Category Archives: Autism and Aging

Don’t Define Me By My Deficits

August 18, 2014Activism/Advocacy, Autism and Agingadmin

Written in English: Don’t Define Me By My Deficits
http://www.judyendow.com/advocacy/dont-define-me-by-my-deficits/

French Translation: Ne me limitez pas à la somme de mes déficits http://www.judyendow.com/french-blogs/ne-me-limitez-pas-a-la-somme-de-mes-deficits/

One thing that happens when a person is diagnosed with autism is that people start evaluating how that person doesn’t measure up. In fact, this needs to happen in order to receive an autism diagnosis. A diagnosis is important in terms of securing needed supports and services.

The measuring doesn’t stop after the diagnosis is received. As autistic children grow up they are assessed and measured many times over and for good reasons. Every needed support and service means the autistic must “qualify” to receive it. If an autistic child needs help in school they must meet the criteria to receive an Individualized Educational Plan – basically a plan with goals and outcome measures to put the student on the path towards the free and appropriate education that he cannot be denied according to law in the United States.

All of this is good and makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is when we take these measures of shortcomings and use only these shortcomings to think about autistics. When this happens autistics are thought of only in terms of their deficits and difficulties. While being found lacking and having deficits and difficulties as measured against typically developing peers is of utmost importance in the diagnostic realm and in terms of getting educational, medical and support services, this is not the sum total of an autistic person.

This is very important because what we need to have a diagnosis along with the medical, educational and support services that follow are very different from what we need to have a meaningful and productive life. I will make this personal now, using my own life for you to see an example.

You see, I get my diagnosis and supports based on what’s wrong with me, what I can’t do, and what my difficulties are in daily life. These things are easily measured against the neurotypical norm. So, that is how most of my life I have only known who I wasn’t and what I couldn’t do.

“Because there is not a good way to measure the things that make me be me those things go unmeasured. Instead I am measured by the yardstick of what makes you be you and am found to be lacking” (Endow, 2013. pg. 44).

But then, just like you, I live out my daily life according to what I CAN do, what I am good at and what I enjoy in my day.

In my everyday life as an adult it matters a whole lot what I CAN do because my capabilities have allowed me to earn a living. It matters more in my life today that I can write books, do public speaking and run my own consulting business than it does that my speech was delayed, I was institutionalized as a child or have a classic autism diagnosis.

It matters today what I am good at and what I enjoy because this has led not only to me running my own business, but in addition is the basis of my friendships with others and the hobbies and interests I pursue. Together, my work and my friends intersect with my hobbies and interests, bringing me a full life with a depth of meaning.

Autism is my diagnosis and indeed is so pervasive that it cannot be separated out and thus, I not only have autism as a diagnosis, but I am autistic in my identity. My diagnosis is about who I am NOT and what I cannot do – a measure of my limitations, deficits and difficulties. Being an autistic woman is about who I am – a human being who IS, who CAN and who DOES – measured by living a full life in her own way in this world.

I had to learn how to outsmart the hard of my autism to live a full life as an autistic. It took several decades. Today my life is about who I am and what I CAN do. It is about the real relationships with colleagues, friends and family. Today I still have limitations, difficulties and deficits, but they do not define me. Instead they inform me. I can plan my life accordingly, ensuring supports, down time and accommodations so I can be the human being I want to be in this world. Today I have a full and meaningful life. I am content and happy and I am still just as autistic as I have always been.

My advice for younger autistics and for those who love and support them would be to look at who you ARE as a human being. Ultimately, this will become more important than your autism. Most of the time people around autistic children focus in on what they cannot do so as to make those areas of life better. In doing so autistic children grow up knowing who they are not. This is not a good basis for living a meaningful adult life because as adults, our work, our friends and our pastimes are based on who we are, what we can do and what makes us happy.

Therefore, I think it is of utmost importance our children learn this along the way. It took me most of my life to learn this. I hope by writing about it people supporting today’s autistic children will be sure to teach them who they ARE in this big wide world because one day that will become more important than their diagnosis of autism.

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on September 23, 2013

Losing an Autism Diagnosis

August 17, 2014Autism and Aging, Autistic "Behavior"admin

French Translation: Peut-on « perdre » un diagnostic d’autisme?

