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  • >> PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN.

  • [ APPLAUSE ]

  • >> WELL IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE TODAY.

  • ONCE I PRESS THIS BUTTON AND MY SLIDES COME ON.

  • IF THEY WORK, THAT'S GOOD.

  • ONE OF THE THINGS CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH

  • WITH THE YOUNG AUTISTIC CHILDREN IS EARLY

  • EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION.

  • THAT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY SUPER IMPORTANT.

  • I WAS 60 JUST THIS SUMMER AND BY THE TIME I WAS TWO

  • AND A HALF YEARS OLD, I WAS IN A VERY GOOD PROGRAM.

  • I'M-- MOTHER TOOK ME INTO A, YOU KNOW, THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

  • IN BOSTON AND A DOCTOR NAMED BRONSON CROTHERS REFERRED HER

  • TO A SPEECH-- TO SPEECH THERAPIST THAT WORKED

  • OUT OF THEIR HOME AND THEY WERE JUST THOSE A LITTLE EXPERIENCED

  • TEACHERS THAT KNEW HOW TO WORK WITH KIDS.

  • AND THEN MY MOTHER HIRED A NANNY WHO SPENT HOURS AND HOURS

  • AND HOURS DOING TURN TAKING GAMES WITH ME AND MY SISTER.

  • WE'VE GOT TO BE TEACHING THESE KIDS TURN TAKING.

  • SEE ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT BEING A CHILD

  • IN THE '50S IS IT TURNED--

  • EVERYTHING YOU DID WITH ANOTHER KID

  • THAT WAS FUN INVOLVED TURN TAKING.

  • TURN TAKING IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

  • WE GOT TO TEACH THAT REALLY, REALLY EARLY.

  • AS A TEACHER, I'M KIND OF GRABBING THE KID'S CHIN.

  • MY TEACHER DID THAT WITH ME.

  • SHE SAID, COME ON, JUST PAY ATTENTION.

  • SOME AUTISTIC KIDS YOU CAN KIND OF PULL THEM OUT OF IT

  • BUT THERE'S OTHERS WHERE IF YOU DO THIS, YOU'RE GOING

  • TO DRIVE THEM INTO SENSORY OVERLOAD.

  • AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST MOST NEGLECTED AREAS IS THE

  • SENSORY PROBLEMS.

  • WHEN A LOUD-- SCHOOL BELL WENT OFF, IT HURT MY EARS.

  • THIS IS A PICTURE OF A YOUNG MAN SENT TO ME IT'S ACTUALLY

  • FROM A BOOK CALLED LITTLE RAINMAN.

  • IT'S-- A YOUNG AUTISTIC BOY DREW THIS

  • AND SHOWING HOW LOUD SOUNDS HURT HIS EARS.

  • NOW THE THING IS, IS THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS ARE

  • VERY VARIABLE.

  • ONE KID MIGHT LIKE THE SOUND OF RUNNING WATER,

  • ANOTHER KID IS GOING TO--

  • WILL GET AWAY FROM THE SOUND OF RUNNING WATER.

  • NOW, HIGH-PITCHED INTERMITTENT SOUNDS,

  • THINGS LIKE SMOKE ALARMS, THOSE TEND TO BE THE WORST THINGS

  • BUT THESE ARE REALLY REAL PROBLEMS.

  • YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A CHILD AND YOU TAKE THEM

  • IN AT A BIG SUPERMARKET OR A WALMART OR SOME PLACE LIKE THAT,

  • HE JUST HAS A MELTDOWN AND START SCREAMING,

  • THAT IS SENSORY OVERLOAD.

  • SO YOU KIND OF WANT TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW,

  • IF YOUR CHILD GOT A LOT OF SENSORY PROBLEMS, WHAT HAPPENS

  • AT WALMART OR THE BIG SUPERMARKETS

  • OR THE SHOPPING MALL.

  • AND IF EVERY ONE OF THOSE TRIPS ARE SCREAMING FIT YOU'VE GOT

  • REALLY BIG SENSORY PROBLEMS

  • BECAUSE SOME KIDS CAN SEE THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS FLICKER ON

  • AND OFF LIKE BEING IN A DISCOTHEQUE.

  • IT JUST DRIVES THEM CRAZY.

  • OR THEY GO DOWN THE DETERGENT AISLE AND THEY JUST WANT TO GAG

  • BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO MUCH SMELLS.

  • TOO MUCH IS OVERWHELMING STIMULATION.

  • NOW THE THING IS, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WANT

  • TO TEST ME BEFORE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT I WASN'T DEAF.

  • SO I GOT A HEARING TEST AND I WASN'T DEAF.

  • BUT THE PROBLEM IS AUDITORY THRESHOLD TELLS YOU NOTHING

  • ABOUT AUDITORY DETAIL.

  • AUDITORY DETAIL IS THE ABILITY TO HEAR HARD CONSONANT SOUNDS.

  • LIKE IF I SAID CAT OR WAS IT RAT OR BAT, YOU KNOW,

  • DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN CAT, RAT AND BAT,

  • AND MY SPEECH TEACHER WOULD ENUNCIATE THOSE SOUNDS.

  • SHE'LL HOLD UP A CUP AND SAY, CUP.

  • IN FACT, SHE USED A LOT OF KIND OF ABA TYPE OF THINGS.

  • AND THE THING THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT THAT I'M GOING

  • TO BE ADAMANT ABOUT IS THAT REAL LITTLE KIDS THE TWO,

  • THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS, THEY NEED 20 HOURS OF ONE-TO-ONE

  • WITH A REALLY GREAT TEACHER.

  • YOU KNOW, AND WHO THAT GOOD TEACHER IS?

  • THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

  • NOW, THIS IS WORK DONE BY AMI KLIN AND HE HAD WITH ASPERGERS

  • AND PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW,

  • HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM WATCH WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

  • WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT'S A BORING SOCIAL MOVIE

  • AND I WOULDN'T BE THAT INTERESTED IN.

  • I DON'T EVEN THINK I COULD KEEP THE HEADPHONES ON A PLANE,

  • YOU KNOW, FOR THIS ONE.

  • AND LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES A NORMAL PERSON LOOKS AT THE EYES.

  • I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAD ALL THESE SECRET EYE SIGNALS

  • UNTIL I READ A BOOK ABOUT IT WHEN I WAS 50 YEARS OLD.

  • BUT THE OTHER THING IS MOST PEOPLE EXPLAIN THIS PICTURE JUST

  • FROM A SOCIAL STANDPOINT.

  • THERE'S ALSO A BIG PROBLEM WITH ATTENTION SHIFTING.

  • LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES THE NORMAL PERSON LOOKS BACK

  • AND FORTH, HOW QUICKLY THEY CAN SHIFT ATTENTION BACK

  • AND FORTH COMPARED TO THE RED LINE

  • WHICH IS THE AUTISTIC PERSON.

  • AND THE AUTISTIC PERSON IS LOOKING AT THE MOUTH

  • BECAUSE YOU GOT TO REMEMBER,

  • THEY DO NOT HEAR AUDITORY DETAIL VERY WELL.

  • SOME OF THESE KIDS ARE LIKE A REALLY BAD CELLPHONE CONNECTION

  • AND WHEN THEY GET TIRED, IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE.

  • YOU KNOW, HOW YOU YELL ON THE PHONE, YOU'RE GOING, OH,

  • IT'S BREAKING UP, IT'S BREAKING UP.

  • THAT'S THE WAY SOME OF THESE KIDS' HEARING IS.

  • YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE-- AND IT'S GOING TO VARY AS TO HOW MUCH

  • OF THE SIGNAL GET THROUGH.

  • ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE THERE NEEDS TO BE A LOT

  • OF RESEARCH DONE IS IN THE SENSORY PROBLEMS.

  • I'M KIND OF REALLY [INAUDIBLE] SICK OF ALL THE THEORY

  • OF MIND RESEARCH BECAUSE THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS CAN BE

  • SO DEBILITATING.

  • HOW CAN YOU SOCIALIZE

  • IF YOU CAN'T EVEN STAND BEING IN A RESTAURANT.

  • YOU CAN STAND BEING AT A SORTING--

  • SPORTING EVENT OR OTHER PLACES,

  • A NOISY RESTAURANT, PLACES LIKE THAT.

  • NOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE VISUAL PROBLEMS.

  • I DIDN'T HAVE THEM.

  • YOU KNOW, WHERE THE IMAGE WILL BREAK UP LIKE A MOSAIC.

  • DONNA WILLIAMS DESCRIBED THIS IN SOME OF HER BOOKS.

  • AND OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS--

  • THEY'LL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH DEPTH PERCEPTION.

  • OK. HOW CAN YOU TELL THE KID'S GOT VISUAL PROCESSING PROBLEMS?

  • OBVIOUSLY, IF HE'S GOT SOUND SENSITIVITY,

  • HE'S GOING TO COVER HIS EARS.

  • THEY DO A LOT OF FLICKING AROUND THE EYES.

  • THAT'S A TIP-OFF.

  • THEY'LL TEND TO TILT THEIR HEAD BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE BETTER

  • IF THEY LOOK OUT THE CORNER OF THEIR EYE.

  • OFTENTIMES, THEY HATE ESCALATORS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T TELL

  • WHEN TO GET ON AND OFF THE ESCALATOR.

  • FLUORESCENT LIGHTS CAN BE A BIG PROBLEM.

  • IN FACT, WHEN THEY LOOK AT THINGS, THEY MAY HAVE

  • TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR IN COLLEGE GETTING AWAY

  • FROM FLUORESCENT LIGHTS IS PROBABLY BIG NUMBER ONE.

  • PROBLEMS WITH CATCHING A BALL AND YOU GO IN

  • AND YOU DO EYE EXAMS AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE NORMAL.

  • THEIR PROBLEM IS INSIDE THE BRAIN.

  • DON'T GET HUNG UP ON DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES.

  • THESE DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES ARE NOT PRECISE.

  • THEY ARE LABELS, JUST LIKE PROFILING A HIJACKER.

  • IT'S ONLY SORT OF ACCURATE.

  • IT'S-- AND I'M SAYING THIS REALLY, REALLY SERIOUSLY.

  • IT'S NOT ACCURATE LIKE TUBERCULOSIS IS ACCURATE.

  • I MEAN WHAT OTHER KINDS OF SYNDROMES DO PEOPLE SIT

  • AROUND A HOTEL ROOM AND DECIDE HAVE DIAGNOSING.

  • I MEAN, THAT'S THE SAME WAY BUILDING CODES ARE FIGURED

  • OUT AND, YOU KNOW, ENGINEERS SIT AROUND HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOMS

  • AND DECIDE, YOU KNOW, HOW TO CHANGE BUILDING CODE.

  • THEY'VE NOT DONE THAT IN ANIMAL WELFARE CODES.

  • NOW THE THING IS IF THE PROFILE IS USED CORRECTLY,

  • THERE'S A HIGH CORRELATION WITH BRAIN SCAN DATA.

  • BUT I FIND ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY

  • FROM THE BIG MEDICAL CENTERS, PROFILES ARE NOT USED CORRECTLY.

  • OK. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASPERGER AND AUTISM?

  • WELL RIGHT NOW, UNTIL THEY CHANGE IT, REAL SIMPLE.

  • AUTISM HAS TO BE ONSET BEFORE AGE 3.

  • THERE'S OBVIOUS SPEECH DELAY ALONG

  • WITH THE OTHER AUTISTIC SYMPTOMS.

  • ASPERGER'S, THERE'S NO OBVIOUS SPEECH DELAY.

  • SO TO PUT IT VERY, VERY SIMPLY, WHEN THE KID'S 3,

  • NOBODY'S RUNNING OFF TO THE DOCTOR.

  • SO WHAT'S PDD?

  • IT'S EARLY ONSET BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH SYMPTOMS

  • TO CALL IT AUTISM.

  • NOW, A LOT OF THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS I'VE BEEN

  • TALKING ABOUT.

  • DYSLEXICS CAN HAVE THEM.

  • ADHD CAN HAVE THEM.

  • LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF THE DIFFERENT LABELS CAN HAVE THEM.

  • AND I CAN TELL YOU, I CAN'T WAIT

  • UNTIL THEY CAN GET HIGH SPEED BRAIN SCANNING

  • AND THAT COULD BE USED TO DIAGNOSE THE BRAIN SYSTEMS

  • WHERE WE HAVE PROBLEMS.

  • NOW SOME KIDS REALLY GOOD TO READ SOME AUTISTIC KIDS,

  • NOT EVERYBODY THESE SENSORY THINGS ARE VERY, VERY VARIABLE.

  • I DIDN'T HAVE THESE VISUAL PROBLEMS.

  • THEY GO TO READ WHITE-- THE WHITE PAPER WITH BLACK PRINT

  • ON IT AND THE WRITING WILL KIND OF JIGGLE ON THE PAGE

  • BECAUSE THERE'S PROBLEMS WITH THE CIRCUITS OF PROCESS MOTION

  • IN THE BRAIN AND THEY'RE SEEING MOTION

  • WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T BE SEEING MOTION.

  • OK. HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE, SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO

  • FOR VISUAL PROCESSING PROBLEMS, THINGS YOU CAN DO YOURSELF.

  • WHY DON'T YOU GET AN INCANDESCENT LAMP

  • OR AN OLD-FASHIONED ENERGY WASTER BULB,

  • PUT IT NEXT TO THE KID'S DESK.

  • THOSE TWIRLY KIND OF FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS,

  • SOME OF THOSE ARE TERRIBLE.

  • I NORMALLY DO NOT SEE FLICKER ON FLUORESCENT LIGHTS BUT I STAYED

  • AT A HOTEL WHERE I SAW FLICKER ON A LAMP THAT HAD THOSE KIND

  • OF BULBS AND I COULD NOT READ WITH IT.

  • BLOCK FLUORESCENT LIGHTS WITH A HAT, SIT OVER BY THE WINDOW.

  • NOW LAPTOP COMPUTER IS THE ONLY COMPUTER

  • THAT ABSOLUTELY DOESN'T FLICKER.

  • I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHERE A LAPTOP JUST SAVED THEM.

  • THE TVS FLICKER, THE TV TAGS FLICKER

  • AND THE BIG DESKTOP PANELS, A LOT OF THOSE FLICKER

  • BECAUSE THERE'S A FLUORESCENT LIGHT INSIDE IT.

