Hill Day Visit

The culmination of the weeklong ACI leadership training is a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional staffers. 

All dressed up and ready for "Autistic Prom" - inside joke.

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Stop 1 of 3 in making a case to our congressional staffers.

Senator Kamala Harris's office in the US Senate.

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Pinning our CA location inside Senator Harris' office

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Meeting 2 of 3 at Senator Diane Feinstein's office in the US Senate. 

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Meeting 3 of 3 in the afternoon at Representative Barbara Lee's office in the US House of Representatives Building.

Rep Lee is a Cal Alum. Go Bears!!

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Got to ride on the "Secret Train," underneath the US Senate Building.

Too Cool 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 to ride on a secret train. Icing on cake during Hill visit.

A congressional staffer has to agree to take you and has to accompany you. The Feinstein staffer got a Cal (UC Berkeley) intern to escort Ari and me on the train (Go Bears!!).

There is a separate security check to go on the secret train and you are issued a new badge. No food of any kind allowed on the train - so out went my chips as well as the water.

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The secret train only takes you from the Senate Building to the Hill. You still have to walk the rest of the day from the Hill to the House Building through a long underground tunnel featuring lots of artwork on the side. 

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Now have to plan and type the follow-up emails post-meetings.

Thu Jun 20 - Hill Day Prep

Part of the ACI Leadership Academy Training was the prep for our “Hill Day” on Friday where we get to meet our Congressional staffers at Capitol Hill to discuss several disability policies with them. Specifically we discussed three policies in Thursday's sessions.

TCEA - Transition to Competitive Employment Act. In a nutshell there are two issues here - segregated sheltered workshops and payment of minimum wage. TCEA would essentially close the sheltered workshops which pay disabled people a sub minimum wage for so-called “work” which basically amounts to adult daycare. This bill would provide states and companies the time and money they’d need to phase out these workshops and create substantial, gainful employment for citizens with disabilities in mainstream society. 

KASSA - Keep All Children Safe Act. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that students of color or students with disabilities, are more likely to be restrained or secluded in schools. For example,  In December of 2018, 13 year old Max Benson of El Dorado Hills, CA,  died after being physically held face down for an hour. It can be hard to breathe when being held down. KASSA would ban the use of mechanical, chemical and physical restraints that make it hard to breathe as well as  seclusion. Kassa would limit the use of physical restraints to situations where there is imminent risk to safety.. There are other ways of working with challenging behaviors. With adequate training, a vast majority of seclusion and restraint can be prevented. The school must inform the parents and the states would have to provide congress data on how many students are restrained. Right now the OCR watchdog has found that states underreport, some states even reporting zero restraints.   

JRC - At the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, electric skin shocks are still routinely used on disabled individuals for even trivial non compliance things like getting out of the chair or not taking off their coat. The shocks are administered remotely via a battery powered device that individuals are forced to wear.  Putting it plainly, American citizens are still being tortured in 2019 just because they are disabled. We would not accept this kind of so-called treatment for able-bodied and neurotypical individuals, and so we shouldn’t tolerate it for disabled people. 

After the policies were discussed in Thursday’s sessions, we all sat late discussing how we would present our case at each of our meetings at the offices of the 2 senators and that of our respective local representative. Ari was from Mills college in Oakland so we would have the same three meetings in common. Shanna was from UC Santa Barbara, so would be there for the senate meetings then go to meet her own rep. Being nonspeaking meant I have to plan ahead as to what exactly I would have to say and coordinate with the others as to what would be spoken by them and what would be through the text to speech on my computer. That idea always takes a little while for speakers to get but it works out and we figured out how to divvy it up.

Creative Consultant for a Play on Autism

"Helping Hands" is an Australian play on the idea of "help" when it comes to autism. It highlights the irony that sometimes "well-intentional" does not always translate into "help."

I'm a creative consultant for the play as there is a non-speaking character. 
Had a lot of fun with this project. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qWouzRAUVg81vQjZmCvBZgWkJMFk250q/view?usp=sharing

https://www.pozible.com/project/helping-hands

Trailer. https://vimeo.com/341543299


In the next video, co-director Hannah Aroni talks about some principles in social work that influenced this play. A quick recap
1. Reflective Practice - be aware that you bring your own implicit biases when you try to "help" those with autism.
2. Arnstein Ladder of Citizen Control which ranges from full partnership (self-determination) to manipulation. Sadly, "help" with respect to Autism seems to fall more in the latter.
3. Person Environment Misfits. The societal helpe focus seems more on "help" change the person and less "help" change the environment when it comes to Autism. 

https://vimeo.com/344483747

I can so relate with much of the above. Thank you Hannah. 

Over the Pond in Europe

Lovely Europe Vacation the past 2 weeks

Eating Belgian Waffles and Belgian Chocolate in Brussels

La Grand Place in the heart of Brussels with diff architecture styles.