I am an almost 60-year-old autistic woman who can navigate the world in a way that surprises some people when they find out I have autism. My teen years were spent in an institution because people did not know what to do with my “behaviors” or with me. Today I am a self-employed author, speaker, consultant and artist with a master’s degree in Social Work.

Question: Did I lose my autism diagnosis?
Official Answer: Yes and No

No, an Autism Diagnosis Cannot Be “Lost”
Technically, once a person is diagnosed with anything that diagnosis becomes part of their medical records. Doctors do not go back in time and erase a diagnosis, or in fact anything, from a patient’s medical records. This is against the law!

Yes, an Autism Diagnosis Can Be “Lost”
Practically, a diagnosis is derived by matching presenting symptoms to a list of diagnostic criteria for a specific diagnosis. Over time if symptoms are mitigated the diagnostic criteria may not be observable. Some say this means the person lost the diagnosis.

The Autistic Brain
In general we know the brain is malleable during the growing up years. We also know that early diagnosis leads to early intervention and the outcome of early intervention can be quite positive for some children with autism, in terms of getting autistic children to respond and behave like neurotypical children (if we consider that positive). What we don’t yet know is if these behavior changes represent a change in the brain – has the child’s autistic brain actually been changed into a neurotypical brain? At this point in time I can find nothing that shows this to be the case.

My Personal Experience
Every day I need to go out into the world posses difficulties for me. Most of my life has been spent solving these difficulties. My sensory system does not take in, process, store or retrieve information from the world around me like that of a neurotypical (NT) person. Lights are too bright, sounds are magnified and movement is distorted. I am often side tracked, bothered by or experience pain from a multitude of sensory details that nobody else ever notices.

Sometimes I use a variety of earplugs or sunglasses. Most times sensory integration modalities such as using a weighted blanket, having a massage or getting deep pressure input are helpful. The best solution I have found is to plan in plenty of down time where there is no noise and no interactions with others so my system can integrate the sensorily overwhelming experiences that make up an ordinary day. This means I rarely watch TV, listen to music or talk on the phone when I am home in the evening. Sometimes motion sickness pills are helpful.

I am exhausted at the end of a work day because it takes a great deal of effort for me to continually stifle my reactions to sounds, sights, smells and movements that others do not typically notice. I have to particularly pay attention to conventional social mannerisms such as remembering to look at people during conversation, track which words are “work words” and which words are “social fluff words” and respond accordingly. I work at this because I like to be able to fit in and in many respects my continued employment depends upon it.

I have become pretty good at figuring out the right combinations of down time, decreased environmental sensory input and sensory integration techniques I need to manage various sorts of days. The older I get the better I am able to guess correctly, but even so, I end my days with exhaustion for having “kept up” with the Joneses (in this case with the neuromajority!).

Some would look at me and say that I lost my autism diagnosis only because I have learned to inhibit most of my natural reactions and responses when in public. I seldom squeal, flap, moan or make extraneous noises. Because I want a ticket to participate in the world I have learned over many years how to act like a neuromajority person. This is a privileged position in that not all autistics are able to inhibit to the degree needed to obtain society’s tickets for participation. And, even though I can chose to fit in, I must pay the price for it every day because after decades of practice, this behaving “correctly,” though easier with more practice, still does not come naturally.

Future Considerations
Going forward I believe we need to examine and consider changing our measures of success for autistics. This discussion will undoubtedly be further impacted in the future if science finds a way to determine whether the malleable brain of an autistic youngster can actually become the brain of a non-autistic adult. Until then, we need to ask if the outcome of being indistinguishable from peers is really valid or is as successful as we imagine it to be. And if so, for whom is it a measure of success?

Contemplating the future ~ what will we learn next about autism?