  • ONLY SCREEN THAT DOESN'T FLICKER ARE REAL SKINNY ONE,

  • THEY'RE SO SKINNY LIKE ON A LAPTOP,

  • YOU CAN'T GET A FLUORESCENT LIGHT IN THERE.

  • TRY PUTTING A WORK ON GRAY, TAN,

  • OR PASTEL PAPER TO REDUCE CONTRAST.

  • SOME PEOPLE ARE REALLY HELPED WITH THE IRLEN COLORED LENSES

  • WHERE YOU TRY ON DIFFERENT COLORED GLASSES

  • UNTIL YOU FIND THE SHADE WHERE IT WORKS.

  • OK. I GET OUT IN THE LOW INCOME AREAS, I GO, OK, PEOPLE,

  • LET'S JUST GO DOWN TO WALMART AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY ON ALL

  • OF THE PALE COLORED SUNGLASSES.

  • AND THEN I TALKED TO ONE MOM AND HER KID COULDN'T TOLERATE--

  • HER 10-YEAR-OLD COULDN'T TOLERATE FIVE MINUTES

  • OF WALMART.

  • AND THEY TRIED ON SOME LITTLE PINK CHILDREN'S GLASSES

  • AND SHE CAN DO AN HOUR OF SHOPPING NOW

  • THAT SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO DO BEFORE.

  • BALANCING GAMES, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE OT THINGS,

  • A LOT OF THINGS THE OTS DO WITH PRESSURE AND SWINGING

  • AND BALANCING LIKE SITTING ON A BALL.

  • SOMEONE'S HELP TO STABILIZE PROCESSING,

  • THEY MAKE THAT BAD CELLPHONE CONNECTION WORK BETTER.

  • IF I'VE TAKEN THAT PHONE OVER BY THE--

  • GET IT RIGHT UP AGAINST THE WINDOW,

  • MAYBE IT'LL WORK ON THIS BUILDING.

  • AND THEN SOME PEOPLE CAN BE HELPED WITH PRISM GLASSES

  • BUT THOSE HAVE TO BE DONE BY A PROFESSIONAL.

  • BUT THE OTHER THINGS ON HERE ARE JUST SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN TRY.

  • I HAD A DYSLEXIC STUDENT THAT WOULD HAVE FLUNKED OUT OF SCHOOL

  • WITHOUT IRLEN LENSES AND A LAPTOP COMPUTER.

  • NOW, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS AUTISM IS VERY, VERY VARIABLE.

  • SO IF YOU'VE GOT 20 PEOPLE WITH AUTISM,

  • IRLEN LENSES MAY ONLY WORK ON TWO OF THEM

  • BUT THEY REALLY WORK ON THOSE TWO.

  • THEY'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME, I DON'T NEED THEM.

  • SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE BRAIN.

  • I GET REALLY FED UP WHEN PEOPLE SAY, WELL,

  • THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THAT'S A LOT OF RUBBISH.

  • ACTUALLY SCIENTISTS KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THE BRAIN.

  • IT'S A VERY STRONG GENETIC BASIS IN AUTISM.

  • THE EMOTION CIRCUITS ARE ABNORMAL

  • AND IMMATURELY DEVELOPED.

  • ONE OF THE BIG THINGS ABOUT THE AUTISTIC BRAIN IS THESE PROBLEMS

  • WITH THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS

  • BETWEEN DIFFERENT BRAIN DEPARTMENTS.

  • I LIKE TO VISUALIZE THE BRAIN

  • AS THIS GREAT BIG CORPORATE OFFICE TOWER.

  • AND UP AT THE TOP, YOU GOT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

  • AND THEN YOU GOT THE, YOU KNOW, THE MATH DEPARTMENT

  • AND YOU GOT THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

  • WITH THE GRAPHIC DESIGNERS.

  • YOU'VE GOT SALES DEPARTMENT,

  • ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OPERATIONS.

  • AND IN THE NORMAL BUILDING, YOU GOT ALL KINDS OF INTERNET

  • AND EMAIL CONNECTIONS AND PHONE CONNECTIONS

  • THAT WIRE TOGETHER ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.

  • NOW, ON AUTISM WHAT HAPPENS IS,

  • AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER WE'LL JUST GIVE THEM ONE DIAL

  • UP, THAT'S ALL HE GETS.

  • BUT THEN, MAYBE OVER IN THE GRAPHIC DESIGN DEPARTMENT,

  • THEY GET A HUNDRED INTERNET CONNECTIONS.

  • IN OTHER WORDS, SOME DEPARTMENTS GET EXTRA WIRING, OTHER--

  • HUMAN RESOURCES, THE SOCIAL STAFF, SALES,

  • WE DON'T GIVE THE-- WE DON'T EVEN GIVE THEM PHONES.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'RE MORE INTERESTED IN WIRING

  • UP THE GEEK STUFF, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE MATH DEPARTMENT

  • AND THE-- AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

  • NOW, THE BRAIN LET ME TELL YOU AN INTERESTING THING

  • ABOUT THE BRAIN.

  • YOU HAVE GRAY MATTER AND YOU HAVE WHITE MATTER.

  • GRAY MATTER IS THE BRAIN'S PROCESSORS.

  • WHITE MATTER IS THE INTERCONNECTIONS

  • BETWEEN THE OFFICES

  • OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE BRAIN.

  • HALF OF THE BRAIN IS WHITE MATTER.

  • HALF OF THE BRAIN IS INTERCONNECTING CIRCUITS.

  • ANOTHER INTERESTING THING THAT'S BEEN LEARNED BY DR. CASANOVA

  • AT THE UNIVERSITY IN KNOXVILLE IS HE LOOKS

  • AT THESE THINGS CALLED MINICOLUMNS,

  • THEY'RE THE BRAIN'S PRIMARY PROCESSOR UNITS.

  • AND HE FOUND THAT PEOPLE

  • ON THE SPECTRUM HAVE MORE PROCESSORS PER SQUARE INCH.

  • YOU KNOW, BUT THERE'S A PRICE YOU PAY FOR THAT.

  • THOSE LITTLE, TEENY PROCESSORS AREN'T POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SEND

  • OUT BIG TRUNK LINES OUT THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS

  • OF THE BRAIN.

  • WE LEAVE THE CEO WITHOUT VERY MUCH WIRING, YOU KNOW,

  • FROM THE FRONTAL CORTEX.

  • AND NORMAL PEOPLE HAVE LARGER CIRCUITS WITH BIG TRUNK LINES.

  • SO THERE'S KIND OF TWO WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A BRAIN,

  • YOU CAN MAKE A REALLY SOCIAL, LEAVE OUT THE DETAIL,

  • LOT OF FAST CONNECTIONS OR MAKE IT REALLY GO FOR DETAIL

  • BUT GOING TO BE POOR ON THE LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS

  • WITH THE LOCAL CONNECTIONS.

  • YOU KNOW, SORT OF IMAGINE THE OFFICE BUILDING

  • WHERE DOWN THE MATH DEPARTMENT, WE GOT CABLES THIS BIG

  • OVER THE CUBICLE WALLS.

  • AND THE CUBICLE WALLS ARE FALLING

  • DOWN BECAUSE THEY GOT GIGANTIC CABLES HOOKING

  • UP ALL THESE COMPUTERS THEY BROUGHT IN.

  • THAT'S THE-- THAT WOULD BE THE SAVANT POINT.

  • NOW, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

  • THAT ARE CAUSED BY THE AUTISM OR THE ASPERGER'S.

  • THESE ARE MAINLY SENSORY THINGS SCREAMING

  • WHEN THE FIRE ALARM GOES OFF, TANTRUMS IN A SUPERMARKET.

  • I COULDN'T TOLERATE SCRATCHY CLOTHES.

  • THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GETTING WOOL AGAINST MY SKIN.

  • I JUST CAN'T TOLERATE IT.

  • SOME KIDS HAVE POOR HANDWRITING.

  • THERE'S A GOOD REASON WHY KEYBOARDS WERE INVENTED

  • AND I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN INTRODUCING THEM EARLY.

  • AND THEN, A PROBLEM

  • WITH FLUORESCENT LIGHTS THESE ARE THINGS WE'RE GOING

  • TO HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE.

  • THESE ARE THE STUFF WE DO NOT HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE

  • AND I THINK WE'RE GETTING INTO KIND

  • OF A GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCE HERE.

  • BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, TABLE MANNERS, POUND THAT IN.

  • SAYING PLEASE AND THANK YOU, POUND THAT IN.

  • SHAKING HANDS WITH PEOPLE, POUND THAT IN.

  • YES, YOU DO HAVE TO SIT THROUGH CHURCH AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT,

  • YOU GOT TO SIT THROUGH IT.

  • I WASN'T ALLOWED TO STIM AT THE TABLE.

  • I WAS ALLOWED TO STIM DURING REST PERIOD AFTER LUNCH.

  • I WAS GIVEN-- SOMETIMES, I COULD STIM BUT CHURCH

  • AND DINNER WERE TWO PLACES WHERE I WASN'T ALLOWED.

  • YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THERE'S SORT OF, YOU KNOW,

  • MORE STRICT UPBRINGING I HAD WAS REALLY HELPFUL.

  • BECAUSE I KNOW-- SEE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, 40, 50,

  • 60-YEAR-OLD ASPERGER'S ALL OVER THE PLACE KEPT GOOD JOBS

  • FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.

  • AND I THINK THAT MORE RIGID UPBRINGING WAS REALLY HELPFUL.

  • THERE WAS ABSOLUTE CONSISTENT DISCIPLINE

  • BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL.

  • THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD PLAY THE TEACHER AGAINST MOM,

  • YOU KNOW, AND VICE VERSA.

  • IF I HAD A BAD DAY AT SCHOOL,

  • THEY TOOK AWAY HOWDY DOODY SHOW FOR ONE NIGHT.

  • SLOPPINESS, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN AUTISTIC KIDS NOW, YOU KNOW

  • AND ASPERGER KIDS, THEY GO ON A STORE

  • AND TAKE STUFF OFF THE SHELF AND THROW IT ON THE FLOOR.

  • I WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

  • I WAS TAUGHT WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD YOU DON'T TOUCH IT

  • IN A STORE UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO BUY IT.

  • YOU KNOW, MAKING RUDE COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE'S APPEARANCE.

  • YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN-- AND ALL THESE OTHER STUFF IS NOT ALL

  • RIGHT AND HAVING AUTISM

  • OR ASPERGER'S IS NOT AN EXCUSED FOR THIS.

  • BUT YOU GOT TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE SENSORY PROBLEMS

  • BECAUSE YOU CAN'T-- SOMETIMES THE KID'S GOING

  • TO HAVE A MELTDOWN WHEN THEY GET TIRED.

  • THEY JUST CAN'T STAND IT ESPECIALLY

  • WHEN THEY GOT OVERSTIMULATED

  • AND THEY GET A DIFFERENTIATE RUDENESS

  • FROM GETTING OVERSTIMULATED.

  • YOU DON'T EVER, EVER PUNISH SENSORY PROBLEMS EVER.

  • NOW, SOME KIDS, IN HOW LITTLE YOU START, YOU KNOW,

  • LIKE THEY'RE FINALLY GOOD AT SOMETHING LIKE DRAWING.

  • ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS BUILDING

  • ON THE AREA OF STRENGTH.

  • KIDS THAT ARE ON THE SPECTRUM ARE OFTEN GOOD AT ONE THING

  • AND BAD AT SOMETHING ELSE.

  • WE GOT TO BUILD ON THE AREA OF STRENGTH.

  • WHAT IS THIS PERSON GOOD AT?

  • IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.

  • UNFORTUNATELY IN SPECIAL ED, THERE'S TOO MUCH EMPHASIS

  • ON THE DEFICITS AND NOT ENOUGH EMPHASIS

  • ON BUILDING ON THE STRENGTH AREA.

  • ALSO THE KIDS WILL GET FIXATED ON SOMETHING.

  • IF THE KID LIKES AIRPLANES, READ BOOKS WITH AIRPLANES,

  • DO MATH WITH AIRPLANES.

  • I'VE HAD PEOPLE SAY, ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS PLAY POKEMON.

  • WELL, IF HE'S GOOD AT DRAWING, LEAVE HIM ALONE

  • TO DRAW PICTURES OF POKEMON.

  • OK. NOW WE'RE GOING TO DO POKEMON'S CAR, POKEMON'S HOUSE.

  • IN OTHER WORDS, BROADEN THAT OUT, BROADEN THAT OUT.

  • YOU KNOW, EVEN SOMEBODY THAT'S NON-VERBAL IS GOING

  • TO HAVE SOME AREAS OF STRENGTH.

  • WE'VE GOT TO BUILD ON THOSE AREAS OF STRENGTH.

  • NOW, I'M A VISUAL THINKER.

  • I-- EVERY THING I THINK ABOUT IS LIKE GOOGLE FOR IMAGES.

  • LANGUAGE NARRATES THE PICTURES IN MY MIND.

  • YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT SOMETHING,

  • IT COMES UP LIKE PICTURES, PHOTO REALISTIC PICTURES.

  • THAT'S HOW I THINK.

  • AND THOSE ARE 16 MILLIMETER MOVIE REELS IN MY HEAD.

  • THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE ANYMORE.

  • NOW, WHEN I DESIGN EQUIPMENT,

  • I CAN ACTUALLY TEST-RUN IT IN MY HEAD.

  • I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT WAS A SPECIAL SKILL.

  • I THOUGHT EVERYBODY COULD TEST-RUN EQUIPMENT

  • IN THEIR HEAD.

  • I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A SPECIAL SKILL

  • UNTIL I STARTED INTERVIEWING PEOPLE ABOUT HOW THEY THINK.

  • I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WORKS.

  • NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN VERY INTERESTING,

  • HAS BEEN FOUND OUT, IS THE AUTISTIC BRAIN IS INTO DETAILS

  • AND A NORMAL BRAIN TENDS TO DROP

  • OUT DETAILS AND GET OVERLY VAGUE.

  • IT'S A CONTINUUM.

  • NOW, YOU WANT YOUR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

  • AND BE A LITTLE BIT OBSESSIVE BECAUSE YOU'D

  • LIKE TO NOT HAVE THE PLANE SMASHING WITH EACH OTHER.

  • YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BRIDGE ENGINEER NOT FORGET

  • ABOUT THE DETAILS BECAUSE OTHERWISE BRIDGE IS GOING

  • TO FALL DOWN THAT SIMPLE.

  • THIS IS ONE OF MY PROJECTS THAT WAS BUILT DOWN IN BRAZIL.

  • AND I LIKE THIS ONE BECAUSE I LIKE TO FANTASIZE

  • ABOUT WHAT THE ARCHEOLOGISTS ARE GOING TO THINK THIS WAS

  • FOR WHEN THEY DIG IT UP.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • AND OBVIOUSLY, OF COURSE, IT HAD GREAT,

  • GREAT RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • NOW, HOW DO YOU FORM A CONCEPT WHEN YOU THINK IN PICTURES?

  • YOU FORM A CONCEPT BY SORTING PICTURES INTO CATEGORIES.

  • MAKING CATEGORIES IS THE BEGINNING OF CONCEPT FORMATION.

  • AND NOW THIS LITTLE BOY SENT ME ANOTHER PICTURE SHOWING HOW HE'S

  • SORTING CATS AND DOGS INTO DIFFERENT BOXES.

  • YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO DIFFERENTIATE A CAT FROM A DOG.

  • WELL, A DOG IS BIGGER THAN A CAT.

  • OK. THAT'S ONE WAY YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT.

  • BUT THEN, WHEN YOU GET A LITTLE TINY DOG INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD,

  • I CAN NO LONGER SORT THEM BY SIZE.

  • AND WHEN OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR'S BOUGHT A DACHSHUND,

  • I HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHY SHE WASN'T A CAT.

  • AND I LOOKED AT HER AND I LOOKED AT HER AND I LOOKED AT HER

  • AND I HAD TO FIND A VISUAL FEATURE EVERY SINGLE DOG HAS

  • THAT NONE OF THE CATS HAVE GOT.

  • AND EVERY SINGLE DOG, NO MATTER HOW WEIRD,

  • HAS GOT EXACTLY THE SAME NOSE.

  • IN OTHER WORDS I FOUND A VISUAL FEATURE

  • WHERE YOU COULD CATEGORIZE ALL OF THE DOGS.

  • IT'S SENSORY-BASED CATEGORIZATION.

  • IT'S NOT WORD-BASED.

  • YOU COULD ALSO DO IT BY SOUND, BARKING OR MEOWING.

  • THAT IS SOUND-BASED.

  • NOW, I USED TO JOKE AROUND ABOUT MAYBE HAVING A BIG INTERNET

  • CONNECTION DEEP UNDER THE VISUAL CORTEX

  • AND DR. NANCY MINSHEW DID A BRAIN SCAN, SPECIAL KIND

  • OF BRAIN SCAN ON ME AND FOUND THAT MY BIG TRUNK LINE

  • DOWN THE BASE OF THE BRAIN AND ALL BRAINS HAS A BIG,

  • HUGE TRUNK LINE THAT'S DOWN IN HERE WHERE ALL

  • OF THE PROCESSOR UNITS TIE INTO THAT WORKING FROM THE FRONT

  • TO THE BACK OF THE BRAIN AND DEEP INTO THE VISUAL CORTEX.

  • AND WHEN I GOT COPY OF THESE PICTURES I'M LIKE WOW, WELL,

  • THAT BEGINS TO EXPLAIN IT.

  • YOU KNOW, MINE'S A WHOLE LOT BIGGER AND THERE I GOT A GREAT,

  • BIG ONE ON THE RIGHT SIDE BUT I PAY A PRICE FOR THIS.

  • MAN, I COULD NOT DO ALGEBRA.

  • IT'S TOO ABSTRACT, THERE'S NOTHING THERE

  • FOR ME TO VISUALIZE.

  • AND I'M FINDING A LOT OF KIDS WHERE THEY NEED

  • TO GO STRAIGHT TO GEOMETRY AND TRIG.

  • THEY CAN DO GEOMETRY AND TRIG, I'VE NEVER HAD A CHANCE

  • TO REALLY DO GEOMETRY AND TRIG BECAUSE I FAILED ALGEBRA

  • SO THEY KEPT POUNDING AWAY ON ALGEBRA.

  • I HAD A FANTASTIC SCIENCE TEACHER WHO TOOK MY FIXATIONS

  • AND USED THEM TO MOTIVATE ME IN SCIENCE.

  • BECAUSE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S TERRIBLE.

  • TEASE, TEASE, TEASE WORST PART

  • OF MY LIFE IT WAS ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, BEYOND.

  • IT'S TOTALLY DREADFUL.

  • BUT NOW I HAD A GOAL BECOMING A SCIENTIST SO I STOPPED GOOFING

  • AROUND IN SCHOOL BUT I JUST COULDN'T DO ALGEBRA,

  • IT'S JUST TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

  • NOW I HAVE FOUND THAT ON THE-- YOU KNOW, SINCE WHAT HAPPENS

  • IN AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S

  • AND ERIC COURCHESNE HAS DONE RESEARCH

  • ON THIS HERE IN CALIFORNIA.

  • AND DR. COURCHESNE HAS FOUND THAT,

  • YOU KNOW THERE'S ABNORMALITIES

  • IN THESE INTERCONNECTED CIRCUITS.

  • THERE'S NOT ENOUGH OF THEM TO GO AROUND.

  • SO WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN, ONE PART OF THE BRAIN IS WIRED,

  • MAYBE EXTRA OTHER PART OF THE BRAIN GETS LEFT OUT.

  • AND I HAD KIND OF FOUND--

  • THERE'S KIND OF THREE SPECIALIZED TYPES.

  • NOW, YOU CAN HAVE MIXTURES OF THESE.

  • THE VISUAL THINKER LIKE ME PHOTO REALISTIC PICTURES,

  • BAD AT ALGEBRA.

  • MUSIC AND MATH MINDS, THIS IS A TYPE OF VISUAL THINKING

  • BUT IT'S MORE ABSTRACT.

  • IT'S PATTERN THINKING.

  • IT'S PATTERN THINKING.

  • IN MY BOOK THINKING IN PICTURES, I EXPLAINED VISUAL THINKING

  • BUT IN ANOTHER BOOK CALLED BORN ON A BLUE DAY,

  • DANIEL TAMMET IS GOING TO DO A VERY NICE JOB DESCRIBING

  • TO THE WORLD OF PATTERN THINKING.

  • THEN ANOTHER TYPE, IT'S A WORD THINKER.

  • THEY KNOW LOTS AND LOTS OF FACTS.

  • OFTENTIMES, THEY LOVE HISTORY.

  • THEY MIGHT MAKE GOOD JOURNALISTS AND THEN TERRIBLE AT DRAWING.

  • THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY NOT A VISUAL THINKER.

  • OH, I PRESSED THE WRONG THING THERE.

  • NOW, I WANT TO TRY TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE INTO THE MIND

  • OF THE PATTERN THINKER.

  • IN THESE SLIDES, A LOT OF THEM DELIBERATELY DO NOT

  • HAVE WRITING.

  • I'M TRYING TO GET YOU AWAY FROM LANGUAGE.

  • I GOT TO GET YOU INTO AN ALTERNATE REALITY HERE.

  • THAT PRAYING MANTIS, THAT'S A WORK OF ROBERT LANG,

  • IS MADE OUT OF A SINGLE SHEET OF FOLDED PAPER.

  • THAT PRAYING MANTIS, YOU SEE ON THAT SLIDE.

  • NOW YOU SEE THE PATTERN THAT'S IN THE BACKGROUND THERE.

  • THAT IS THE FOLDING PATTERN FOR MAKING THE PRAYING MANTIS.

  • NOW I CAN'T-- THERE'S NO WAY I COULD POSSIBLY DO THIS,

  • ABSOLUTELY NO WAY.

  • IT'S ANOTHER KIND OF MIND.

  • AND THESE GUYS TEND TO BE HAVE TROUBLE WITH READING ENGLISH.

  • THAT TENDS TO BE THEIR WEAK AREA.

  • KIND OF YOU TEACH A CONCEPT?

  • YOU TEACH A CONCEPT LIKE NOT RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET.

  • I MEAN I'VE HAD PARENTS SAY, WELL, MY KID OBEYS A RULE

  • AT HOME, BUT AT SCHOOL HE RUNS ACROSS THE STREET.

  • AT THE CHURCH, HE RUNS ACROSS THE STREET.

  • WHAT YOU GOT TO DO IS YOU GOT TO TEACH HIM IN MANY,

  • MANY DIFFERENT STREETS.

  • MANY, MANY DIFFERENT STREETS GO INTO THE NOT RUNNING

  • ACROSS THE STREET CATEGORY.

  • THEN HE'LL START TO GET A CONCEPT.

  • AT THE SAME WAY YOU TEACH A GUIDE DOG

  • OR SEEING EYE DOG ABOUT INTERSECTIONS.

  • YOU MUST SHOW HIM MANY KINDS OF INTERSECTIONS

  • BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ONLY SHOWING INTERSECTIONS WITH WHITE LINES,

  • HE WON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO IF THERE'S NO WHITE LINES.

  • OR LET'S SAY YOU ONLY SHOWED THEM INTERSECTIONS

  • WITH STOPLIGHTS, HE'S NOT GOING TO KNOW WHAT TO DO

  • WITH INTERSECTIONS THAT HAVE STOP SIGNS.

  • YOU SEE DIFFERENT PICTURES.

  • IT'S VERY SPECIFIC.

  • NORMAL HUMAN BEING IS-- DROPS OUT THE DETAILS.

  • YOU KNOW, PLAY GAMES WITH CATEGORIES.

  • DR. NANCY MINSHEW FOUND THAT YOU COULD SAY--

  • YOU COULD LAY OUT SOME OBJECTS AND YOU COULD SAY

  • TO AN AUTISTIC KID, PICK OUT THE RED THINGS,

  • AND HE COULD DO THAT.

  • BUT IF YOU ASK HIM TO PICK OUT NEW CATEGORIES

  • FOR THESE THINGS I'M SHOWING ON THE SCREEN LIKE MAYBE THE,

  • YOU KNOW, MAKE UP NEW CATEGORIES, ROUND OBJECTS,

  • CONTAINS PLASTIC, CONTAINS CLOTH IS AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING,

  • YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT HAVE METAL IN THEM.

  • PLAY GAMES WITH CATEGORIES.

  • IT HELPS TO TEACH FLEXIBILITY OF THINKING.

  • ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IN AUTISTIC THINKING IS IT'S VERY RIGID.

  • NOW, WHEN WE WERE KIDS, WE PLAY LOTS AND LOTS

  • OF THAT GAME 20 QUESTIONS.

  • HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE KNOW WHAT 20 QUESTIONS IS?

  • OK. REALLY GOOD GAME BECAUSE IT'S TEACHING CATEGORIES YOU

  • KNOW, THAT RED BALL IS RED.

  • IT'S ALSO ROUND.

  • IT COULD BE USED-- IF IS SAID,

  • PICK UP OBJECTS HERE FOR RECREATION.

  • OK. THE BALL, THE HATS

  • BUT IT MIGHT DEPEND UPON WHO'S USING THE HATS AND WHERE

  • BECAUSE THAT BALL COULD ALSO BE USED FOR HAND THERAPY.

  • IT'S THE SAME KIND OF BALL THAT'S USED FOR HAND THERAPY.

  • OK. WHEN I WAS THREE AND FOUR YEARS OLD,

  • LIKE WE DIDN'T HAVE IEPS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT

  • WHEN I WAS A CHILD BUT WE HAD AN EDUCATION PLAN

  • FOR MY SUMMER ON THIS LITTLE CAMP.

  • I WAS GOING TO LEARN THE LORD'S PRAYER AND I WAS GOING TO LEARN

  • TO DO MY VERY, VERY, VERY BEST.

  • AND I LEARNED THE LORD'S PRAYER

  • AND I ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT MEANT.

  • AND THE ONLY THING THAT MEANT ANYTHING TO ME WAS THE POWER

  • AND THE GLORY AND I PICTURED A RAINBOW WITH ELECTRIC TOWER

  • IN THE BASE OF THE RAINBOW.

  • THAT IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY AND YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED

  • TO KNOW THAT THIS PICTURE HERE IS NO PHOTOSHOP TRICKS

  • OR ANYTHING.

  • I ACTUALLY TOOK THAT.

  • IT'S A REAL PICTURE.

  • NO TRICKS.

  • NOW, SOME PEOPLE SAY AUTISTIC LEARNING IS JUST MEMORIZATION

  • AND SCRIPTING.

  • IN THE BEGINNING, IT'S JUST MEMORIZATION AND SCRIPTING

  • BUT AS I LEARN MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE THINGS,

  • MY SEARCH ENGINE, MY MIND WORKS JUST LIKE GOOGLE FOR IMAGES.

  • SO AS I LOAD MORE AND MORE DATA IN HERE,

  • MY SEARCH ENGINE CAN PUT IT AROUND AND CATEGORIZE IT

  • IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND THEN YOU GET LESS SORT OF ROBOTIC

  • AND LESS SORT OF LIKE SCRIPTED

  • BECAUSE I CAN PUT IT TOGETHER UNDER NEW CATEGORIES.

  • I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR AUTISTIC KIDS

  • TO SEE A LOT OF THINGS.

  • WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD THE OPPORTUNITY CAME

  • UP TO GO TO MY AUNT'S RANCH.

  • I WAS SCARED TO GO BUT MOTHER MADE ME GO.

  • THAT WAS GOOD.

  • YOU DON'T SHOVE KIDS INTO SURPRISES.

  • SURPRISES CAUSE PANIC.

  • BUT SOME OF THESE KIDS NEEDED TO BE PUSHED A BIT.

  • TRY NEW THINGS AND THAT WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED.

  • OK. SO VISUAL THINKER, YOU OUGHT TO BE GOOD AT THIS.

  • SEE THIS FIGURE RIGHT HERE?

  • HOW MANY OF YOU SEE IT IN A PINK AND YELLOW FIGURE,

  • HOW MANY CAN SEE THAT?

  • OH, DOING KIND OF BAD, YOU KNOW, WELL I DON'T HAVE THE COMPUTER

  • UP HERE TO DEMONSTRATE IT.

  • YOU KNOW JUST KICK YOURSELF.

