The Autism Thread

[bfj]

Bottom right if you can’t guess.

[duff]

That is so awesome! What an experience for Will and everyone else there.

[HaulCitgo]

Thrills all around

[Giff]

That’s really great!

[govmentchedda]

I cannot love this any more. He's got a voice for calling the game. He'd be great for play by play.

[EdRomero]

That made my day. I'm so happy for you.

[sancarlos]

Good stuff, bfj!

[rass]

That’s great man. Though I was hoping for something better from the ALT text description of your photo.

[mister d]

“BFJ shows a baseball player how the spell out the gang name BLOOD(s) with his hands.”

[bfj]

Thanks gents. Got a chance to meet Jim Palmer and got a ball signed by him also. Told him that he was my father’s favorite pitcher and by default mine. He was very nice to the younger kids who had come out with our group.

Had a moment or two to chat w trouble maker, Kevin Brown and thanked him for doing such a great job.

[Jerloma]

That's really cool, bfj!

Hey, what's your position on "the spectrum" and people sort of self-diagnosing themself as being on the spectrum, either tongue-in-cheekly or perhaps not? It just seems like a trend right now. Like is that a thing that's problematic with the autism support community?

[bfj]

That's really cool, bfj!

Hey, what's your position on "the spectrum" and people sort of self-diagnosing themself as being on the spectrum, either tongue-in-cheekly or perhaps not? It just seems like a trend right now. Like is that a thing that's problematic with the autism support community?

Maybe it was Carwash who talked about people saying they are OCD as a punchline when people don’t know what real OCD looks like and how and difficult it can be.

I do get annoyed when I hear “everybody is a little autistic”. Ignorance makes people say stupid shit. Especially when they don’t consider who/what they are saying minimizes the real struggles people go through. No Linda, just because you like things organized, it doesn’t make you autistic. If you go into full on meltdowns because your salt shaker is moved, come talk to me.

I’m no arbiter for the community though. I’m not even a part of the community since I’m not autistic. The autistic community is very divided on lots of things. Calling it a community is a real stretch.

[Steve of phpBB]

Thanks gents. Got a chance to meet Jim Palmer and got a ball signed by him also. Told him that he was my father’s favorite pitcher and by default mine. He was very nice to the younger kids who had come out with our group.

Had a moment or two to chat w trouble maker, Kevin Brown and thanked him for doing such a great job.

Wow. This is so great to read. Thanks for sharing this.

[sancarlos]

That was interesting and helpful commentary, in that last post, bfj. Thanks.

[The Sybian]

Thanks for sharing BFJ. Loved seeing Will pump up the crowd.

[bfj]

Thanks for sharing BFJ. Loved seeing Will pump up the crowd.

When he takes his hat off. Love that kid.

[DaveInSeattle]

So the "sensory friendly" performance of Aladdin that we took Kelsey to on Saturday afternoon was great. Lots of people and families with developmentally disabled kids and adults. They kept the lights up partially (except the magic carpet ride/"whole new world" song), and gave away "fidget toys" to anyone who wanted them.

Before the show started the actor who played Jafar came out, in costume, and explained that they were all just actors, telling a story, so kids wouldn't be scared of him.

The show was pretty good...the guy who played the Genie was great (stepping into a role created by Robin Williams is a big lift).

Kelsey had a BLAST. Big day out for her...taking the light rail downtown, walking to the theater, going to the show (she even saw some people she knew from various classes and schools), and then going to Red Robin for dinner afterwards.

[bfj]

So the "sensory friendly" performance of Aladdin that we took Kelsey to on Saturday afternoon was great. Lots of people and families with developmentally disabled kids and adults. They kept the lights up partially (except the magic carpet ride/"whole new world" song), and gave away "fidget toys" to anyone who wanted them.

Before the show started the actor who played Jafar came out, in costume, and explained that they were all just actors, telling a story, so kids wouldn't be scared of him.

The show was pretty good...the guy who played the Genie was great (stepping into a role created by Robin Williams is a big lift).

Kelsey had a BLAST. Big day out for her...taking the light rail downtown, walking to the theater, going to the show (she even saw some people she knew from various classes and schools), and then going to Red Robin for dinner afterwards.

Wins all around. I’m sure you all breathed a big sigh of relief at the end.

[sancarlos]

That’s great, Dave. Glad it was a fun day!