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

French Translation
Peut-on « perdre » un diagnostic d’autisme?
Translation/traduction: Marie Lauzon, C. Tran./trad. a. (Canada) marielauzon.com

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on May 30, 2014

Skunk Hair, Autism and Social Understanding

August 13, 2014Autism and Aging, Autistic "Behavior", Hidden Curriculumadmin

There is a saying, “love makes the world go round,” but for real it is NOT love. Instead, it is the hidden curriculum that makes the world go round! Hidden curriculum is all that social information that most people know even though they were never actually taught it. An example is the rule “don’t pick your nose” with the hidden curriculum being it is perfectly fine to pick your nose as long as nobody sees you doing it. Many people with autism have difficulty with hidden curriculum. Their brains are not wired to allow them to automatically pick up this untaught, unspoken social information. This has all sorts of consequences from embarrassing to serious (job loss). I had to intentionally learn lots of hidden curriculum before I could feel a part of the world going round.

Sometimes getting caught in a situation of unknown hidden curriculum is quite embarrassing in the moment, but later makes a funny story. Because hidden curriculum is so important and because people generally remember things that cause them to laugh, I am going to tell you a funny story.

One time I accompanied my friend Kate to a doctor appointment. Before leaving Kate had to go for a blood test. The woman in the lab had the most beautifully unusual hair. It was shoulder length jet-black hair parted down the center with about a one-inch pure white outgrowth from the center part. As Kate turned in her paper work and we took a seat I said, “What beautiful skunk hair!”

Kate shushed me and whispered, “Wait ‘til we’re done here.” So I did. After leaving the lab Kate had to schedule another appointment at the front desk. While standing there waiting in a different section of the building, i.e. “being done here” as in – now being done in the lab – I again commented, “I really liked that woman’s skunk hair.”

Again, Kate shushed me, this time telling me to whisper. Just then the appointment secretary was ready to schedule with her so I thought it best to wait. I went out to the car. When Kate got in the car I dutifully whispered, “I just loved that woman’s skunk hair. Did you?”

Kate asked, “Why are you whispering?”

I replied, “You told me to whisper.”

This example clearly illustrates the hidden curriculum variable of changing circumstances in that each time Kate gave me a directive I complied. It didn’t work well because each time I complied we were at a new location. I also am not very good at modulating my voice, which Kate picked up on and attempted to help me compensate by instructing me to whisper. By the time I did so we were in the car and there was no longer any need to whisper. And only then did Kate explain that even though I love the black and white contrast of skunk hair most people would interpret my compliment as derogatory.

In the past eight years since this incident happened I have intentionally learned as much hidden curriculum as possible. I have written about my journey and about the various strategies I have tried along the way. If you would like to read about my quest please see Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult.

I went on to co-author (with Brenda Smith Myles and Malcolm Mayfield) a second book very important to autistic adults and employment called The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment.

Oh, the possibilities in a new day dawning!

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on May 9, 2014

Crossing Sign Conundrums

August 9, 2014Autism and Aging, Growing Up Autistic, Hidden Curriculumadmin

Over the course of my life I have seen many kinds of crossing signs. When I go to a college campus I drive past a wildlife sanctuary where a duck crossing sign is posted. Each spring mama ducks line up near their sign and lead their babies across the road while the cars waited. There were lots of ducks and some days the wait for motorists can be up to ten minutes.

Every winter when I drive along a county highway to visit a friend I see a snowmobile crossing sign. A snowmobile trail is on one side of the road. A restaurant is on the opposite side of the road. Snowmobile club members cross the road at their sign and then park their snowmobiles at the restaurant while they are inside.

One summer a new sign was erected by the fire station. It announced to all that indeed the fire trucks would be crossing the road as they came out of the fire station. I personally thought the sign was not necessary. After all the fire trucks had no choice. They had to cross the road when coming out of the station

When my son went to college I discovered several pedestrian crossing signs on his campus. During passing time students would cross at their sign, often in hoards and most of the time seeming oblivious to drivers. They definitely knew they had the right of way!

As a visual thinker who has learned this pattern to crossing signs I really do not appreciate the incongruence school crossing signs impose on my schema. The school is not crossing the road. The children are crossing the road to get to school. This has bugged me all my adult life. I have rationalized to myself that the reason they do not have a children crossing sign or a student crossing sign is because sometimes teachers, parents or other grown ups may cross the road at the sign. Even so, to be in sync and not upset my schema of crossing signs, the correct sign in my opinion would be a pedestrian crossing sign. I understand that school zones are treated differently by law in terms of motorist speeding and fines and thus it seems logical to draw attention to the school zone with a school crossing sign, but to my visual schema this sign is just plain wrong! Do you ever see a school crossing the road by a school crossing sign? I don’t.