  • NOW, WHEN YOU TAKE SOMEBODY THAT'S A REALLY GOOD VISUAL

  • THINKER AND YOU PUT THEM IN A BRAIN SCANNER,

  • JUST THE VISION PART OF THE BRAIN GETS TURNED ON

  • AND OTHER STUFFS TURN OFF.

  • SO NOW I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW I CAN USE VISUAL THINKING

  • IN A MORE ABSTRACT WAY.

  • THIS IS A VISUAL SYMBOL PICTURE FOR THE BRAIN SCAN

  • OF THE AUTISTIC PERSON.

  • IT'S LIKE THIS LITTLE BRIGHT CABIN IN THE WILDERNESS THAT,

  • YOU KNOW, THAT'S IT'S ALL SNOW

  • AND YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THESE OTHER INTERCONNECTIONS.

  • THE BRAIN SCAN OF A NORMAL PERSON'S LIKE THIS LAMP STORE,

  • YOU SEE, YOU GOT SO MUCH OTHER STUFF YOU TURNED ON.

  • IT ACTUALLY COVERS UP THE VISUAL THINKING.

  • IN FACT, THERE'S RESEARCH THAT'S BEEN DONE NOW IN THE BRAIN

  • THAT SHOWS THAT LANGUAGE COVERS UP VISUAL THINKING,

  • MUSICAL THINKING, THE MORE DETAILED SENSORY-BASED THINKING.

  • OH, WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?

  • WELL, I KNOW THIS IS A STRETCH BUT THAT KIND OF REMIND ME

  • TO TALK ABOUT INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF BRAIN SYSTEMS.

  • I KNOW THAT'S A STRETCH, YOU KNOW, SKELETAL BUILDING.

  • I'M TRYING TO GIVE YOU AN INSIGHT INTO HOW I WAS ABLE--

  • HOW I CAN DO SOME ABSTRACT THINKING

  • BY USING THESE VISUAL SYMBOL PICTURES.

  • BUT YOU SEE, I ALWAYS HAVE TO GO BACK

  • TO AN IMAGE OR I CAN NOT THINK.

  • IN FACT, REMEMBERING NUMBERS, I'M REALLY TERRIBLE

  • ABOUT THAT, ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.

  • I ONLY HAVE MEMORIZED LIKE ABOUT SEVEN OR EIGHT PHONE NUMBERS.

  • THING IS, WHEN YOU HEAR A WORD, SEE A WORD, SPEAK A WORD

  • OR THINK ABOUT A WORD, SEE

  • THAT DIFFERENT PARTS OF BRAIN TURNED ON?

  • THE NORMAL BRAIN IS ALL KINDS OF INTERCONNECTIONS WHILE

  • IN AUTISM, YOU KNOW, SOME PARTS GET EXTRA WIRINGS,

  • SOME GETS NONE BUT THE TENDENCY IS FOR THE FRONTAL CORTEX,

  • THE BRAIN'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

  • THAT TENDS TO JUST GET A FEW DIALOGUES OF ITS LINE.

  • THAT'S ALL IT GETS.

  • NOW, THIS IS A PIECE OF ART THAT CAME FROM AN ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT

  • THAT HAD NO PREVIOUS INTEREST IN ART.

  • IT'S CALLED FRONTOTEMPORAL LOBE DEMENTIA.

  • IN A FRONTOTEMPORAL LOBE DEMENTIA AID

  • OUT THE LANGUAGE PARTS OF THE BRAIN AND THEN ART TALENT SHOWED

  • UP OR MUSIC TALENT SHOWED UP.

  • THEN FOUR OR FIVE YEARS LATER,

  • THE ALZHEIMER'S WRECK EVERYTHING.

  • BUT THERE WAS THIS PERIOD WHERE THE LANGUAGE WAS RUINED

  • AND THIS ART TALENT SHOWED UP AND THIS IS BRUCE MILLER'S WORK,

  • PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY.

  • YOU KNOW, THIS IS A SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL THIS IS PUBLISHED IN.

  • THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE OF THIS ART FROM ONE OF THESE PEOPLE.

  • ONE OF THEM WAS A TAPE DECK INSTALLER,

  • YOU KNOW, CAR STEREO INSTALLER.

  • FOR THE VISUAL THINKER, YOU GOT TO MAKE TEACHING MATH CONCRETE.

  • YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH SOME OF THE NON-VERBAL KIDS,

  • WORK WITH BLOCKS THAT ARE DIFFERENT LENGTHS

  • WITH DIFFERENT NUMBERS SO THEY CAN FEEL THE NUMBERS, SEE THEM.

  • CUT UP A PIECE OF FOOD THAT TEACHES FRACTIONS,

  • HALF AN APPLE, QUARTER OF AN APPLE

  • OR IF THAT'S TOO MESSY THEN CUT UP CARDBOARD CIRCLES.

  • OVER HERE IS JUST LITTLE THINGS YOU CAN MANIPULATE LIKE,

  • YOU KNOW, FOUR PLUS FIVE EQUALS NINE AND THESE LITTLE THINGS

  • THAT I CAN HANDLE, LITTLE PIECES I CAN HANDLE AND TOUCH.

  • SO NUMBERS ARE REAL, YOU CAN USE PENNIES.

  • PENNIES WORK REALLY, REALLY WELL.

  • DON'T USE NICKELS OR DIMES THAT WILL BE CONFUSING,

  • USE PENNIES BECAUSE THEY ARE A UNIT OF ONE.

  • I THINK THIS IS CLEVER, THIS IS FROM THE TEACCH PROGRAM.

  • WE GOT FIVE MINUS ONE EQUALS FOUR.

  • AND WHEN YOU TAKE A PIECE AWAY YOU BAG IT IN A BAGGY

  • BECAUSE YOU TOOK IT AWAY.

  • THAT MAKES SUBTRACTION CONCRETE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS CLEVER.

  • HERE IS SIX MINUS FIVE EQUALS ONE.

  • AND YOU GOT FIVE PIECES IN THE BAG BECAUSE YOU TOOK THEM AWAY.

  • AND WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT, BOXES ON FORKLIFT PALLETS.

  • WELL 10 YEAS AGO AT CSU WE HAD A GIANT FLOOD, AND IT FLOODED

  • THAT BASEMENTS AND 13, 14 OF OUR BUILDINGS WE HAD THREE FEET

  • OF WATER ROLL ACROSS CAMPUS.

  • AND I WAS VERY UPSET ABOUT BOOKS GETTING WRECKED.

  • YOU SEE IN THIS-- INTERNET WASN'T THAT BIG AT THIS TIME.

  • AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE RESCUING YOU KNOW,

  • WET BOOKS.

  • BUT THE IDEA OF BOOKS BEING DESTROYED REALLY UPSET ME

  • BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE WAS BEING DESTROYED.

  • AND I GOT THE THINKING ABOUT THIS, WHY WAS I SO UPSET

  • ABOUT THE LIBRARY HAD BEEN TRASHED?

  • I MEAN THAT ONE-- WHEN I WAS

  • AT THE ANIMAL SCIENCE MEETINGS I OPEN--

  • I GOT THE USA TODAY SHOVED AT THE DOOR OF MY HOTEL,

  • IN THE FRONT PAGE OF USA TODAY WAS WRECKED BOOKS

  • OF MY UNIVERSITY.

  • AND I GOT THE THINKING ABOUT THIS AND I THINK I AM WHAT I DO.

  • YES I'VE GOT EMOTIONS.

  • AND WHEN KIDS TEASE ME IT HURT A LOT BUT MY EMOTIONS ARE SIMPLER.

  • I CAN BE HAPPY, I CAN BE SAD, THEY'RE MORE IN THE PRESENT.

  • I CAN GO BACK TO WHERE TIMES

  • WHEN THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A PLANE

  • AND EVEN JOKE ABOUT IT.

  • IT KIND OF WASN'T A JOKE AT THE TIME.

  • WENT DOWN THOSE EMERGENCY SLIDES

  • AND LET ME TELL YOU IT'S SCARY, SCARY, SCARY.

  • I THOUGHT THE PLANE WAS GOING TO, YOU KNOW,

  • THEY THOUGHT IT HAD A BOMB IN IT.

  • YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE WHEN I WAS SENIOR

  • IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

  • BUT I CAN PLAY THAT LIKE VIDEO BACK IN MY HEAD

  • AND IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME BUT AT THE TIME IT

  • AS VERY SCARY I MEAN I WAS TOTALLY, TOTALLY WHITE KNUCKLES

  • ON EMERGENCY LANDING OF A PLANE.

  • THEY THOUGH THEY HAD 10 MINUTES TO GET IT DOWN.

  • AND WHAT I'VE DONE IS I REPLACED EMOTIONAL COMPLEXITY

  • WITH INTELLECTUAL COMPLEXITY.

  • THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON CAREERS

  • BECAUSE I GET SOCIAL INTERACTION THROUGH SHARED INTERESTS.

  • WE'VE GOT TO BUILD AROUND THE INTERESTS, YOU KNOW,

  • YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE OF HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM

  • OR ASPERGER'S YOU KNOW THAT HAVE MADE A GOOD ADJUSTMENT.

  • THEY WERE TAUGHT FORMAL INSTRUCTION

  • AND ALMOST APPRENTICED INTO A CAREER.

  • MR. CARLOCK, MY SCIENCE TEACHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO USE THE--

  • HOW TO LOOK THINGS UP IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS.

  • I MEAN REAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS, NOT THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA

  • OR TODAY OR THE WIKIPEDIA.

  • YOU'VE GOT TO GET PASS THAT AND GET TO THE REAL THINGS.

  • HOW DO YOU GET OFF THE WILD INTERNET AND GET

  • INTO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE?

  • TODAY YOU WOULD HAVE SHOWED ME THINGS LIKE PUBMED, P-U-B-M-E-D,

  • YOU TYPE THOSE MAGIC LITTLE LETTERS INTO GOOGLE AND YOU'RE

  • INTO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE.

  • YOU'RE OFF THE INTERNET AND YOU'RE IN--

  • YOU'RE OFF ON WHAT I CALL THE WILD NET.

  • AND YOU'RE INTO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE AND YOU CAN

  • LIKE GET SUMMARIES OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES FOR FREE.

  • I MEAN THAT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.

  • I MEAN HE WOULD HAVE TAUGHT ME ABOUT THAT.

  • YOU KNOW, I SAW SOMEBODY THAT WAS

  • AT MY AGE THAT'S VERY SUCCESSFUL VIDEO PHOTOGRAPHER.

  • WELL HE GOT SOME FORMAL INSTRUCTION IN PHOTOGRAPHY

  • FROM A NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR.

  • YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY ASK THAT, YOU KNOW, TEACH HIM,

  • TALENT HAS TO BE DEVELOPED, SKILLS HAVE TO BE DEVELOPED.

  • NOW THE THING IS NANCY DID ANOTHER BRAIN SCAN ON ME

  • AND SHE SHOWED ME PICTURES OF PEOPLE AND PICTURES OF THINGS.

  • WELL ACTUALLY IT WAS AN OLD PINK FLOYD VIDEO I THINK SHE USED.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • WELL I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE IT AS THAT, LET'S NOT FIGURE

  • OUT WHERE SHE GOT ALL THE WEIRD CARS AND STUFF FROM.

  • AND SO I WAS LOOKING AT THE THINGS MORE AND I WAS TRYING

  • TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YEAR IT WAS LOOKING AT THE CARS.

  • SO I WAS PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THE THINGS.

  • BUT THE THING IS YOU DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE

  • IN THIS WORLD INTERESTED IN THINGS.

  • YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANY ELECTRICITY IN THIS BUILDING.

  • TESLA WHO INVENTED THE POWER PLANT WOULD DEFINITELY BE

  • LABELED ARTISTIC TODAY NOT ASPERGER'S TODAY ARTISTIC.

  • AND EINSTEIN WOULD HAVE BEEN LABELED AUTISTIC TODAY.

  • NO SPEECH UNTIL AGE THREE AND YOU OPEN

  • UP ANY BUSINESS MAGAZINE THERE'S ALL KIND

  • OF ASPERGER'S PROFILED ALL OVER.

  • THEY ARE NOT DIAGNOSED, THAT' WHAT KEEP SILICON VALLEY GOING.

  • AND I'M SAYING THAT WITH ALL SERIOUSNESS.

  • WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THINGS.

  • HOW DO YOU THINK MADE THE FIRST STONE SPHERE?

  • IT WASN'T THE SOCIAL PEOPLE YAKKING AROUND THE CAMP FIRE.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • THAT'S FOR SURE.

  • DETAILS. RIGHT HERE YOU GOT LITTLE LETTERS

  • AND YOU GOT BIG LETTERS.

  • AND THE PERSON ON THE SPECTRUM WILL PICK

  • OUT THE LITTLE LETTERS QUICKER

  • BECAUSE THEY TEND TOO LOOK FOR THE DETAILS.

  • SOCIAL INTERACTION TO SHARED INTERESTS,

  • I JUST CAN NOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH.

  • WE'VE GOT TO GET THESE KIDS THAT ARE GETTING TEASED IN THE THINGS

  • LIKE COMPUTER CLUB, ROBOTICS CLUB, JOURNALISM CLUB, MUSIC,

  • ART, AND ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW CHESS CLUB AND, YOU KNOW,

  • IF THEY LIKE HISTORY, A HISTORY CLUB, ALL THE THINGS

  • WHERE THEY CAN DO SHARED INTEREST.

  • BECAUSE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL THE ONLY REFUGES I HAD

  • AWAY FROM TEASING WERE HORSEBACK RIDING, THE SCIENCE LAB.

  • THE KIDS THAT WERE INTERESTED

  • IN THOSE THINGS WERE NOT THE KIDS DOING THE TEASING.

  • THEY WERE REFUGES AWAY FROM TEASING, YOU KNOW,

  • SOME OF THESE KIDS ON-- THERE'S SOME OF THESE REALLY SMART KIDS

  • THAT NEED TO GO FROM CHILDHOOD TO GROWNUP HOOD.

  • SKIP HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN THEY JUST GO RIGHT STRAIGHT

  • TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

  • I'M SAYING IT'S ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS,

  • I'M RUNNING INTO QUITE A FEW OF THESE.

  • BUT THEY BETTER LEARN SOME MANNERS.