[DaveInSeattle]

So the "sensory friendly" performance of Aladdin that we took Kelsey to on Saturday afternoon was great. Lots of people and families with developmentally disabled kids and adults. They kept the lights up partially (except the magic carpet ride/"whole new world" song), and gave away "fidget toys" to anyone who wanted them.

Before the show started the actor who played Jafar came out, in costume, and explained that they were all just actors, telling a story, so kids wouldn't be scared of him.

The show was pretty good...the guy who played the Genie was great (stepping into a role created by Robin Williams is a big lift).

Kelsey had a BLAST. Big day out for her...taking the light rail downtown, walking to the theater, going to the show (she even saw some people she knew from various classes and schools), and then going to Red Robin for dinner afterwards.

Wins all around. I’m sure you all breathed a big sigh of relief at the end.

Yeah, we did. We asked Kelsey at intermission if she wanted to leave, and she made the "more" sign...meaning she wanted more Aladdin.

[Giff]

She looked excited in the pic you posted! So happy it was a great experience!

[DaveInSeattle]

She looked excited in the pic you posted! So happy it was a great experience!

We just need them to have Disney musicals in town more often...pretty sure they don't have sensory friendly showings of shows like Les Miz or Phantom Of The Opera.

[Jerloma]

That's really cool, bfj!

Hey, what's your position on "the spectrum" and people sort of self-diagnosing themself as being on the spectrum, either tongue-in-cheekly or perhaps not? It just seems like a trend right now. Like is that a thing that's problematic with the autism support community?

Maybe it was Carwash who talked about people saying they are OCD as a punchline when people don’t know what real OCD looks like and how and difficult it can be.

I do get annoyed when I hear “everybody is a little autistic”. Ignorance makes people say stupid shit. Especially when they don’t consider who/what they are saying minimizes the real struggles people go through. No Linda, just because you like things organized, it doesn’t make you autistic. If you go into full on meltdowns because your salt shaker is moved, come talk to me.

I’m no arbiter for the community though. I’m not even a part of the community since I’m not autistic. The autistic community is very divided on lots of things. Calling it a community is a real stretch.

Ahhh...thanks. I actually said "autism support community" which may or not be a thing either but if it is, you're definitely a big, fat, jewish part of it!

[bfj]

That's really cool, bfj!

Hey, what's your position on "the spectrum" and people sort of self-diagnosing themself as being on the spectrum, either tongue-in-cheekly or perhaps not? It just seems like a trend right now. Like is that a thing that's problematic with the autism support community?

Maybe it was Carwash who talked about people saying they are OCD as a punchline when people don’t know what real OCD looks like and how and difficult it can be.

I do get annoyed when I hear “everybody is a little autistic”. Ignorance makes people say stupid shit. Especially when they don’t consider who/what they are saying minimizes the real struggles people go through. No Linda, just because you like things organized, it doesn’t make you autistic. If you go into full on meltdowns because your salt shaker is moved, come talk to me.

I’m no arbiter for the community though. I’m not even a part of the community since I’m not autistic. The autistic community is very divided on lots of things. Calling it a community is a real stretch.

Ahhh...thanks. I actually said "autism support community" which may or not be a thing either but if it is, you're definitely a big, fat, jewish part of it!

Oh, I don't read well. I am a part of that community and for the most part the parents/caregivers I know don't want the diagnosis to be trivialized by the people who use it as a punchline or an excuse. If you are autistic and need supports, I'm (the community) here to get you the resources you need and I think most of the community wants that support system. The divide comes from the "actual autistics" vs the support systems.

[DaveInSeattle]

Has anyone had any experience with the WeBuilt organization? (https://webuilt.info/)?

Caity, and her ex Roland, have been really starting to explore a "long-term" solution to meet Kelsey's needs. They are both really sensitive to wanted to have her set up in a good environment as we all start to get older and move towards retirement (Roland is retiring at the end of this school year), and also not to have their other daughter Robin be on the hook for everything.

They've talked to a similar organization down in the Napa area, but the buy in was WAY out of their price range...and the logistics of moving Kelsey would be daunting (she would lose all her state provided support services until she could establish citizenship in a new state).

So they are starting to explore starting this kind of setup somewhere here in Washington...but to me it seems like taking on a HUGE burden to get something like this started.

[bfj]

Has anyone had any experience with the WeBuilt organization? (https://webuilt.info/)?