The Atomium representing an iron crystal built for the 1958 World's Fair.

Handmade mechanical Cuckoo clocks in Black Forest area of Germany. Home of the cuckoo clock. Quite the sight. Never seen so many types before. Hundreds of them on the walls.

Enjoying the Spray at Rhine Falls

An ice cave at 10,00ft in the swiss alps

Helping to prop up the Broken Chair monument opposite the UN in Geneva.😜

Reminder to politicians visiting the UN about the dangers of landmines.

The Flower Clock in Geneva

The Palace of Versailles with its 2300 rooms. And the lovely 200 hectare Garden of Versailles around it with its fountains and sculptures. His old home, the Louvre, got too small for Louis xiv, the sun king. So he filled in a swamp near his old hunting lodge and built himself a massive new home.

Arc-de-Triomphe at the end of Champs-Élysées. The streets radiating out from the arch give it a star-like appearance.

Napoleon wanted to march his victorious army through this arch but was defeated in Waterloo long before its completion.

The immediate area around the arch is one of the most accident prone in the world so no insurance company will cover any accidents within a blue line drawn there.

Eiffel Tower looks the best at night all lit up and reflected in the Sienne river. It blinks for 5 mins on the hour between 11pm-1am too.

Had an awesome view of Paris from the top of Eiffel during the day.

Paris has some impressive architecture.

I guess you can touch the top of the I M Pei's Pyramid in front of the Louvre.

omg, we've all been lied to as preschoolers -
London Bridge is not falling down and has not for many centuries!!! 🤣

I guess once upon a time it was made of wood, but now it's a vanilla stone bridge.

Tower Bridge behind looked elegant. I guess most tourists confuse Tower Bridge with London Bridge.

The Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels

The queen certainly gets the biggest house.

Turns out she does not even live in London but in the city of Westminister. She has to get permission to enter London.

So, i been to London but did not get to look at the queen, unlike my grandpa who got to actually meet with her.

All I can say is that the queen was in the building when we toured Windsor Castle. The Royal Standard flies above to indicate she is in residence.

Nifty castle, very ornate and grand.

Part of me was kinda hoping to see a couple of cats (descendants of the ones who chased a mouse under her chair!!)

"Taking the waters at Bath"

- The Roman Baths at Bath of Jane Austen fame, where the aristocracy, gentry et al. gathered to socialize or be "healed" by the geothermal waters.

Later the doctors started promoting seawater over the Bath waters so folks started going to Brighton.

Sophisticated structures built around the subterranean geothermal spring waters at Bath during Roman Britain era were excavated much later on.

Unlike the rest of England with its brick houses, the entire city of Bath is built using the honey-colored limestone native to Bath - Bathstone - even the roofs. So the city has a rather interesting look.

Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plains

No explanation needed.

CBT for adolescence

Hari Srinivasan

Psych 135 Treatment of Mental Illness

Prof Alison Harvey

CBT vs CBT+ABFT for Adolescents with Anxiety

The intervention chosen for this paper was Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). I am no stranger to CBT having gone to bi-monthly sessions to deal with my anxiety and mood disorder for most of my teen years while living in South Bay. Anxiety and depression come with the territory of the frustrations of living a life with a disability, autism in my case. 

What was interesting about this study by Siqueland, Rynn and Diamond is not only in its use in the adolescent population but also in trying to see if the combination of CBT and ABFT (Attachment Based Family Therapy) would have better efficacy than just CBT alone. ABFT attempts to also address the interpersonal relationship component that teens have with their parents. 

The efficacy of CBT is well supported by independent and well designed studies. The basic presumption of CBT is that thoughts and feelings influence our behaviors and vice versa. Ergo, changing our negative thinking will result in lesser anxiety.

The fundamental underlying symptom that characterizes GAD is excessive and uncontrollable worrying.  This worry is perpetuated by a cycle of “maladaptive thinking” about the idea of worrying itself. This catastrophic spiral of negative automatic thoughts means, an inability to relax and further maladaptive behaviors that include avoiding any situations, images or thoughts that may provoke worry. 

The need of the hour is cognitive restructuring which aims to modify the cataclysmic thought patterns and belief systems and the change the mistaken impression that worrying serves an useful function. Essentially, cognitive therapy techniques according to the study “focuses specifically on negative predictions about the future, and unhelpful attitudes about one’s ability to cope with difficult situations.”

For instance, one of my CBT exercises for several months was to  keep a journal of my thoughts every 20 minutes for 2 hours every day 3x a week. An example follows:

Thought: “Orientation schedule is making me dizzy. I’m gonna fall apart there.”

Feeling association with thought: anxious, scared

Cognitive Distortion: All or nothing - thinking in absolutes

Reframe: Go with do what you can then come right back home. 