  • THERE'S A RULE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

  • YOU DON'T INTERRUPT CLASSES

  • AND THERE'S A RULE HERE AT THIS UNIVERSITY.

  • AND OUR LECTURE, YOU'RE ALLOWED ONE QUESTION

  • AND YOU CAN'T BE TALKING BACK AND FORTH

  • TO THE TEACHER, THAT'S THE RULE.

  • I FOLLOW THAT RULE.

  • YOU KNOW AND THEN, FOR MOST CLASSES UNLESS IT'S A SMALL

  • DISCUSSION CLASS, YOU KNOW, LIKE 15 STUDENTS OR LESS,

  • THAT'S FOR DARN GOOD RULE OF THE [INAUDIBLE].

  • YOU KNOW, AND ANOTHER THING WITH THESE KIDS,

  • THEY ARE ABOUNDING WITH EVEN SKILLS.

  • I'VE SEEN A FOURTH GRADER THAT HAS TO HAVE SPECIAL ED

  • IN ENGLISH, NEEDS TO BE IN HIGH SCHOOL MATH.

  • IF YOU MAKE HIM DO BABY MATH, HIS GOING TO JUST MISBEHAVE

  • OR MAYBE HE'LL NEED SPECIAL ED.

  • MATH AND NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, READING COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS.

  • YOU KNOW IN READING THEN LET HIM DO IT.

  • KEEP BUILDING ON THAT SKILL, YOU KNOW, I LOOK INTO ONES

  • THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.

  • WELL THERE'S A LOT OF INTERESTING STUFF OUT THERE,

  • HAVE YOU WONDERED HOW GOOGLE ACTUALLY WORKS?

  • DO YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU USE GOOGLE YOU ACTUALLY AREN'T EVEN

  • ON THE WILD INTERNET YOU'RE ACTUALLY

  • IN A GIGANTIC SERVER FARM?

  • BECAUSE GOOGLE HAS A PROGRAM THAT GOES OUT

  • AND COLLECTS ALL THE INFORMATION OFF ALL OF WEB PAGES

  • AROUND THE WORLD STORES IT IN THESE BIG WAREHOUSES FULL

  • OF MILLIONS OF COMPUTERS AND THEY'RE CALLED SERVER FARMS.

  • WELL IF YOU REALLY LIKE COMPUTERS YOU GOT

  • TO THINK THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, COMPUTER HEAVEN.

  • BUT WE GOT TO GET KIDS EXPOSED TO INTERESTING THINGS.

  • ONE OF MY BIG CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN THIS AREA

  • IN CALIFORNIA YOU'RE EXPOSED TO ALL THE TECHIE STUFF.

  • YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF ASPERGER'S GO RIGHT

  • IN SILICON VALLEY TO DO THIS GREAT AND NEVER DIAGNOSED

  • BUT TO GET OUT IN THE MIDWEST A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKING

  • ON EDUCATIONAL DON'T KNOW ANYTHING

  • ABOUT ANYTHING TECHNICAL, IT'S A BIG WORLD OUT THERE.

  • HOW DO YOU GET IN TO INTERESTING PLACES LIKE THAT?

  • YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL WHO YOU KNOW.

  • YOU GOT TO WORK ON FINDING THE BACK DOOR I'LL SHOW YOU--

  • AND, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS MAGAZINES WRITE THEM UP

  • AND THEY SAY [INAUDIBLE] IS UGLY.

  • WELL WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I WENT BOARDING SCHOOL.

  • MY ROOMMATE JUST SWOON OVER THE BEATLES.

  • I REMEMBER WHEN THE BEATLES CAME OUT ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW,

  • CAROL SEES RINGO UP THERE AND SHE JUST GOES, OH, RINGO.

  • WELL, I HAVE A FRIEND WHO'S REALLY INTO COMPUTERS AND WE GOT

  • TO TALK IN ABOUT SERVER FARMS.

  • MAN, IT WAS LIKE ROMANCE.

  • AND SHE'S GOING, OH, SERVER FARMS.

  • OH NIRVANA, COMPUTER NIRVANA.

  • WELL WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THAT

  • OR YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY INTERNET.

  • YOU LIKE TO USE GOOGLE AND STUFF LIKE THAT BUT YOU GOT

  • TO HAVE PEOPLE ON THE SPECTRUM, YOU KNOW,

  • AND MAKE SOMETHING LIKE GOOGLE.

  • OH I'M SERIOUS.

  • AUTISM IS A CONTINUUM, GOING FROM YOU KNOW WHERE IS--

  • WHEN DOES GEEK AND NERD BECOME ASPERGER'S?

  • YOU KNOW WHAT, FROM MY OWN ASPERGER GEEK

  • AND NERD IS EXACTLY THE SAME THING.

  • AND THEN YOU GET DOWN TO NON-VERBAL.

  • SO YOU'RE GOING ALL THE WAY FROM VERY SEVERE ALL THE WAY

  • UP TO BRILLIANT SCIENTISTS, MUSICIANS, JOURNALISTS,

  • ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

  • WELL THEY DIDN'T LIKE FORTUNE,

  • THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE BUSINESS MAGAZINES GET, YOU KNOW,

  • IN THEIR AND PHOTOGRAPH MUCH BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALLY

  • LIKE TO HAVE THE NORMAL PEOPLE IN THERE.

  • BUT THE ONE THING THEY DIDN'T LET THEM PHOTOGRAPH WAS LOOK

  • AT ALL THESE ELECTRIC PANELS.

  • MAN THIS SERVER FARMS TAKE A LOT OF POWER.

  • SO THE NEXT THING THAT HAS TO BE FIGURED OUT IS HOW

  • TO GET RID OFF ALL THOSE ELECTRIC CORDS AND, YOU KNOW,

  • MAKE A MORE ENERGY FRIENDLY.

  • YOU KNOW, SOME ASPERGER'S GOT TO HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • SOME OF THE BEST SOCIAL INTERACTION I'VE EVER HAD WAS

  • WORKING ON CONSTRUCTION.

  • I LOVE WORKING WITH THE CONSTRUCTION GUYS.

  • I LOVE-- WE CAN JUST SPEND HOURS TALKING

  • ABOUT HOW TO BUILD STUFF.

  • ALSO I WAS A GOOD MEMORY OF THE LITTLE BOYS CLUB, YOU KNOW.

  • BECAUSE I GOT EMOTIONS BUT, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS SORT

  • OF REAL GET INTO THE 10-YEAR-OLD MODE AND WE GET TALKING

  • ABOUT THINGS LIKE WELL

  • AND ASTRONAUTS TOO CAN GET INTO THAT.

  • I READ THIS BOOK CALLED I HAVE TO RIDE A ROCKET.

  • AND ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS,

  • IT WAS LIKE THE NASA UNOFFICIAL VERSION OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE

  • AND THE SPACE STATION AND I TALKED ALL ABOUT, YOU KNOW,

  • OF OUTERS PACE AND, YOU KNOW,

  • ALL OF KIND OF YOU KNOW WONDERFUL THINGS

  • BUT IT JUST WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE BOOK WITHOUT 25 PAGES

  • OF SHUTTLE TOILET MALFUNCTIONS.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • AND. YES, SO I READ THE--

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • -- WE'RE NOT GOING TO ANY MORE OF THAT.

  • YEAH BUT IT WAS LIKE ONE SIDE SO INTELLECTUALLY COMPLEX BUT THEN,

  • YOU KNOW, THEY HAD GET INTO THE LITTLE BOY'S CLUB STUFF TOO.

  • NOW THE THING IS I-- WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID, I WAS BROUGHT

  • UP WITH VERY CLEAR VALUES ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG.

  • I DIDN'T SEE SPORTS PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY

  • LIKE YOU DO TODAY.

  • LIKE THIS HORRIBLE MICHAEL VICK THING,

  • YOU KNOW SPORTS PEOPLE CHEATING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

  • YOU KNOW, MOVIES AND THINGS WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID

  • LIKE CLEAR CUT VALUES.

  • MY FAVORITE TV SHOW SUPER MAN

  • AND THE LONE RANGER WAS VERY CLEAR VALUES

  • ABOUT BEING A GOOD PERSON

  • AND A BAD PERSON IT'S ALL VERY, VERY CLEAR.

  • HOW ABOUT RELIGION?

  • I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TEACH PEOPLE

  • ON THE SPECTRUM IS BEING A GOOD PERSON.

  • YOU KNOW, THE GOLDEN RULE TAUGHT VERY CONCRETELY WITH EXAMPLES.

  • NOW WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID I STOLE A TOY FIRE ENGINE

  • FROM ANOTHER KID'S BIRTHDAY AND MOTHER MADE ME GIVE IT BACK.

  • AND SHE SAID "WELL YOU WOULDN'T LIKE IT

  • IF BILLY STOLE ONE OF YOUR TOYS."

  • YOU SEE THEN I UNDERSTOOD WHY I SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN

  • THAT TOY FIRE ENGINE.

  • I THINK OT, THE PRESSURE THINGS, THE SWINGING THINGS,

  • BALANCING ON A BALL IS PART OF A GOOD PROGRAM.

  • IT CAN HELP STABILIZE SOME OF THIS BAD SENSORY PROCESSING,

  • HELP TO CALM THINGS DOWN.

  • ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK IS ESSENTIAL IS EXERCISE.

  • A RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE ON THE BRAIN

  • FOR EVERYBODY IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.

  • THERE'S A GIGANTIC REVIEW ARTICLE TRENDS

  • IN NEUROSCIENCES JUST LAST MONTH

  • ON THE BRAIN BENEFITS OF EXERCISE.

  • AND THERE ALSO WERE SOME PAPERS IN THERE

  • ON EXERCISE REDUCING SELF STIMMING BEHAVIOR.

  • THOSE ARE REFERENCED IN THINKING IN PICTURES.

  • THIS IS MY SQUEEZING MACHINE, WHEN I GOT INTO PUBERTY,

  • I START HAVING ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS PANIC ATTACKS.

  • IT WAS LIKE A CONSTANT STATE OF FEAR ALL THE TIME

  • BECAUSE THERE'S A MALFUNCTION IN MY NERVOUS SYSTEM.

  • IT WAS SORT OF LIKE OH, WOW, LOOKING FOR PREDATORS,

  • LOOKING FOR PREDATORS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME.

  • YOU KNOW A FEAR SYSTEM IS TURNED

  • OUT ALL THE TIME, IT WAS TERRIBLE.

  • AND A PANIC PRESSURE HELP CALM ME DOWN, SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING

  • TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM, OTHERS DON'T.

  • IT'S NOW CONTROLLED, ANTI-DEPRESSANT MEDICATION.

  • I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WERE SAVED

  • BY ANTI-DEPRESSANT MEDICATION.

  • YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN A WHOLE MEDICATION THING.

  • SOME PEOPLE NEED IT SOME PEOPLE DON'T,

  • WAY TOO MANY MEDICATIONS JUST GIVEN OUT LIKE CANDY.

  • THINKING IN PICTURES HAS BEEN UPDATED 2006

  • AND I UPDATED THE WHOLE MEDICAL SECTION IN IT.

  • BUT THE PRESSURE DEEP PRESSURE IS CALMING.

  • EXERCISE IS CALMING, SLOW SWINGING CAN BE CALMING,

  • BALANCING ON THE BALL, BALANCING ACTIVITIES CAN ALSO HELP

  • STABILIZE THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

  • I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO DESENSITIZE THESE LITTLE KIDS

  • TO TOUCH BECAUSE HELPS YOU TO HAVE FEELING OF KINDNESS.

  • FIRM PRESSURE IS CALMING LITTLE--

  • DON'T DO LITTLE TICKLE TOUCHES, THEY'RE SCARED, THEY'RE BAD.

  • NOW, HERE'S A RULING SYSTEM I STILL.

  • I'VE TAKEN ALL OF RULES OF THE WORLD

  • AND I PUT THEM IN FOUR CATEGORIES.

  • OK. THE FIRST PREMISE OF THIS RULE SYSTEM IS IF YOU WANT

  • TO HAVE A CIVILIZED SOCIETY, YOU CAN'T HAVE REALLY BAD THINGS

  • LIKE KILLING PEOPLE, STEALING STUFF, BURNING DOWN BUILDINGS,

  • YOU KNOW CHAOS IN THE STREETS.

  • YOU SEE WHEN I TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS I SEE PICTURES, YOU KNOW

  • AND WHEN I SEE CHAOS IN THE STREET, A BUNCH OF PEOPLE

  • OUT THERE RIOTING AND LIGHT STUFF ON FIRE.

  • YOU GOT TO CONTROL IT.

  • THEN YOU NEED TO COURTESY RULES.

  • EVERY SOCIETY HAS COURTESY RULES AND THE INTERESTING THING IS,

  • WHEN I FIRST DEVELOPED THIS LIST I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

  • I DIDN'T HAVE THE COURTESY RULES IN THERE

  • BECAUSE THEY WERE POUNDED IT IN TO ME SO HARD

  • WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID.

  • WELL I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THEM AS A CATEGORY.

  • I ACTUALLY PUT THOSE IN LATER WHEN I STARTED SEEING, YOU KNOW,

  • WE GET THE GENERATIONAL THING THERE.

  • THEN YOU GOT TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN START

  • TO BREAK SOME RULES, THE ILLEGAL BUT NOT BAD.

  • I'LL TELL YOU SOME PLACES TO BREAK RULES

  • WITH STUPID BUREAUCRATIC STUFF IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM,

  • YOU KNOW, LIKE MAYBE KIDS 15 TOO YOUNG TO GO

  • TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THEY GO SIGN THEM UP ANYWAY.

  • SO ONCE HE'S BIG ENOUGH SO YOU CAN PASS HIM OFF AS--

  • THEY'D SIGN THEM UP ANYWAY.

  • THAT'S A KIND OF RULES YOU PLAY.

  • BUT HE BETTER NOT INTERRUPT ANY CLASSES,

  • HE BETTER REALIZES THIS IS A GROWN PRIVILEGE.

  • ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS ABLE TO RISE TO THE OCCASION

  • OF A GROWN UP PRIVILEGE.

  • WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID,

  • I WAS TAKEN OUT IN SOME VERY NICE RESTAURANTS,

  • THE FINEST RESTAURANTS AND I BEHAVED.

  • BECAUSE I LIKED FINE RESTAURANTS AND IF I MISBEHAVE WASN'T GOING

  • TO BE ABLE TO GO, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE.

