I've been busy in the last few days, volunteering at a local camp for kids between the ages of 6 and 10,and I also gave a presentation yesterday. I've been doing these presentations for several months for different groups of people who want to know more about Autism and Aspergers. I enjoy doing them because I can spread the message of hope and possibilities.

One of the stories I often tell during my program is one that helps people to better understand how things are taken very literally by individuals on the spectrum.

Many years ago while I was learning to play baseball I experienced a situation that is a perfect example of my literal way of thinking. I was up at bat and I hit a pretty good shot into the outfield and my coach screamed, "Christopher, run to second" so, knowing where second base was, I ran across the field, over the top of the pitchers mound directly to second base, bypassing first base completely. People were screaming at me. I did not know why. The coach told me to run back to first, then he told me to run back to second. This made no sense to me at all and I was confused for a while. Later, when I came off the field, many people tried to explain it to me and then I understood this game of baseball obviously had some hidden secrets codes that were not made clear to me. Maybe somebody should have explained it to me and I would have been able to play without so many people screaming at me.

As I got older, I realized that there were many secret codes for allot of different things. For a while I had to rely on other people to help me decode your every day things, that gets to be frustrating and tiring. I am getting allot better now at decoding, but sometimes it can still be difficult.

Many people with Autism have trouble with decoding, it would help if those of you who work with, live with or interact with people on the spectrum, would take a minute to decode what you are saying. People on the spectrum would be able to understand you so much quicker if you do so.

This weekend I went camping with the Boy Scouts. I am an active scout and I enjoy the scouting program, but my Aspergers affects my experience.

An example of this is, you may be able to socialize with friends, however I prefer to sit quietly and practice my knots. This doesn't mean that I'm not enjoying myself. It simply means I have no problems with being alone and doing what I enjoy. Another affect of Aspergers on my experience is poor night vision. I find it very difficult to see at night so I usually need two flashlights to feel comfortable. I have often experienced teasing because I need two flashlights and sometimes I'm teased about being afraid of the dark but it's not a matter of fear, it's more being uncomfortable in the dark with my surroundings. My sitting quietly and difficulty with darkness stems from the Aspergers, but I certainly wouldn't consider quitting scouting because of it. I just do what I need to do and sometimes that's OK with people and sometimes it's not. When it's not, I try to explain the situation to them, sometimes that works and other times it doesn't. When my explanation doesn't seem to help, I just stay away from them. Then, it appears as if I am being even more unsociable. This feels like a never ending circle, that leads to allot of frustration. Something I wish I could change. If we could all be more tolerant of each other and be excepting of each others situations we could learn more about each other and what our strengths and needs are.

Never stop doing what you enjoy because of your Aspergers and Autism, instead accept it and know that sometimes, you're going to have to be tolerant of the people who just don't get it.

At some of the seminars I do, many people have asked me, "if you had a choice to have Aspergers or not, what would you choose?"


My answer has been and shall always be that I would NOT get rid of my Aspergers. I say this because I believe that I am very smart as a result of the Aspergers, I have learned so much about autism and Aspergers and I do very well in school. Also, I would never have met the people that I know today if I had been born a neuro-typical. The people that I have met and established friendships with have been very close friends and they have helped me and continue to help me with my Aspergers and life in general. The many people that I have met I have great respect for. They understand me and I understand them and they are exceptionally good kind people. I have found that people on the spectrum because of their heightened sensitivity are kind, gentle, thoughtful people who care greatly for those around them.





Here's an opportunity for me to squash another autistic myth. When you hear the word AUTISM, most people probably think about a small child sitting on the floor flapping their hands and you probably think of words, "in their own little world." You always have to remember that autism is a spectrum disorder and that means that there are many different levels or intensities of autism. Some people may indeed flap their hands and be non-verbal while some are simply quiet and others have plenty to say. So to say that autistic people are in their own little world is simply not true at all. We want to interact with people and make new friends but some of the time we enjoy our alone time. Please remember that we are generally not lonely but would rather just be alone for a short time.

There are many myths surrounding Autism and Aspergers and I want to disprove many of the myths.
First let me state that when I use the term , "spectrum" it means all those individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism or Aspergers and those who have not yet received a clinical diagnoses. The Autistic spectrum is a wide one, covering those people who have high functioning Aspergers to those individuals who are non-verbal.
The most important myth to me is that people on the Autistic spectrum do not possess great intelligence. This could not be further from the truth. All people like to learn, especially those on the autistic spectrum. Knowledge is power. We never receive the appropriate age related material that we desire. We have a genuine desire to learn so an effort should be made at all times to provide the correct age related learning material.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding this post, please e-mail me.
If you have any myths that you would like discussed, please let me know.

I am starting out this blog to help educate others about Autism and Aspergers. As I learn the ropes about blogging, I will be adding allot of information to my blog.
Autism is an ability NOT a disability. If more people knew that, respect can grow and the world would be a happier place.

My name is Christopher. I am 12 years old and I am a strong advocate for people on the autistic spectrum. My mission is to help educate others on the strengths that all people possess.