Johnson County Autism Support Group, Inc.  609 Treybourne Drive, Suite D  Greenwood, IN  46143
Text Box: Following is a portion of an article written by Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who is now an assistant professor of animal science at Colorado State University. To read more of the article, go to www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/TempleGrandin/InsideView.html. ‘Two of the subjects covered in this chapter are the frustration of not being able to speak and sensory problems. My senses were oversensitive to loud noise and touch. Loud noise hurt my ears and I withdrew from touch to avoid over-whelming sensation. I built a squeezing machine which helped me to calm my nerves and to tolerate touching. At puberty, horrible anxiety "nerve" attacks started and they became worse with age. Antidepressant medication Text Box: relieved the anxiety. In the last section of the chapter directing my fixations into constructive activities and a career will be discussed along with the importance of a mentor. My skill and deficit areas are covered in detail. All my thinking is visual, like videos played in my imagination. Even abstract concepts such as getting along with other people are visualized through the use of door imagery. LACK OF SPEECH Not being able to speak was utter frustration. If adults spoke directly to me I could understand everything they said, but I could not get my words out. It was like a big stutter. If I was placed in a slight stress situation, words would sometimes overcome the barrier and come out. My speech Text Box: therapist knew how to intrude into my world. She would hold me by my chin and made me look in her eyes and say "ball." At age 3, "ball" came out "bah," said with great stress. If the therapist pushed too hard I threw a tantrum, and if she did not intrude far enough no progress was made. My mother and teachers wondered why I screamed. Screaming was the only way I could communicate. Often I would logically think to myself, "I am going to scream now because I want to tell somebody I don't want to do something." ‘ Text Box: An Inside View of Autism Text Box: Girls on the Spectrum Text Box: Autism is four times more likely to occur in boys than in girls. Because of this, research is focused on boys and girls with autism often go undiagnosed. A girl with autism may not have traits that the world considers “feminine” - compassion for Text Box: others, sensing others feelings, knowing how to act in social situations, putting others needs before their own. Men and boys are not expected to be good at these things, but girls are. This creates a unique problem for girls on the spectrum. Text Box: The Hamilton Count Autism Support Group is hosting “Girls on the Spectrum Interest Group.” The first meeting is for parents only and will be held Saturday, August 16th from 9:00am—12:00. Bring a covered dish to share for lunch. RSVP to janegrimes@hcasg.org Text Box: Family Picnic We had a great day! See more pictures in our Image Gallery.

Family Swim Party:

 

Our summer family swim day is just around the corner.  Join us at Perry Park on August 10 at 1:00.

 

Admission is free, but we need an accurate count for the pool. Send your RSVP to Sheila@jcasg.org

Meeting Childcare:

It is very important that you RSVP childcare needs for meetings to Sheila@jcasg.org.