  • AND THIS PLACES IS LITTLE QUIET PLACES.

  • THE REALLY GOOD RESTAURANTS AREN'T NOISY

  • AND THEY WEREN'T THE NOISY PLACES.

  • THEN THERE'S RULES LIKE ALL THE SINS OF THE SYSTEM.

  • THEY'RE VERY VARIABLE FROM ONE SOCIETY TO ANOTHER.

  • AND IF YOU BREAK THESE RULES, THE PENALTIES ARE DRASTIC.

  • SOME LITTLE SEXUAL TRANSGRESSION HERE I'LL GET YOU

  • ON A SEX OFFENDER LIST FOR THE REST

  • OF YOUR LIFE AND WRECK YOUR LIFE.

  • YOU'LL BE NOTHING IF YOU DID IT OVER EUROPE.

  • YOU DON'T TOUCH THE SINS OF THE SYSTEM.

  • I FIGURED THIS OUT IN HIGH SCHOOL.

  • WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL IN A BOARDING SCHOOL,

  • THERE WERE THREE SINS OF THE SYSTEM,

  • SMOKING, DRINKING AND SEX.

  • AND I FOUND IF I GAVE UP THOSE, THEY KNEW THEY CAN TRUST ME

  • ON THOSE, THEY LET ME DO LOTS OF THE ILLEGALS

  • BUT NOT BAD IF WASN'T TOO--

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • IF I JUST WASN'T TOO BLAMED

  • ABOUT IT I COULD GET AWAY WITH IT.

  • EINSTEIN TODAY WOULD DEFINITELY BE LABELED OUT AN AUTISTIC.

  • THEY GET CONCERNED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN

  • TO A GUY LIKE EINSTEIN TODAY.

  • DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN HE WROTE THE MOST IMPORTANT PAPER EVER

  • WRITTEN IN PHYSICS HE WAS A PATENT CLERK,

  • HE WASN'T A BIG PROFESSOR, HE WAS A PATENT CLERK.

  • CAN A PATENT CLERK GET A PAPER PUBLISHED TODAY

  • IN THE PHYSICS JOURNAL?

  • I DON'T KNOW.

  • NOW, THERE'S TWO REALLY GOOD BOOKS

  • OUT ABOUT FAMOUS SCIENTISTS AND MUSICIANS

  • THAT PROBABLY WERE ASPERGER'S.

  • ONE OF THEM IS ASPERGER'S AND SELF-ESTEEM

  • AND THE OTHER ONE IS CALLED GENIUS GENES, YOU CAN BUY THEM

  • ON AMAZON.COM AND THESE ARE GREAT BOOKS TO GIVE

  • TO A SMART ASPERGER STUDENT IS BEING TORTURED

  • AND TEASED IN HIGH SCHOOL.

  • AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HE'S GOT A LOT OF FAMOUS COMPANIES THERE.

  • WELL, THIS IS THE NASA SATELLITE ASSEMBLY BUILDING.

  • AND I LIKE TO CALL IT THAT WORLD BIGGEST SHORED WORKSHOP

  • FOR THE SOCIALLY CHALLENGED.

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • AND THERE'S LOTS OF THESE SHORED WORKSHOPS IN SILICON VALLEY.

  • WE NEED TO BE GETTING THESE KIDS INTO THESE THINGS

  • BECAUSE I DO A LOT OF TRAVELING AROUND AND I DO A TALK

  • IN A REAL TECH AREA, OH THERE'S ASPIES EVERYWHERE.

  • THEY'RE JUST GETTING PULLED IN TO THIS-- INTO THIS INDUSTRY.

  • I GET THE MOST HITS ON MY WEBPAGE FROM THE TECH CITIES.

  • I CAN'T TRACK USERS 'CAUSE I DON'T MAKE YOU LOG ON.

  • BUT I CAN JUST TRACK CITIES, I FINALLY FIGURED

  • OUT THE PLAIN OLD TEXAS--

  • I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY PLAIN TEXAS WAS ON MY TOP 10.

  • IT'S WHERE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS IS.

  • AND THEN OF COURSE THIS REDMOND WASHINGTON,

  • AND THEN OF COURSER THERE'S MARINA DEL REY HERE THAT'S

  • STANFORD AREA.

  • HOW DO-- WE NEED TO BE WORKING A LOT MORE ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT.

  • WE'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH ON THIS.

  • I HAVE A LITTLE BOOK CALLED DEVELOPING TALENTS WHICH IS JUST

  • ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT.

  • WE NEED TEENAGERS AND START TEACHING WORK SKILLS.

  • YOU GOT TO LEARN, YOU GOT TO DO WHAT THE BOSS WANTS.

  • YOU GOT TO BE ON TIME, YOU KNOW, MENTORS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

  • MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON THE SPECTRUM HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL,

  • THERE'S BEEN A PROFESSOR OR PARENT OR SOMEBODY THAT'S KIND

  • OF APPRENTICE TO KID INTO A DIFFERENT--

  • INTO THE DIFFERENT FIELDS.

  • YOU GOT TO TAKE KIDS OUT

  • AND SHOW THEM INTERESTING WORK PLACES.

  • THEY BRING IN TRADE MAGAZINE FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT--

  • ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUSINESS

  • AND ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF JOBS.

  • ALSO, THEY WAY I SOLD MY FREELANCE DESIGN WORK WAS

  • IN A PORTFOLIO.

  • I HAD TO SELL MY WORK NOT MY SELF.

  • WE NEED TO SHORT CIRCUIT THE HR INTERVIEW PROCESS

  • AND GET A PORTFOLIO OF WORK TO THE PEOPLE

  • THAT WILL REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE.

  • AND DON'T PUT TOO MUCH JUNK IN THAT PORTFOLIO,

  • MAKE SURE IT'S REALLY NEAT FOUR OR FIVE PAGES OF LIKE WOW STUFF

  • AND THE OTHER THING YOU BETTER HAVE IS COMPLETE

  • CONTACT INFORMATION.

  • AND DON'T SEND EMAIL ATTACHMENTS,

  • PEOPLE DON'T OPEN THEM.

  • I'M ABSOLUTELY APPALLED AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WRITE

  • TO ME, EMAIL ME CALL ME AND THEY DO NOT HAVE COMPLETE

  • CONTACT INFORMATION.

  • IT'S JUST-- THEN THEY WONDER WHY I DON'T CONTACT THEM.

  • OK. THIS IS A TYPICAL FAMILY HISTORY.

  • THE TRAIT SHOW UP IN THE FAMILY HISTORIES.

  • AUTISM IS A CONTINUUM OF TRAITS.

  • THERE'S NO SIMPLE GENETICS FOR AUTISM IT'S DEFINITELY GENETIC

  • BUT IT'S NOT SIMPLE GENETICS.

  • MOTHER SIDE OF THE FAMILY, MIT TRAINED ENGINEER CO-INVENTOR

  • OF THE AUTOMATIC PILOT FOR AIRPLANES

  • AND IN FACT THERE'S TWO AND A HALF TIMES AS MANY ENGINEERS

  • IN THE FAMILY HISTORY OF PEOPLE WITH AUTISM.

  • AND WE GOT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ON BOTH SIDES

  • OF THE FAMILY, THAT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY.

  • WE'VE GOT THE NON-VISUAL THINKERS THEY WERE ALL BANKERS

  • ON MY FATHER SIDE OF THE FAMILY.

  • FOOD ALLERGIES AND WE'VE GOT ASPERGER TRAITS,

  • OF COURSE ALL UNDIAGNOSED.

  • OK. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEENAGERS GETTING TORTURED

  • IN SCHOOL LOT OF THE GREAT TEACHERS ARE

  • AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE 'CAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE

  • TO HAVE A TEACHING CERTIFICATE.

  • THEY TEACH CHEMISTRY, THEY JUST NEED TO HAVE A DEGREE

  • IN CHEMISTRY AND APPALL THAT THEY LACK SCIENCE TEACHERS

  • IN THE LOT OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS,

  • BUT THOSE GREAT SCIENCE TEACHES ARE

  • AT YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

  • THERE'S ALL KINDS OF WONDERFUL CAREER STUFF,

  • HEY LOOK AT THEIR CATALOGUE

  • FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES IT'S LIKE WOW.

  • YOU KNOW, TECHNICAL SCHOOLS, LOT OF HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE TAKEN

  • OUT DRAFTING, WELDING, AUTO MECHANICS.

  • WELL, FOR A LOT OF KIDS THESE ARE REALLY GREAT JOBS

  • AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET OUTSOURCED.

  • ONLINE LEARNING, LOT OF RUBBISH BUT ALSO A LOT

  • OF REALLY GOOD STUFF, MAKE SURE IF YOU'RE DOING ONLINE LEARNING

  • THAT YOU DO WITH AN ACCREDITED UNIVERSITY AND THEN

  • OF COURSE UNIVERSITY COURSES.

  • MAYBE THAT BORED HIGH SCHOOL KID OUGHT TO BE OVER HERE.

  • WE DON'T TELL THE REGISTRAR

  • OR ANYTHING JUST SIGN THEM UP, SIGN THEM UP.

  • NOW, THERE'S THE MEAT PLANT

  • WHERE I FIRST STARTED MY CAREER, HOW DID I GET IN?

  • I MET THE WIFE OF THEIR INSURANCE AGENT.

  • YOU NEVER KNOW WHO CAN GET YOU IN TO SOME PLACE.

  • DON'T LOOK FOR THE BACK DOOR.

  • NOW, WHEN KIDS TEASED ME WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL I RESPONDED

  • BY THROWING A BOOK AND I GOT KICKED

  • OUT OF JUNIOR HIGH FOR THAT.

  • YOU KNOW ACTUALLY IT WAS NINTH GRADE I GUESS THAT'S

  • THAT FIRST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.

  • AND I HAD TO SWITCH ANGER TO CRYING

  • AND BECAUSE I HAVEN'T DONE THAT, I WOULD HAVE LOST MY CAREER.

  • LIKE IN THE MEAT INDUSTRY DOES ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANGER,

  • ZERO TOLERANCE IN THE MEAT INDUSTRY.

  • YOU HIT SOMEBODY IN THE MEAT INDUSTRY YOU'RE FIRED, PERIOD,

  • PERIOD, KICKED OUT OF THE INDUSTRY,

  • BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS KNIVES, IRONCLAD RULE.

  • ABSOLUTE IRONCLAD RULE, ANGER IS NOT TOLERATED, YOU KNOW,

  • ANYTHING BEYOND YELLING IS--

  • THERE'S A ZERO TOLERANCE AT MEAT PLANS, ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.

  • SO, I SWITCHED TO CRYING AND I'VE HAD SOME PARENTS COMPLAIN

  • THAT TEENAGE BOY CRIES, BE THANKFUL HE CRIES,

  • BECAUSE THEN HE WON'T HIT OR THROW THINGS

  • OR BREAK THE DOOR, BREAK THE WALL.

  • LET'S LOOK AT JOBS FOR THE VISUAL THINKERS.

  • THESE JOB LISTS ARE IN THE DEVELOPING TALENT BOOK,

  • DRAFTING, AUTO MECHANICS, YOU KNOW, COMPUTER NETWORK,

  • YOU KNOW, COMPUTER HARDWARE MORE IN PROGRAMMING,

  • DOING COMPUTER HARDWARE, ANIMAL TRAINER,

  • PHOTOGRAPHERS, REPAIRING COMPUTERS.

  • AND THEN LET'S SAY IN THE FUTURE I MEAN NOW, WE'RE GOING TO--

  • WE HAVE ALSO BABY BOOMERS, THEY'RE GOING TO NEED LOTS

  • OF MEDICAL STUFF, HOW ABOUT FIXING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.

  • SOMEBODY'S GOT TO KEEP THESE MRI MACHINES GOING.

  • THE NORMAL PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO WANT--

  • BE BOTHERED DOING THAT.

  • THE [INAUDIBLE] LOOK AT THE JOBS THAT CAN USED THOSE AREAS

  • OF STRENGTH, HOW ABOUT OUR PATTERN THINKERS, SOME MUSIC

  • AND MATH THINKERS, ALL KINDS OF SCIENCE JOBS,

  • ENGINEERING JOBS, COMPUTER PROGRAMMING.

  • NOW, A LOT OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING THINGS GET

  • OUTSOURCED, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF SPECIALIZE THINGS HERE

  • IN SILICON VALLEY,

  • VERY SPECIALIZE THINGS, THEY'RE HIRING.

  • AS PART OF THE COUNTRY YOU CAN GET IN TO THAT,

  • OUT IN THE MIDWEST YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO GET OUTSOURCED

  • BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, THE RULE SIMPLE CODING THAT'S

  • GETTING OUTSOURCED.

  • WE HAVE MUSICIANS, STATISTICIAN,

  • BANKS HAVE THIS THING CALLED QUANTS

  • THAT THEY USE FOR PICKING STOCKS.

  • I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IT WORKS.

  • IT'S ALL DONE BY COMPUTERS.

  • WELL, MOST PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY ON THE SPECTRUM.

  • OK. HOW ABOUT THE VERBAL GUYS, ALL WORDS.

  • JOURNALISM WOULD BE A GOOD JOB FOR SOME OF THESE PEOPLE,

  • TRANSLATORS, ACCOUNTING JOBS, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER,

  • SPEECH THERAPIST LOTS OF RECORD KEEPING KINDS OF JOBS,

  • ARCHIVING KINDS OF JOBS.

  • WE GOT TO BE THINKING

  • ABOUT WHAT'S THIS KID GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO.

  • AND WHEN THEY'RE IN COLLEGE, THEY NEED TO BE INTERNING

  • IN CAREER-RELATED THINGS AND I DID THIS.

  • I WORKED IN A RESEARCH LAB ONE SUMMER, I WORKED AT A HOSPITAL

  • FOR AN SHOWROOM ONE SUMMER THOSE ARE VERY GOOD EXPERIENCES.

  • WHEN I WAS 14 YEARS OLD I WORKED

  • FOR DRESSMAKER I'M JUST DOING HAND SEWING FOR HER.

  • YOU KNOW, THESE WERE VERY GOOD WORK TRAINING EXPERIENCES.

  • BAD JOBS, MULTITASKING, CAN NOT DO MULTITASKING.