Therapy techniques incorporate a scheduled “worry time” in order to control and limit exposure to the activities and situations that bring about worry. Pleasurable activities are also incorporated into the day’s schedule as well and the person is taught relaxation techniques. 

CBT techniques offer a controlled systematic exposure so that the person learns that their fears of negative outcomes do not necessarily come true. This means that over time, they experience a reduction in their anxiety. 

The study being discussed by Siqueland, Rynn and Diamond was done over two phases. The goal of Phase 1 was therapist training and checking the feasibility and acceptability of the combined condition (CBT-FAM). Phase 2 focused on implementing both the individual CBT and CBT-FAM.

Participants enrolled in the study were between the ages of 12-18 and had to meet the DSM-IV criteria for either GAD, Separation Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia. A parent or caregiver also had to participate in the family treatment component. Participants were recruited through CARes (Child and Adolescent Research Service) at the University of Pennsylvania. Measurements were taken post-treatment and at the 6 and 9 month follow ups. 

The 16 session CBT for adolescents was modified from a standard manual designed for children (ages 8-13). There were 2 parent sessions as well. 

Skill building in the sessions focused on four areas ‘“(a) recognizing anxious feelings and somatic reactions to anxiety,  (b) clarifying cognition in anxiety provoking situations (unrealistic or negative attributions), (c) developing a plan to cope with the situation (modifying anxious self-talk into coping self talk as well as determining what coping actions might be effective), and (d) evaluating performance and administering self-reinforcement as appropriate.’’ Other behavioral techniques included contingent reinforcement and  relaxation techniques. A “FEAR” acronym was used - “F: feeling frightened/anxious, E: expecting bad things to happen, A: actions and attitudes that help, and R: results and rewards.”

The results of Phase 1 were not definitive but encouraging enough to proceed to phase 2.  The post treatment outcome for phase 2 showed that for CBT alone, 67% (4 out of 6) of the adolescents no longer met their primary anxiety diagnosis, while it was 40% (2 of of 5) for the CBT-FAM. When parenting variables are taken into account, the CBT group reported an increase in psychological control while the combined group reported the opposite. Follow up measures also favored CBT where 100% no longer met the diagnostic criteria compared to 80% in the combined group. Essentially the results for adolescents lined up with those for children in other studies, that is, two thirds no longer met their initial diagnosis

The study admits they were “not sufficiently powered to detect treatment differences.” The sample size was small and there was no control group. The study also failed include comorbidity such as suicide risk, OCD, Bipolar Disorder etc. However it did allow for the medication as long as it had been started 8 weeks before and would not be changed during the study.

It appears from the results of the study that CBT wins hands down as the treatment for anxiety disorders. However this has to tempered with the disappointment of the exclusion of comorbidity which is often the norm and not the exception in the real world when it comes to mental health. From personal experience I also have to wonder if 16 weeks is really enough.  Mental health is not like a infection that can quickly be killed by a course of antibiotics.The circumstances and challenges in one’s life keep changing over the decades and there may be some maintenance CBT required, in only to keep the person from slipping back. 

Citation: 

Siqueland, L., Rynn, M., & Diamond, G. S. (2005). Cognitive behavioral and attachment based family therapy for anxious adolescents: Phase I and II studies. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19(4), 361-381. Doi: http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/10.1016/j.janxdis.2004.04.006 

1:68 Autism Decal Class Spring 2019 Semester

Last Day

5/1/19" Last day of the Autism DeCal Class that I teach at UC Berkeley for this semester.

Autism DeCal Class

The Instructors - Hari, Lily, Jordan, Maria

Midterm Presentations

3/13/19:  Listening to Student Presentations for the Midterm Paper in my 1:68 Autism DeCal Class. 
Pretty good!!!

Have already read a bunch of the papers and will upload grades and comments as soon as my midterms are done next Wed!!

Planning a DeCal is a lot of Work

1/30/19 The DeCal team has been meeting and planning our lectures for some time now. I was able to suggest a few topics too.

We have a number of guest speakers lined up for this semester. Lots of emails to sent and dates to be coordinated.

I think this is going to be a most interesting experience for both the students and me.

Teaching a DeCal at UC Berkeley

An amazing opportunity this semester.

I'm going to teach a 1-unit class (called DeCal) at UC Berkeley along with 3 other neurotypical students. The class is 1:68 Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Class roster is full - 25 students. Plus more students on the waitlist!!!

I was so thrilled to see the word "Instructor" on the Cal Central website. I think I will be the first non-speaking autistic instructor at Berkeley.

I feel both humbled and honored.

