Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

Technology Needs

More Art from students in my 1:54 Autism Class.

Autism in the Workplace

Sharing Art made by students in my 1:54 Autism Class. Much work in needed on the employment front for autistics.

Image Credit: Kalina Elliot.

Text says "Autism in the Workplace"

We're not broken - Eric Garcia

Got interviewed for this for this book by Eric Garcia. Some excerpts where I'm mentioned are below.

I was again referenced in the context of this book

Time Magazine Article, 8/27/21

The Next Big Idea Club 9/14/21
The Art of Autism 1/8/22
Webinar: Livermore Public Library, 3/7/22 (start time 24:11)

Excerpts from the book

Tweet 4/2/23

Hey Hari,

I just heard your voice 'in the wild' and it reminded me of you. I hope you're doing well.

I took your class last semester and I wanted to thank you again for how great it was -- it really helped put me in touch with my own autism, which I'm only realizing much later. It was really eye-opening and I owe you that.

The true ratio

Sharing art from students in my 1:54 Autism Class

Image Credit Emma Zhao

Text on image says:

- Men are 4x more likely to be diagnosed with ASD than women

- the true ration is very different. Women with autism tend to present in ways unlike men, but the modern diagnostic model of autism is based on males.

Patience

Sharing Art made by students in my 1:54 Autism Class.

Image Credit: Tiffany Brailow

Text on image says

Autism Spectrum Disorder

What we learned today

There are many new technologies that are made to assist non-speaking autistics (such as text to speech programs)
Finding meaningful work in the workforce as a person on the spectrum is sometimes hard but its still achievable!
Being patient with finding work as someone on the spectrum is key!

Women and Autism

Student presentation from my 1:54 Autism Spectrum Class on Women & Autism

Here is the youtube link https://youtu.be/xLW6au-_dLQ

The other conditions can come from girls trying to mask or fit in and not understanding why they are different from neurotypical girls or classmates, which can be exhausting and depressing for some. In addition, they may be made fun of for expressing themselves differently.

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ADHD is often treated with medications, while autism isn’t directly treated with medication. Certain behaviors like focusing may be treated with medication, but there is a range of other treatment options and accommodations that girls with autism may not have access to if they are misdiagnosed.

Another misdiagnosis is OCD. there are many similarities between how ASD and OCD present, but there are differences in how OCD symptoms are treated through therapy or other treatments. Women with ASD may also have OCD, but without a distinction made in diagnosis, they, again, may not have access to the right accommodations.

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Women who are diagnosed later in life may face more challenges in society as they were not given early support during fundamental social interactions in school, and may have never felt accepted by friends or peers because they felt different or were even made fun of for differences they couldn’t identify. These can have long lasting effects on someone’s self esteem or the way they navigate social interactions or build relationships with people or children if they have children eventually.

Some girls and women with autism experience being diagnosed multiple times by different providers who are not able to give them an accurate diagnosis. This shuffling and lack of consistency can also be harmful to girls who are younger and still developing their personalities and interests.

The police investigated but did not press charges, which is the most common outcome when a person with intellectual disabilities is raped. The regional center did not offer any supports. Later they filed a lawsuit but due to privacy laws, the investigator could not test the caregiving facility workers for STDs.

“That’s why it’s so important to catch that one person and stop that multiplier effect. But with a population that is so vulnerable and cannot communicate, everything is just “suspected.” You can change all the laws you want but serial abusers will not show up in criminal background checks because accusations don’t stick.”

Difficulties in communicating & interacting, including not understanding social cues and responding in ways that could be perceived as odd or disrespectful unintentionally could lead to situations where the person gets into a dangerous or victimizing situation. Compliance behaviors taught from an early age make autistic individual less likely to resist an offender’s demands or communicate that they have been victimized. They may not realize that the situation was considered a crime.

On the Spectrum in the Workforce

Nate Major and Reid Urban talk about their employment journey at my 1:54 Autism Spectrum Class.

https://youtu.be/Xk5jbwD4Q60

Autism Spectrum Key Points

Sharing Art made my students in my 1:54 Autism class

Image Credit: Isaias Marroquin

Text on image says

Autism Spectrum 03/03 Key Points

By Isaias Marroquin

- 74% of autistic women are initially misdiagnosed

-Thought to text technology exists

-Over 70% of autistic women are sexually harrassed

- Autistic women exhibit less repetitive behavior

- The workforce for neurodivergents is becoming more inclusive.

The Paradox of Significant Results in Research

LOL!!

Student Takeaways from the Autism Class

What are the students learning in my 1:54 Autism Spectrum Disorder class here at Berkeley.