  • A LOT OF THE JOBS ARE THE ENTRY LEVEL JOBS.

  • WAITRESS IN A BUSY RESTAURANT, I'LL BE FIRED.

  • CASHIER IN A REAL SUPER BUSY PLACE, I MIGHT BE ABLE

  • TO DO IT NOW, BECAUSE THE MACHINES ARE SO ELECTRONIC NOW,

  • THEY MAKE THE CHANGE AND EVERYTHING.

  • YEAH, YOU JUST HAVE TO SCAN THE GROCERIES I PROBABLY COULD

  • DO THAT.

  • OLD FASHIONED CASH REGISTER, WELL, I WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED.

  • MY CASH DRAWER WOULD HAVE NEVER BALANCED.

  • IT WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN A MESS.

  • I JUST DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH WORKING MEMORY.

  • AND I ALSO CAN'T REMEMBER LONG STRINGS OF VERBAL INFORMATION.

  • IF THERE'S MORE THAN FREE STEPS I HAVE TO AVOID IT DOWN.

  • I HATE THESE CELLPHONES WHERE ONE BUTTON HAS

  • LIKE FIVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS, I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT.

  • I JUST HATE IT, THROW THEM AGAINST THE WALL.

  • OK. HOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE POOR VERBAL SKILLS?

  • AGAIN FIND AREAS THINGS THEY LIKE TO DO.

  • THERE'S A LOT OF JOBS YOU KNOW, WORKING IN STORES,

  • RESTOCKING SHELVES, INVENTORY.

  • YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE LASER THING AROUND

  • AND YOU GOT TO DO IT ON ALL THE MERCHANDISE.

  • THEY'RE NOT GOING TO OUTSOURCE THAT ONE SOMEBODY'S GOT

  • TO PHYSICALLY GO ON THE STORE, PUT THE SCANNER ON EVERY BIT

  • OF MERCHANDISE SO I CAN FIGURE

  • OUT HOW MUCH SHOPLIFTING IS GOING ON.

  • NO I'M SERIOUS THEY-- THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN FIGURE

  • OUT WHAT THEY CALL SHRINKAGE.

  • SOMEBODY HAS TO PHYSICALLY TAKE THE WAND AND SCAN ALL THE STUFF.

  • YOU KNOW THAT HAS TO BE DONE ONCE A MONTH.

  • THERE'S A LADY NAMED MARCIE DATLOW SMITH

  • AND SHE HAS A VERY GOOD BOOK ON JOBS FOR SOME OF THE MORE,

  • YOU KNOW, SEVERE TYPES OF AUTISM.

  • OK. THERE'S A GORGEOUS PHOTOGRAPH

  • THAT SOMEBODY ON THE SPECTRUM MADE.

  • NO PHOTOSHOP HERE.

  • WE GOT TO WORK ON HOW, HOW CAN WE GET SOME OF THESE WORK SOLD.

  • YOU KNOW THIS IS PROFESSIONAL QUALITY WORK.

  • LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME MEDICATION THINGS.

  • I WANT TO TRY TO GET YOU

  • TO THINK LOGICALLY ABOUT TREATMENTS.

  • EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT WHAT WORKS FOR ONE,

  • DOESN'T WORK FOR ANOTHER.

  • I HAVE ALL THIS PROBLEM WITH THE FEAR STUFF

  • AND THE PANIC ATTACKS.

  • OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAS ASPERGER'S DON'T HAVE THIS.

  • IT'S VERY, VERY TERRIBLE.

  • I'VE KIND OF FOUND THAT VISUAL THINKERS TEND

  • TO REALLY GET INTO THE FEAR THING.

  • AND THE WORD THINKERS TEND TO BE CALM BUT I CAN'T PROVE THAT.

  • IT'S JUST SORT OF SOMETHING I OBSERVED OVER THE YEARS.

  • HOW DO YOU EVALUATE A TREATMENT OF DRUG

  • OR ABA OR WHATEVER IT IS?

  • THE FIRST THING ESPECIALLY WITH DRUGS IS WORSE VERSUS BENEFIT.

  • TO MAKE IT WORTH THE RISK, IT BETTER HAVE A BIG,

  • WOW THIS LITTLE WORKS.

  • YOU CAN LOOK AT THINGS LIKE COST VERSUS BENEFIT.

  • I MEAN THERE'S SOME EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT'S

  • SUCH A RIP OFF, IT'S JUST SO EXPENSIVE, IT'S LIKE CRAZY.

  • AND THEN, EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS.

  • NOW OF COURSE I WOULD MUCH PREFER

  • TO HAVE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL ARTICLES YOU KNOW,

  • THE PLACEBO CONTROLLED DOUBLE BLIND STUDIES,

  • THOSE ARE THE BEST.

  • BUT THE PROBLEM WE'VE GOT ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM IS IT'S

  • SO VARIABLE ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE DEALING

  • WITH SOME OTHER THINGS LIKE THE SPECIAL DIETS.

  • YOU TAKE 20 SUBJECTS IT ONLY IS GOING TO WORK ON TWO,

  • BUT REALLY WORK ON THOSE TWO.

  • OK. NOW, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE GO, OH,

  • WE TESTED THAT DIET, IT DOESN'T WORK.

  • WELL, I NOTICED ANECDOTALLY THERE'S PEOPLE

  • WHERE THOSE DIETS WORK.

  • AND SO I DO ALL THE THINGS I DO OTHER THING

  • FOR MY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE.

  • THREE FAMILIES THAT CONVINCED ME IT WORKS

  • THAT THEY DIDN'T START SOMETHING ELSE AT THE SAME TIME.

  • I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE STATISTICS LESSON.

  • WHAT SIDE DOES PAPER SAYS THE DIET DOESN'T WORK

  • OR SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK.

  • LOOK AT YOUR, YOU KNOW, VARIABILITY OF THE DATA,

  • YOUR STANDARD THERE AS THE MEAN,

  • YOUR LITTLE ARROW BARS ON THE GRAPHS.

  • IF THE VARIABILITY OF THE DATA IS DOUBLE

  • IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP,

  • SOMEBODY IS IN THERE IS RESPONDING.

  • IT'S JUST THAT SOMETHING.

  • LET ME CALL THESE LITTLE ARROW BAR LINES.

  • ALL THE TWICE AS BIG IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP

  • THAT TELLS YOU SOMETHING.

  • OK. LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A NON-VERBAL PERSON

  • AND THEY GOT A SEVERE BEHAVIOR THEN GOOD NOW THEY'RE--

  • HAVING ALL THESE NOTE

  • DOWN SAYING HITTING PEOPLE OR WHATEVER.

  • THE FIRST THING YOU GOT TO DO IS RULE

  • OUT A HIDDEN PAINFUL MEDICAL PROBLEM.

  • IT'S NOT THERE THEN I CAN'T TELL YOU.

  • BIG NUMBER ONE IS ACID REFLUX, [INAUDIBLE] AND THEN BEND THEM

  • OVER BECAUSE THE ACID IS COMING UP HERE

  • AND BURN UP THEIR ESOPHAGUS.

  • OK ACID REFLUX, THAT'S NOT A VERY EASY WAY TO GET RID OF IT.

  • YOU DON'T WANT IT GET TOO BAD.

  • GET THE HEAD OF YOUR BED UP SO THE ACID STAYS IN THE STOMACH

  • AND DO NOT LAY DOWN UNTIL HALF AN HOUR AFTER EATING.

  • THE YOU KNOW, LET YOUR FOOD GET A LITTLE DIGESTED BEFORE YOU

  • LIE DOWN.

  • HOW ABOUT TOOTH ACHES, EAR ACHES, CONSTIPATION,

  • URINARY TRACT INFECTION, I MEAN YOU GOT TO RULE

  • OUT ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

  • THE NEXT THING, IT MIGHT BE SENSORY.

  • OR MAYBE IT'S THE FEAR OF GETTING BLASTED.

  • THE SMOKE ALARM WENT OFF LAST WEEK IN THAT ROOM.

  • SO NOW THIS GUY KNOWS ABOUT SMOKE ALARMS GOING ON.

  • SO NOW EVERY TIME HE SEES ONE HE'S THROWING A FIT.

  • BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID IT'S GOING TO OFF AND BLOW OUT HIS EARS.

  • IT CAN BE JUST OF FEAR OR MAYBE A MICROPHONE FEEDBACK

  • AND SCREECHED.

  • SO NOW HE SEES A MICROPHONE AND HE'S AFRAID OF IT.

  • OR IT MIGHT PURELY OUT OF BEHAVIOR REASON,

  • YOU KNOW THEN YOU DO CALMING SENSORY METHODS.

  • THEN HE MIGHT NEED SOME MEDICATION.

  • THE BIG MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE

  • WITH MEDICATION IS EVERY TIME THERE'S SOME SETBACK

  • OR SOME LITTLE MELTDOWN, THEY'RE GIVING HIM A WHOLE BUNCH MORE

  • OF DRUGS.

  • IT'S LIKE EVERY TIME THERE'S PROBLEM THEY JUST--

  • ANOTHER DRUG UP THE DOSE, UP THE DOSE.

  • AND LIKE THEY'RE ON EIGHT OR NINE DIFFERENT THINGS

  • LIKE CRAZY, IT'S NOT EVEN LOGICAL.

  • YOU GOT TO THINK LOGICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

  • YOU TRY A DRUG, I MEAN, DON'T TRY IT

  • AT THE SAME TIME YOU START A DIET OR A NEW SCHOOL.

  • YOU KNOW AT LEAST HAVE A FEW WEEKS IN BETWEEN THERE.

  • OK NOW, WHAT DID IT DO?

  • AND A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS YOU'RE USING DRUGS FOR BEHAVIOR.

  • YOU'RE NOT USING IT TO TREAT EPILEPSY OR SOME OTHER,

  • YOU KNOW, MEDICAL PROBLEM.

  • THERE SHOULD BE SOME WOW FACTOR.

  • OH, HE WENT FROM AN-- A FIVE-- THIS I'M TELLING, YOU KNOW,

  • I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT TWO-YEAR-OLD HERE,

  • BUT LETS SAY A 12-YEAR-OLD KID.

  • HE WENT FROM FIVE TANTRUMS A DAY TO ONE EVERY TWO WEEKS.

  • YUP. THAT PROBABLY BE SOME WOW FACTOR.

  • BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THING YOU WANT.

  • YOU DON'T GIVE POWERFUL MEDICATIONS

  • TO MAKE HIM A TEENSY LITTLE BIT, HIGH-- LESS HYPER.

  • THAT'S NOT ENOUGH OF A BENEFIT TO MAKE IT WORTH THE RISK.

  • OK. HERE ARE PURELY BEHAVIORAL REASONS

  • FOR MAYBE A NON-VERBAL MISBEHAVING,

  • FRUSTRATED BECAUSE HE CAN'T COMMUNICATE, GETTING ATTENTION

  • OR GETTING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING,

  • THOSE ARE YOUR THREE MAIN MOTIVATIONS.

  • BEHAVIOR CONSULTANTS ARE REALLY GOOD AT FIGURING THAT OUT.

  • OK. LET'S JUST GO THROUGH SOME OF THE MEDICATIONS.

  • I LIKE TO USE THE MILITARY ANALOGY.

  • AND WE GOT LIGHT WEAPONS AND WE GOT HEAVY WEAPONS.

  • MAYBE THAT'S NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT BUT IT'S AN EASY WAY

  • FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT IT.

  • NOW, PROZAC AND DRUGS CALLED SSRIS, SEROTONIN

  • AND REUPTAKE INHIBITORS, THEY ARE LIGHT WEAPONS.

  • THEY GOT LESS SIDE EFFECTS THAN SOME

  • OF THE DRUGS I CALL HEAVY WEAPONS.

  • NOW THAT WERE-- ALL THE DRUGS ON THIS LIST REALLY WORK WELL

  • FOR IS ANXIETY, STOPPING A FEAR, STOPPING THE PANIC ATTACKS

  • AND ALL THE ANXIETY AND THE OCD

  • AND THE OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER.

  • AND IN THIS CLASS, YOU GOT PROZAC, ZOLOFT, CELEXA, LEXAPRO

  • AND PAXIL AND THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES ARE UP THERE.

  • AND IT'S IN-- THIS IS ALL UPDATED IN MY BOOK THINKING

  • IN PICTURES, EXPANDED EDITION.

  • IT CAME OUT 2006.

  • NOW THE THING WITH THESE DRUGS IS YOU GOT

  • TO GIVE A REALLY SMALL DOSE.

  • PEOPLE ON THE SPECTRUM OFTEN NEED ONLY ONE-FOURTH

  • TO ONE-HALF STARTER DOSE.

  • THAT'S ALL THEY NEED.

  • I'VE HAD PROBABLY A HUNDRED PARENTS SAY TO ME,

  • DID GREAT ON A LITTLE DOSE, WENT BERSERK ON A HIGHER DOSE.

  • SO OF YOU OVERDOSE THEM, YOU'RE GOING TO GET INSOMNIA

  • AND AGITATION LIKE PUFFY NOSE.

  • AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE, YOU KNOW, PROZAC,

  • IT'S ALL UP TO GENERIC NOW.

  • YOU CAN GET PROZAC AT WALMART NOW FOR 4 BUCKS A MONTH.

  • LEXAPRO AND CELEXA ARE STILL ON PATENT,

  • SOMETIMES THE PROZAC WEARS OFF.

  • LEXAPRO WORKS REALLY WELL.

  • THEN YOU GET INTO A HOW DO YOU PICK OUT WHICH ONE TO USE?

  • DON'T TRY SOMETHING A BLOOD RELATIVE HATED.

  • TRY SOMETHING MAYBE A BLOOD RELATIVE ACTUALLY LIKED.

  • YOU SEE THERE ISN'T ANY SUPER SCIENTIFIC WAY

  • TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE TO USE.

  • MAYBE, THEY'LL USE THE ONE WHERE THE DRUG SALESMEN COME AROUND

  • AND GIVING THEM PENS AND OH MAN,

  • I WENT INTO THE NOSE DOCTOR WHEN I BROKE MY NOSE.

  • SOME COMPANY WAS MAKING NO ALLERGY MEDICINE,

  • THEY HAD A CAKE IN THERE.

  • THEY HAD CHINES TAKE-OUT,

  • THE CAKE WITH THE NAME OF A DRUG ON IT.