Journalism Award

May 4 - Won 4th place!! Both happy and a little disappointed not to make top three

Entry Title: Compulsion Complexity and O Body Where Art Thou?
Judge Comment: Nice Job on giving readers a look at what it's like to be a nonverbal autistic student and the daily challenges you encounter. The columns exposed me to something I didn't know much about but were written in a way that made your experiences something that others can probably relate to when experiencing their own challenges.

• Place Name: Fourth Place
  Contestant Name: UC Berkeley-The Daily Californian
  Entry Title: “Compulsion complexity” and “O body, where art thou?”
  Entry Credit: Hari Srinivasan
  
  Judge Comment: Nice job on giving readers a look at what it's like to be a nonverbal autistic student and the daily challenges you encounter. The columns exposed me to something I didn't know much about, but were written in way that made your experiences something that others can probably relate to when experiencing their own challenges.

https://cnpa.com/cja2018/campus/gallery/Columns_05_Columns_(UNI).html#heading1

Universal ReDesign

Universal ReDesign Group Presentation for my Comm Planning and Public Policy for Disability Class today.

Our presentation was very well received. We tackled the state of the city of Berkeley's street infrastructure. Our proposed solution was a three-pronged approach looking at it in terms of Physical (Built environment), Social (Changing attitudes/awareness) and Institutional (Policy/funding). Especially loved the visuals of the environment redesign by the design architects in our group.

And of course the increasing number of kiwibots and the obstacles they present were very much part of our discussion. Have you noticed that they park on the curb cut itself before crossing the street and thus potentially block a wheelchair user.

with Josh Lavine Anna Whitney Vincent Dharma Darren Pirono Rudi Skowronsk,  Victor Pineda — at Wurster Hall, UC Berkeley

OMG: A poetry collection

A contemplative pursuit from the outer internet to the Inner-Net in search of answers. 

https://www.dailycal.org/2019/04/30/omg-a-poetry-collection/

My last piece this semester for The Daily Californian Weekender was a collection of faith-based poetry.

It is a contemplative pursuit from the outer Internet to the Inner-Net in search of answers in 

"O God Where art Thou?" 

 But my contemplation did not stop there. The questions kept pouring out in -  "Questions for God."

We are often told “Life is a challenge, meet it”. I dove further into my inner-net as I grappled with this conundrum in - "Life is a Challenge, Meet it"

Vitamins A-F are for the body but Vitamin G is for the soul- "Vitamin G"

Dr Victor Pineda

End of an amazing semester with Professor Victor Pineda for my Comm Planning and Public Policy for Disability course.

Oh wow, his class is an experience! Growing up, you are only exposed to a little slice of your world of disability and your specific disability. This semester really opened my eyes to thinking about the bigger picture and issues up to a global scale and implementation at grassroots level.

I now also have a totally new level of respect for those yellow tactile curb cuts on the crosswalks, and the multitude of ways we interact with our built environment, the mismatches, inclusive design and universal design.

Appreciate it all the more as I am one of those PWD (person with disability) and being taught by a PWD who helped write the UNCRPD. The whole disability movement rests on the core principle of "Nihil de nobis, sine nobis" - “Nothing about us without us.” A big driving force behind my desire for higher education is to earn a seat at the table.

Lots of progress has been made but still much to be done. Hope I get to be in the thick of that change for the better.

It really is a spectrum. The Neurodiversity of Autism at UC Berkeley

https://www.dailycal.org/2019/04/28/it-really-is-a-spectrum/

My longest article yet and semester-long in the making, with a series of interviews with 7 students with autism at UC Berkeley. Ready in time for April, Autism Acceptance Month.

Shout out to my autistic peers Anna Bernick, Brazos Donaho, Brian Liu, Cole Hasserjian, David Teplitz, Joaquin Nelson, Tiffany Ceja - Thank you for sharing your perspectives.

And to my editors Anna Ho and Alex Luceli Jiménez @ Daily Cal Weekender for your patience and edits for this really long 5600+ word article, and Design Editor Ariel Lung, for the cool cover art based on our photos. 

Love the cover picture.

The cover art for the feature was based on actual photos submitted by the students

Looks like the article was trending too !!!

This Edition of the Daily Cal Weekender was an Autism Special. 

Check out these other fantastic articles on autism by members of "Spectrum at Cal" Board. 

2. Why I listen - Eli Oh and Tory Benson 

https://www.dailycal.org/…/why-i-listen-an-essay-collection/

3. Why I self-advocate - Cole Hasserjian
https://www.dailycal.org/…/why-i-self-advocate-a-personal-…/

4. Why I Support - Helen Lee , Judy Xu, Carter Horan, Silvia A. Nolasco
https://www.dailycal.org/…/why-i-support-an-essay-collecti…/

5. A Letter to my Sister - Ashley Soliman
https://www.dailycal.org/…/a-letter-to-my-sister-a-persona…/