A sign that is even worse than the school crossing sign is the deer crossing sign. Even though deer actually do cross the road, they do not cross the road at their sign! I am sure everyone in the world will agree with me on this one. For real – who has ever seen deer, either a single one or an entire herd – line up at their sign to cross the road? It is obvious that deer cannot read. Too bad because if the deer could read perhaps we would not have to see so many of them lying by the side of the road after finding misfortune with a vehicle. Has anyone ever seen one of these deer lying next to their crossing sign? I haven’t. More evidence. Deer do not read. Deer do not cross at their sign. These signs really irritate me – and in Wisconsin where I live it seems of all the crossing signs erected deer have the most.

Something happened recently to inform me. I read a newspaper article that explained these signs. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, deer crossing signs have been erected in places where there have been several deer-motorist mishaps to warn drivers of deer in the area.

Ahhh…the deer crossing signs are not for the deer! They are for the motorist. Hmmm…the snowmobilers read and cross at their sign. That has got to be helpful for them, but the sign is for the motorist. In fact, all the crossing signs are for the motorist! Thanks to my local news crossing signs now make sense to me.

And this just goes to show that no matter how old you are – autism or not – it is never too late to learn new things (Endow, 2012). Therefore, please refrain from predicting what your child with autism will never learn or will never be able to do when he grows up. The predictions made about me as an institutionalized youngster simply were not true. It took me longer to grow up than it takes most people, but I continued learning well past my school years. In fact, as an autistic woman in her late fifties I continue to learn new things and, in turn, live more comfortably in the world around me.

Painting is Morning-Chirp Sun Girl
Available in sets of 5 greeting cards
and acrylic prints in three sizes
in the Art Store at www.judyendow.com

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on March 6, 2014

Over 50, Autistic and Still Learning!

August 7, 2014Autism and Aging, Sensory Solutionsadmin

Recently, I went to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store near my house with my laptop. It reminded me of just how far I have come in regards to technology in a few short years. It is hard to believe that I lived a half century on this planet before becoming versed in sending and receiving email! In 2005, my oldest, David, set up a Hotmail account for me and taught me how to do email. I had read an autism book and wanted to email the author. In a few months I had a few more people to email. It snow balled. Today email is my main source of communication with most others and I receive over 200 emails most days!

This is no small feat because computers are hard for me even though I now use a computer most of my waking hours for one purpose or another. Because of my sensory differences I have learned to dim the brightness of the screen. Additionally, I need to do my computer work in a particular way. Too much scrolling makes me nauseous and even though I am able to click the mouse at lightening speed I refrain from doing so as a rapid successions of changes to the appearance of the screen causes a dizzy, spinning feeling in my body. I get a lot accomplished every day using my computer, but do so with a steady rhythm and pace. I also use lots of ink cartridges for my printer because I print out rather than scroll through most documents. It takes a bit of figuring out, but I have a system down that serves me well.

Shortly after becoming comfortable with email I asked my oldest son to pick out one new thing to show me online. He showed me how to use Google. I began looking up info on all sorts of things. I discovered Google images! It has some similarities to the way my brain works popping up images in relationship to word input. Whoever constructed that system must understand how an autistic mind works!

In 2006 my first book,Making Lemonade, Hints for Autism’s Helpers, was published. I was getting invited to speak and wanted to learn how to make the pictures that speakers put up on screens for their audience to see. I asked around, found out this was called Power Point and googled “how to make power points.” That is how it happened that in 2006 my first book was published and my first power point was constructed. I still use that power point today even though I have learned ever so much more about power points since that time.

I do not especially like talking on the phone. My children all had cell phones, but it was not something I especially wanted for myself. As my business picked up I found myself out of town more often. My youngest was a senior in high school and I wanted to be able to check in with him when he got home from school and I was out of town. I wound up getting a cell phone. In fact, my son Daniel and I got the very same cell phones on a family talk plan. He had his phone all set up with all his friend’s names and numbers programed before I even had the instruction book read. Daniel uses his cell phone for many other things such as an alarm clock, to play games, to take pictures and he has his phone set up to ring differently depending on who is calling him. This was beyond me at the time. It was enough for me to use my first cell phone simply to call someone. In fact, I didn’t even like using a cell phone, but did so out of necessity.