  • THERE WAS PENS AND COFFEE CUPS AND I WAS LIKE--

  • I'M LIKE GOING, LOOK, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S SCIENTIFIC ABOUT THAT?

  • THEY'RE GIVING

  • OUT A JILLIAN-FREE SAMPLES OF THE STUFF.

  • YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, LOGICAL OR SCIENCE.

  • OK. THESE ARE THE HEAVY ARTILLERY

  • AND THESE ARE THE ATYPICALS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED

  • FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA.

  • AND THERE'S A LOT OF THIS THING GIVEN OUT WAY TOO CASUALLY.

  • THEY HAVE MUCH MORE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS.

  • THE FIRST REALLY SEVERE SIDE EFFECT IS WEIGHT GAIN.

  • YOU CAN NOT LET A KID GET 100 POUNDS OF WEIGHT GAIN.

  • YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT LET THAT HAPPEN.

  • IN SOME KIDS, THEY STIMULATE APPETITE.

  • THE OTHER SIDE EFFECT IS TARDIVE DYSKINESIA

  • WHICH WAS THE SHAKING, THE KIND OF PALSY THING.

  • AND ALL THESE DRUGS ARE STILL PATENTED.

  • YOU SEE, DRUG COMPANIES DON'T CARE

  • ABOUT SELLING PROZAC BECAUSE IT'S GENERIC.

  • THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DRUGS IN THE WALMART PHARMACY.

  • THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD DRUGS THERE, A LOT OF OLD STUFF

  • THAT REALLY WORKS REALLY WELL.

  • THEY WANT TO SELL THE NEW STUFF

  • BECAUSE THEY MAKE MORE MONEY ON THEM.

  • JUST TO BEHIND SOME OF THE BUSINESS STUFF AND SOME

  • OF THIS IS BEING GIVEN OUT WHEN MAYBE A LITTLE DAB OF PROZAC

  • OR ZOLOFT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD WORK BETTER AND BE SAFER.

  • NOW WHAT THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SHOWS ON THE ATYPICALS

  • AND AUTISM IS ESPECIALLY RISPERDAL.

  • IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE FOR VERY SEVERE AGGRESSION,

  • OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS, EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE FOR THEM.

  • TINY DOSES AGAIN USE LITTLE TINY DOSES.

  • DON'T GIVE THEM TOO MUCH.

  • WHAT ABOUT THE WEIGHT GAIN THING, YOU KNOW, DO A LITTLE BIT

  • OF THE SORT OF, YOU KNOW, CUT OUT A LOT OF THE BIG CARBS

  • THAT WILL HELP ON CUTTING DOWN ON THE APPETITE DROP

  • BUT YOU CAN NOT LET THEM GET FAT ON THIS STUFF.

  • YOU JUST CAN'T.

  • THAT'S A HORRENDOUS SIDE EFFECT.

  • A LOW DOSE PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO THESE THREE CLASSES, THE SSRIS,

  • TRICYCLICS, IT'S THE OLD STUFF I TAKE AND THE ATYPICALS,

  • THINGS LIKE RISPERDAL AND GEODON AND SEROQUEL OR ABILIFY,

  • YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE DRUGS.

  • ANOTHER THING IS LIKE MY DRUG THAT I'M ON,

  • NOW IS A GIGANTIC BLACK BOX WARNING ABOUT CARDIAC PROBLEMS.

  • YOU KNOW, SO MOST DOCTORS DON'T WANT TO START NEW PATIENTS ON IT

  • BECAUSE PROBLEMS WITH THE HEART.

  • WELL, I'VE BEEN ON IT 25 YEARS AND, YOU KNOW,

  • IT'S GOT A BLACK BOX AND STILL I WANT TO KEEP TAKING IT.

  • SO THIS BRINGS UP ANOTHER THING.

  • LET'S SAY, YOU'RE REALLY NICE AND STABLE ON A DRUG,

  • BEEN ON IT MAYBE FIVE YEARS.

  • YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

  • AND YOU READ BAD STUFF ON THE NEWSPAPER ABOUT THIS DRUG.

  • I WON'T EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.

  • IT'S GOING TO DO SOMETHING BAD IT WOULD HAVE DONE IT BY NOW.

  • I'VE SEEN TOO MANY DISASTERS WHERE SOMEONE'S BEEN

  • ON A REASONABLE DOSE OF SOMETHING OLD.

  • THEY TRIED TO CHANGE IT AND IT'S A REAL MESS.

  • IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

  • I CAN NOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH.

  • I'VE BEEN ON MY STUFF FOR 25 YEARS, CAN I GET OFF IT?

  • YOU KNOW WHAT?

  • THERE'S NOT A SINGLE SCIENTIFIC PAPER THAT I CAN FIND ON HOW

  • TO GET PEOPLE LIKE ME OFF OF DRUGS

  • WHEN THEY'RE LIKE 60 YEARS OLD.

  • I DON'T KNOW.

  • I DON'T DARE STOP TAKING IT.

  • IF SOMEBODY GETS A PAPER ON THAT,

  • I'D LIKE TO HAVE IT, PLEASE.

  • OH, NOT JUST THE ABSTRACT, YOU GIVE ME THE WHOLE PAPER.

  • I WANT TO READ IT.

  • YOU KNOW, I DON'T DARE STOP TAKING IT.

  • I'VE BEEN ON IT FOR 25 YEARS.

  • I'VE BEEN STABLE.

  • OK. HERE IS SOME PRINCIPLES OF USING MEDICATION

  • OR SUPPLEMENTS FOR THAT MATTER.

  • NOW, ONE OF THE MOST--

  • ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE ALTERNATIVE THINGS

  • THAT REALLY HELPS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THE DIETS.

  • AND THERE'S A DAIRY-FREE AND A WHEAT-FREE DIET

  • AND THEN OTHER ONE IS CALLED SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE.

  • AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT IS, YOU TAKE ALL THE GRAINS OUT.

  • IF IT'S A GRAIN, YOU TAKE THAT OUT.

  • AND POTATO, YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE COMPLEX CARBS.

  • HAD A YEAST INFECTION I'M KIND OF DOING A MODIFIED VERSION

  • OF THAT AND IF WORKS FOR ME.

  • IF A DIET IS GOING TO WORK, IT WILL WORK WITHIN THREE MONTHS.

  • IF IT DOESN'T WORK WITHIN THREE MONTHS, IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.

  • OK. WHETHER YOU'RE DOING A MEDICATION

  • OR YOU'RE DOING A SUPPLEMENT, TRY ONE THING AT A TIME.

  • YOU DON'T WANT TO BE TAKING TOO MUCH STUFF.

  • THAT'S RIDICULOUS HOW MUCH STUFF PEOPLE ARE TAKING.

  • YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE RELATIVELY FEW THINGS

  • THAT WORK.

  • A MEDICATION SHOULD HAVE AN OBVIOUS BENEFICIAL EFFECT.

  • AND IF IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK.

  • LET'S SAY YOU GOT SOMEBODY WHO'S A DRUG ZOMBIE.

  • THEY GOT THEM ON NINE DIFFERENT THINGS, GIANT DOSES.

  • YOU GOT TO GET THEM OFF TO SOME OF THIS GARBAGE.

  • YOU TAKE ONE OFF AT A TIME, SLOWLY, REALLY SLOWLY.

  • THE OTHER THING YOU GOT TO BE CAREFUL

  • ABOUT IS SWITCHING BRANDS.

  • THEY'RE NOT BIOEQUIVALENT.

  • I KNOW THAT'S JUST IN MY OWN TWO MEDICATIONS.

  • YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE ON A GENERIC WHITE PILL FROM WALGREENS

  • AND THEN STAY WITH THAT WHITE PILL FROM WALGREENS.

  • I SWITCHED TO A GENERIC.

  • IT DIDN'T WORK AS WELL.

  • NOW I ALSO HAD TO TAKE DYAZIDE FOR MY MENIERE'S DISEASE.

  • AND THE CHEAP DYAZIDE THAT OUR DISCOUNT SUPERMARKET SELLS

  • DOESN'T WORK AS WELL AS THE GENERIC DYAZIDE I GET

  • FROM THIS LITTLE SPECIALTY DRUGSTORE.

  • THERE'S A DIFFERENCE JUST ON MOST TWO DRUGS.

  • AND-- SO DON'T BE SWITCHING BRANDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

  • WHEN YOU FIND A BRAND THAT WORKS FOR YOU, YOU JUST STAY WITH IT

  • AND DON'T EXPECT ANY MEDICATION OR SUPPLEMENT

  • TO GIVE YOU 100 PERCENT CONTROL

  • OF SYMPTOMS 'CAUSE THAT'S JUST FLAT NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

  • IF IT GETS 90 PERCENT CONTROL, THEY REALLY HAPPEN.

  • ALSO, MY ANXIETY ATTACKS WENT IN CYCLES.

  • THEY WERE WORST ON THE FALL, ON THE SPRING AND I HAD

  • TO JUST KIND OF TOUGH OUT THESE CYCLES.

  • NOW, THERE'S A DOCTOR

  • UP IN CANADA NAMED JO HUDGENS [ASSUMED SPELLING] AND HE WORKS

  • WITH THE REALLY SEVERE NON-VERBALS,

  • THE ONES THAT GET KICKED OUT OF GROUP HOMES.

  • AND HE HAS A THREE-DRUG PHARMACY.

  • A LITTLE BIT OF RISPERDAL, A LITTLE BIT

  • OF DEPAKOTE IT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED EPILEPSY DRUG

  • AND MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF BETA-BLOCKERS.

  • AND HE USUALLY JUST USE THESE TWO OUT OF THE THREE.

  • DEPAKOTE, IT'S AN OLD EPILEPSY DRUG.

  • IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE FOR THE KIND OF RAGE WHERE IT'S VERY RANDOM.

  • RISPERDAL WORKS FOR, MAN I HATE THIS PERSON WITH THE BLONDE HAIR

  • AND I'M GOING TO JUST TAKE HER OUT.

  • THAT WORKS WELL FOR-- THAT WORKS WELL FOR-- I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T--

  • [ LAUGHTER ]

  • THAT'S DIRECTED RAGE.

  • THAT WORKS WELL FOR RISPERDAL WHERE DEPAKOTE WORKS.

  • IT'S LIKE THIS CONDITION IN DOGS CALLED SPRINGER RAGE WHERE FOR

  • LIKE ALMOST NO REASON AT ALL, I MEAN,

  • A DOG WILL JUST BITE YOU REALLY HARD.

  • YOU PULL HIM OUT OF THE GARBAGE AND HE

  • LIKE BITES YOU TO THE BONE.

  • THAT IT'S A CYCLE MOTOR EPILEPSY.

  • AND THE DEPAKOTE WORKS REALLY WELL.

  • THAT'S A VERY EFFECTIVE DRUG.

  • THERE'S A LOT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BUT YOU GOT

  • TO DO THESE BIG NASTY BLOOD TESTS OUT OF THE ARM.

  • YOU TAKE ANY ANTICONVULSANT OR EPILEPSY DRUG.

  • THEY'RE CALLED EPILEPSY DRUGS, ANTICONVULSANTS,

  • OR SEIZURE MEDS, ALL MEANS THE SAME THING.

  • AT LEAST TWO YEARS, YOU BETTER DO THREE BLOOD TESTS A YEAR

  • AT A YEAR TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T MESS UP THE LIVER.

  • YOU HAVE TO DO THEM.

  • WHERE WITH THE OTHER MEDICATIONS, YOU DON'T HAVE

  • TO THIS UGLY, NOT NICE, NEEDLE STICK IN THE ARM.

  • YOU KNOW BUT THIS IS A VERY EFFECTIVE DRUG BUT YOU DO HAVE

  • TO DO THOSE BLOOD TEST TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE A GENETIC

  • THING WHERE IT CAN HURT YOUR LIVER.

  • NOW THIS IS AN OLD ONE.

  • THIS IS AN ANCIENT SLIDE.

  • I'VE HAD THIS SLIDE FOR LIKE 25 YEARS.

  • THE BETA-BLOCKERS ARE AN OLD, OLD FORGOTTEN DRUG.

  • THEY'RE USING THEM NOW TO TREAT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

  • IT'S A BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS.

  • THEY WORK REALLY WELL FOR LIKE HOT AND SWEATY KIND OF ANXIETY,

  • THEIR OLD BUT CHEAP, TOO.

  • OK. YOU GOT TO LOOK UP ALL YOUR INTERACTIONS.

  • YOU HAVE TO LOOK UP YOUR INTERACTIONS.

  • SOME INTERACTIONS ARE DEADLY.

  • OTHER INTERACTIONS YOU CAN LIVE WITH BY ADJUSTING DOSES

  • AND YOU GOT TO LOOK UP YOUR INTERACTION WELL,

  • THE HERBAL STUFF LIKE ST. JOHN'S WORT FOR EXAMPLE,

  • WILL STRIP SOME ANTIBIOTICS OUT OF YOUR BODY

  • AND MAKE THEM NOT WORK.

  • THE SORT OF AIDS DRUGS CAN BE STRIPPED OUT OF THE BODY

  • THAT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.

  • SO IF YOU TAKE-- IT'S OK TO TAKE ST. JOHN'S WORT BUT YOU GOT

  • TO MAKE SURE WHAT IT INTERACTS WITH, WHAT YOU GOT TO DO.

  • EXERCISE WE TALKED ABOUT

  • AND SOME PEOPLE RESPOND WELL WITH SPECIAL DIETS.

  • WEIGHTED BLANKETS ARE OFTEN REALLY HELPFUL

  • TO THE SLEEP AT NIGHT.

  • WEIGHTED VESTS, 20 MINUTES ON, THEN YOU TAKE OFF HALF AN HOUR.

  • A WEIGHTED BLANKET FOR SLEEPING ALSO HELP--

  • WILL OFTEN REALLY HELPFUL TO GET A KID TO SLEEP.

  • THE OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS, YOU KNOW,

  • THE FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTS TONS OF GOOD SCIENCE NOW ON THOSE.

  • THOSE ARE GETTING SOLID SCIENCE BEHIND THEM.

  • OK. THAT'S JUST SOME, YOU KNOW, SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

  • >> WOULD YOU JOIN ME IN THANKING TEMPLE FOR BEING HERE?

  • [ APPLAUSE ]

>> PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN.

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