There is both hypo and hyper sensitivity. This can manifest as sensory seeking, sensory avoidance, or self-stimulatory behavior.
My general takeaways were that despite the barriers it is possible to succeed and thrive in a high pressure college environment like Cal, and that one of the major barriers to success are sensory integration issues.
I really enjoyed hearing about other people's perspectives with Cal, and to hear it be a vast difference from mine. I got a chance also to check my privilege in a way.
People can be diagnosed at any point in their lives with a neurodivergency
I just found it interesting to see what sensory overload is like.
It was really interesting to learn about hypersensitivity and sensory overload for people with ASD. I was unaware of how overwhelming public spaces can be for autistic people, and I'm glad they shared ways to be more accommodating for people who struggle with this.
Something that surprised me was that only 2 non-speaking autistic students have been accepted in the history of Cal!
I couldn't believe there's only been 2 non-speaking autistics at Cal.
As a neurodivergent person, I've greatly struggled with imposter's syndrome, and it was really wonderful to hear how other folks cope with this. This class has motivated me to engage with the disability rights movement and hearing about how our speakers are involved has sparked greater interest.
I did not realize the importance of playing for children, especially for those on the spectrum.
I learned a lot about developmental factors in autistic youth.
The takeaway was the different categories within Neurodiversity.

Feb 24, 2022

School Districts and Compassion

"Hearing the comparison between how school districts treat autistic people based on their resources made me remember how my school district did their best to quarantine and isolate autistic people from others."

- from a student in the 1:54 Autism Spectum Disorder Class

ASD and OCD

Sharing a poem written by, Sara Cheng, one of the students in my 1:54 Autism Spectrum Disorder Class, looking at the intersectionality of Autism with OCD.

I can so relate on many levels having both Autism + OCD + bunch of other things. Thank you Sara.

When you add ADHD into this mix of Autism + OCD, it complicates the issue even more. The autism part of me wants the comfort of sameness/routine but ADHD part craves novelty and easily gets bored with doing the same task. So I can get terribly frustrated and bored with my OCD behaviors, even as part of me is impulsively doing it perhaps to seek some form of comfort. For instance, I'm opening and closing the same cupboard doors, even as part of me is thinking, "How BORING is this?!!" Or I'm obsessed with the zip being closed on all backpacks around me, even if its the backpack of others around me, just itching to get up and close their backpacks, or noticing that lint on the dark colored jackets of others and just itching to pick those off - how boring is this = seriously, my mental energy could be better spent elsewhere.

(Full text of Sara's poem is at bottom of post, for screen reader accessibility).

This is what Sara has to say about her poem:

“ASD | OCD” is a creative poem I wrote about the intersectionality between Autism Spectrum and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I personally have OCD, but not autism, so I was interested to learn more about the experience of individuals with both.

My poem describes the morning routines of a person with ASD and OCD. Both columns depict the same actions, but highlight differences in how the individual thinks about the actions, or why they perform the actions, based on the differences between ASD and OCD.

I incorporated narratives from this Spectrum News article and videos from Daniel Jones, (The Aspie World on YouTube), who talks about his experience having autism and OCD. I also drew from my own experiences with OCD.

- Sara Cheng, 1:15 Autism Spectrum Disorder Class, Spring 2022

Here is the full text of the poem for screen reader accessibility

ASD/OCD (by Sara Cheng)
My life is structured by routine and repetition.	My life is structured by routine and repetition.
When I wake up in the morning I go to the bathroom, wash my hands, brush my teeth, and wash my face. Always in the same order.	When I wake up in the morning, I wash my hands, wash my hands, wash my hands, wash my hands, brush my teeth, and wash my face. Always in the same order.
The water has to run with the same pressure every time. That is the right pressure, and it makes me feel content.	The water has to run with the same pressure every time. That is the right pressure, and if it is not right, I will turn it off, turn it on, until it is right.
I put on a shirt and pants, ones sewn with French seams – the same kind I wore yesterday, the day before, and every day. I wear these clothes because regular seams are too itchy and uncomfortable.	I put on a shirt and pants, ones sewn with French seams – the same kind I wore yesterday, the day before, and every day.
I eat the same breakfast as I do every day. I like this texture and it doesn’t make me feel uneasy.	I eat the same breakfast as I do every day. I have to eat with my right hand, holding my fork at the same angle and between the same fingers, or else I can not take a bite.
Aside my girlfriend, I flick the fingers on my left hand. She knows that I stim to self soothe.	Aside my girlfriend, I try to hide how many times I pick up and put down my fork. She knows about my OCD but I am embarrassed to show her sometimes.
I structure my day with routines because it makes me feel safe, comfortable and secure.	I structure my day with routines because I am afraid of what will happen if I don’t. That someone will get hurt if I don’t.
I like to talk about my autism with others, because I can relate to them, and they can relate to me.	I don’t like to talk about my OCD with others, because I don’t want to voice the feelings of guilt and stress around my obsessions and compulsions.
Autism is a part of who I am.	OCD is a part of me I wish I didn’t have.