Caity, and her ex Roland, have been really starting to explore a "long-term" solution to meet Kelsey's needs. They are both really sensitive to wanted to have her set up in a good environment as we all start to get older and move towards retirement (Roland is retiring at the end of this school year), and also not to have their other daughter Robin be on the hook for everything.

They've talked to a similar organization down in the Napa area, but the buy in was WAY out of their price range...and the logistics of moving Kelsey would be daunting (she would lose all her state provided support services until she could establish citizenship in a new state).

So they are starting to explore starting this kind of setup somewhere here in Washington...but to me it seems like taking on a HUGE burden to get something like this started.

It's all about Person-Centered Planning these days. No more group homes. Sent you a PM.

[DaveInSeattle]

Yesterday, Caity and I took Kelsey to a "sensory friendly" performance of Mary Poppins. We took her to a similar thing in the fall for "Aladdin", but this time there weren't near as many disabled people...lots of just regular families with kids.

Anyways, its hard to read if Kelsey is following the show, but when we asked if she wanted to leave at intermission, she was very emphatic about staying for the second half.

As for the show...it was good. Pretty standard Broadway musical stuff. Incredibly talented performers.

The big "showstopper" number was the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" song, where the dancers each had two placards with letters and they spelled out words. Just the level of choreography involved was blowing my mind. Here's a short clip:



Anyways, a great day for Kelsey. Its always good to get her out in the community.

(putting the pictures in a spoiler since they are pretty big)

[+] spoiler

Sidenote: I got kind of emotional a couple of times...thinking about my Mom. She LOVED big broadway musicials...when my family spent some time in London after I graduated from college, that was the one thing she really wanted to do (we saw "42nd Street"). I also took her to see "Phantom of the Opera" and "Miss Saigon". She would have loved yesterday...from the show itself to seeing all the families there in the audience.

[bfj]

Love this whole post and all the pics.

[sancarlos]

[P.D.X.]

Also now this man with brain worms wants a tracking database for autistic people.

[bfj]

Also now this man with brain worms wants a tracking database for autistic people.

No surprise that was walked back also.

[mister d]

What's the reaction to The Accountant?

[sancarlos]

What's the reaction to The Accountant?

Entertainment Weekly discussion with the director on the subject

[Shirley]

What's the reaction to The Accountant?

I liked it. And I'm pretty sure my autistic son has seen it and liked it. Nobody expects a movie like that to be totally realistic. But I didn't find it offensive or filled with ignorant stereotypes or anything. It was quite nice to see an autistic character who wasn't just there to be a math wiz or provide comic relief.

[bfj]

What's the reaction to The Accountant?

I liked it. And I'm pretty sure my autistic son has seen it and liked it. Nobody expects a movie like that to be totally realistic. But I didn't find it offensive or filled with ignorant stereotypes or anything. It was quite nice to see an autistic character who wasn't just there to be a math wiz or provide comic relief.

Wait. Isn’t Affleck’s character a brilliant forensic accountant/math whiz? He was in the first movie.

[Shirley]

What's the reaction to The Accountant?

I liked it. And I'm pretty sure my autistic son has seen it and liked it. Nobody expects a movie like that to be totally realistic. But I didn't find it offensive or filled with ignorant stereotypes or anything. It was quite nice to see an autistic character who wasn't just there to be a math wiz or provide comic relief.

Wait. Isn’t Affleck’s character a brilliant forensic accountant/math whiz? He was in the first movie.

Yes, but I mean he's an accountant. He's not doing Fourier Transforms in his head. Accounting is far from complex math. It's more about being meticulous.

[bfj]

In the first movie he has the walls of a conference room covered with numbers and is doing huge computations in his head. Pretty math-y to me.

I liked the first movie. Not because he was autistic, just found it entertaining. This one was described as more of a buddy cop movie. I may stream it at some point.

It’s not my life’s version of autism though. They won’t put people like Max or many others up there because nobody wants to see that.

[Shirley]

In the first movie he has the walls of a conference room covered with numbers and is doing huge computations in his head. Pretty math-y to me.

I liked the first movie. Not because he was autistic, just found it entertaining. This one was described as more of a buddy cop movie. I may stream it at some point.

It’s not my life’s version of autism though. They won’t put people like Max or many others up there because nobody wants to see that.

Fair enough. Haven't seen it in a while.