when it was my turn. When I played people where very surprised and even shouted out to their friends “Look Adam has got further than me”. They did not think I would be able to play and it goes to show you should not judge a book by its cover?
I also like to download music and get my Dad to load it to my MP3 player. Yes I can use a MP3 and I get annoyed if it does not work correctly.
I have moved out of home with mum, dad and Craig. I now live at Bank Hall a house close by with six other young men of a similar age. I enjoy it in my new home and I still visit my family at the weekend (fortnightly) and at Christmas.
I will stop here as I need to carry on enjoying my pastimes I have mentioned. If you come back you may find that we have added more about my interests.
If you look around the Autism Networks Page you will find more information about me and my family and possibly others like me and their pastime’s or hobbies.
Thank you for reading my story. Adam