2006 was a big year for change in my life. My youngest son went off to college. This necessitated another technology change in my life. I sent the family computer of to college with Daniel and got a new laptop for myself. I needed a laptop because of presenting, but just hated learning new technology. Even so, I discovered some really nice things about a laptop. First of all, the lighting behind the screen is much different than on a desktop computer! This increased my efficiency drastically! It enables me to use a computer for many hours at a time rather than 30-45 minutes before needing a break. Because I do not get reliable sensory feedback through my fingertips, it is very inefficient for me to use the scroll pad on my laptop. Instead, I must use a mouse.

My business expanded. I needed to be able to keep on while on the go. Once again, technology was the answer. In the summer of 2009 I got a Blackberry. It took me two weeks to read the instruction book and figure it out. Each day I forced myself to do something with my Blackberry so I could become used to using it. In 2013 I got an iPhone and it didn’t even come with an instruction book! Today I use it for email, social media, to take pictures, play games and to talk on the phone. A really great thing about the camera feature is that I can take pictures with ease because it does not jolt my sensory system in the way that cameras with flashes do.

I have learned to use both my iPhone and my laptop for many things. I learned to use Facebook as a way to keep in touch with my children. Today it has become a tool for keeping up with many in the autism community. Imagine a person with autism who has had difficulty making friends all her life now having over 4000 Facebook friends from around the world! I post many autism related articles on my Facebook page. Be sure to send me a friend request if we are not yet Facebook friends!

I made a new kind of Power Point to use in my presentations. I constructed automatically advancing slides using images and words on the slides and then learned how to imbed music background. The production is called The Power of Words: How we talk about people with autism spectrum disorder matters! In 2009 it became published as a DVD (AAPC, 2009). This DVD won the 2010 Mutimedia Award from Autism Society of America.

In 2010 I decided I wanted to construct a web site. So I googled “how to make a web site” and read up on it. I chose a website company and started following the online instruction tutorial. I made a five page website called www.judyendow.com. Each month I update the Calendar of Events page with my new speaking engagements and change whatever else might need to be changed. Today, this original website has morphed into something much larger and includes an Art Store with my paintings along with frequent blog postings.

In 2011 I became the owner of a mac laptop! It took me several months to get used to using it and caused much anxiety. One would think with all the new technology experiences I’ve outlined that I would be able to take new technology in stride without the high anxiety. Not so. Each new technology I set out to learn poses great difficulty for me in terms of becoming familiar with it. Many people on the autism spectrum find technology to be their friend. Not me. Most difficulty is due to the scrolling screen technology. It makes me physically sick to my stomach and I become too dizzy to be able to have the balance required to walk across the room. This is very unfortunate because it means I am missing out on some technology that could potentially be helpful to me. I am also grateful because it narrows down the scope of new technology I need to learn.

Even though I can listen on a conference call and sometimes talk, they are difficult for me. As a board member of Autism National Committee I have learned to use a group chat feature online that is used for board meetings. Nobody talks. It levels the playing field because some in our group can’t talk. In my work with Autistic Global Initiative (AGI) I have learned to use both individual and group Skype on my new mac. The group Skype allows me to see each person. Some of us talk and some of us type using the chat feature. It works well in terms of not having too much speaking going on. All of us in AGI are on the spectrum and between us have a wide range and variance of communication challenges. The group Skype and Go To Meeting sorts of technology have been quite helpful.

Nearly everyone I know is better at technology than I am. But that is okay. I know how to make appointments at the Genius Bar! In conclusion, I have in a few short years learned so many new techy things I have decided that for me personally, my 50’s will be deemed “The Decade of Technology!” Some new things I want to learn before I turn 60 include producing webinars and You Tube clips. Good thing I have a few years left – plenty of time!

I used my iPhone to take this picture
while out for my early morning walk today!

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology. Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally written for and published by Ollibean on February 26, 2014