The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

A verbal individual with autism, who spoke at an early age, experienced sensory challenges and social challenges will talk about her struggles with receptive, expressive and social communication. I'm 22 years old and have Autism. I talked early, at around age 2, my pediatrician asked my mom if I could say 3 words, and I answered the doctor myself, saying "I do that!". But, there is more to communication than being able to speak. You have to know how to use the words, how to have a meaningful conversation with others, how to initiate play, how to make requests, etc. I was the same little girl who had no clue how to play with the other kids in preschool. I had a stutter, which appeared to be more controled the more regulated I was and when my sensory needs were being met. I was talking, so I don't think people saw my communication challenges as easily, but thse days they are definitely there. I'm a gifted typer, and really good at communicating via typing, email and texting. Verbal communication and conversations can still be a challenge for me. It can be oh so hard to process all my thoughts into words, and then to get the words to go from my brain to my mouth. Sometimes it is like a wall goes up, and the words get stuck. When this happens I answer by saying "I don't know" even when I do know.  I've stayed up late some nights thinking to myself, that some people may have missed the chance to see how smart, caring, helpful, intellegent, and funny I am. Most of all, they may have missed an opportunity to be my friend, and I'm a really good friend. How do we get past thse communication barriers and challenges and not let them get in the way? I'm not sure of all the answers to this; but I can tell you what has worked for me along my journey and what hasn't worked. I think that my presentation will help parents, teachers, therapists, professionals, and individuals with ASD. My story will give hope, at a time when hope may start to be getting lost. 

Topics I'll discuss:

*Expressive Communication: Having the words, doesn't mean that the challenge of getting the complex thoughts out aren't there. It is very frustrating when you struggle with expressing yourself, but because you can talk, individuals assume that you can just tell them, when in reality there is so much more to it. 

*Receptive Communication: I understand what is being said around me, I may need more time to process information, but that doesn't mean that I don't understand what is being said around me.  Not being able to answer, is not the same is not understanding. 

* Social Skills: I will discuss how hard it is for me to learn social skills, not just learn them, but generalize them into everyday life. 

*Friendships: I will tell the story of a few of my friendships.

*Strategies: I will list some strategies that have worked for me, such as typing, more processing time, etc. I will share some pieces that I have typed.

Learning Objectives: