RE: My presentation...

[Guest guest]

Oh my gosh, . That is so good! It is prefect for kids and adults. I learned some things from it myself, in regards to teasing and playing games. I had never thought about things in the way that you put it. I hope the kids received your presentation well. I would be interested to know things go in the classroom, and if the teacher sees any difference in how the kids act after your presentation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suzanne

suzmarkwood@...

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) My presentation... Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 8:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with

Aspergers, this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too

tight. Their socks might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about. · They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

This is excellent! May I suggest in the bullying part that Aspies often don't know when they themselves have gone from teasing others to bullying others?

Becky

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...> Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 10:09:23 AMSubject: ( ) My presentation...

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with

Aspergers, this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too

tight. Their socks might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

Great suggestion, Becky! The only reason I didn’t include it, is

because in the BREIF bit the principal mentioned about Asperger’s, before I

took over the presentation, she did talk about this!! Thanks for the feedback

I think it went over well, and the children took a lot from it. They also

watched “Intricate Minds 3 – Understanding Classmates who Think Differently†(Coulter

video), which is FABULOUS, and they really enjoyed that, too!

=)

From:

[mailto: ] On

Behalf Of doodle bug

Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:51 PM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

This is excellent! May I suggest in the bullying part

that Aspies often don't know when they themselves have gone from

teasing others to bullying others?

Becky

From: O'Brien

<nicole.obrien@...>

Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 10:09:23 AM

Subject: ( ) My presentation...

Aspergers

Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s

often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them

that are a bit different.

Aspergers,

like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big

fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do.

Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both

work!

AS

isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it

were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with

Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some

things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in

the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude,

but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t

understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they

won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to

tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it

all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which

can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand

why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when

you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this

happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when

they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just

don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed,

they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying

to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when

they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how

friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with

them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When

it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers

Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they

themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much

safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when

they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game

before you start.

· They like things to be the

same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know

what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be

doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the

same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as

simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a

foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and

confusing!

· You might notice that

they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those

things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes!

Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn

about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize

that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if

you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help

knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very

smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re

confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion,

or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they

just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed

with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has

Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the

way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the

library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow

books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can

sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we

should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any

of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us

really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers, this library

is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are

different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are

about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People

talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor.

Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of

shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on

people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel

different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the

room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be

careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while,

all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that

they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their

jeans might be too tight. Their socks might have a funny seam that bothers their

toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at

the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important

information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting

and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break,

and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or

stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things…

hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying

bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it

might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less

stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having

Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers

usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other

people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in

their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their

favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about

things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart,

and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert

Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If

you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way

to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and

sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you

and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends,

even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I

don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of

different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I

think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and

liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at

school!

You

can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure

what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking.

By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT

doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult

behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice

they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against

bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and

also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are

different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank

you.

=)

[Guest guest]

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) My presentation... Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with

Aspergers, this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too

tight. Their socks might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about. · They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

I am  interested to see how things change, too, Suzanne! I think

it was well received, but time will tell! I will definitely keep you all posted

=)

From:

[mailto: ] On

Behalf Of Suzanne Markwood

Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 1:59 PM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

Oh my gosh, . That is

so good! It is prefect for kids and adults. I learned some things from it

myself, in regards to teasing and playing games. I had never

thought about things in the way that you put it. I hope the kids

received your presentation well. I would be interested to know things go in

the classroom, and if the teacher sees any difference in how the kids act

after your presentation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suzanne

suzmarkwood@...

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>

Subject: ( ) My presentation...

Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 8:09 AM

Aspergers

Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s

often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about

them that are a bit different.

Aspergers,

like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big

fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do.

Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both

work!

AS

isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it

were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with

Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some

things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in

the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude,

but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t

understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t

hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how

to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To

them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and

upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you

to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes

even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell

a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t

mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when

they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or

stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really

aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly

telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can

start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with

them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way.

When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with

Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and

what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€,

they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a

friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the

rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the

same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they

know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to

be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat

the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something

as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like

visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!.

Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that

they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those

things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes!

Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them,

learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t

realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t

realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might

need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very

smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though

they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their

confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when

really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed

with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has

Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information

the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into

the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and

borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat

we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re

here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not

mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads

without us really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers,

this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are

everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights

and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping

pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs

shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell

the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the

different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the

floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to

think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without

knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not

mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still

clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re

wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks

might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this

information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO

idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention

to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they

could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the

information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or

stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange

things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting,

saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even

though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to

feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having

Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers

usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other

people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in

their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their

favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about

things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY

smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even

Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If

you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way

to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and

sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like

you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends,

even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I

don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of

different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I

think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted

and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at

school!

You

can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t

sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start

talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly

words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the

difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like

something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for

them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they

are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way

all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us

all unique.

Thank

you.

=)

[Guest guest]

these are the things that i struggle with i am an adult with AS by the way.From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs@...> Sent: Thursday, 25 February, 2010 3:50:21Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...>Subject: ( ) My presentation... Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with

Aspergers, this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too

tight. Their socks might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about. · They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

, this is WONDERFUL!  I am going to save this in case I ever need to explain it to my son's classroom, school, relatives, etc.  You did a fabulous job!  And I really appreciate you sharing it with us.

On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 10:09 AM, O'Brien <nicole.obrien@...> wrote:

 

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People

with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you

might notice things about them that are a bit different.

 

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological

disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work

differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be

wired differently, but they both work!

 

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold –

because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but

over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the

rest of us.

 

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers

Syndrome:

 

·        

They might not look you in the eye when they

speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because

there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if

they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything

you say.

·        

They don’t understand how to tell the difference

between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like

bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to

some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell

at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just

kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they

can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry,

and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what

else to do.

·        

When they get upset, or stressed, they might say

or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or

hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or

done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to

and treat each other!

·        

When you’re playing with them, they might seem

bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing,

taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily

confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are

supposed to be doing. So if they are “in charge”, they feel much safer, and

less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need

to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you

start.

·        

They like things to be the same ALL the time.

When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and

don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want

to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If

they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a

substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country

with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

·        

You might notice that they’re very interested in

one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about

them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and

like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them,

and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love

dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or

tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to

talk about something else.

·        

Even though they are very smart, they might miss

obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might

not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they

don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help

understanding.

·        

They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all

types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome,

they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can.

Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that

this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables

and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories.

We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we

should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these

thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it.

But for someone with Aspergers, this library is very overwhelming. They see

books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different

colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They

hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping

their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway

outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they

smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on

the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to

think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without

knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess

up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging

their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing,

the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks might have

a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information

is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell

which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how

this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a

quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their

head.

·        

When they are upset, or stressed, or

overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under

a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words…

this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look

that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or

less angry, or less scared.

 

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive

things too !!!

 

·        

People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT

memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten

about.

·        

They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest!

They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they

grow up!

·        

They notice details about things that most of us

would miss.

·        

They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help

others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to

have had Aspergers!

 

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of

Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the

different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find

that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

 

·        

They really want friends, even if they don’t

always know how to make and keep them.

·        

They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us

like it!)

·        

They feel all kinds of different feelings, and

don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of

this one!)

·        

They want to be accepted and liked in their

classroom.

·        

They want to feel safe at school!

 

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown

up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention

before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using

friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring

the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like

something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them

against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like

you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us

are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

 

Thank you.

 

=)

-- McAllisterFB:  www.facebook.com/healfrominsideoutTwitter:  www.twitter.com/healinginside

Blog:  http://healingfrominsideout.blogspot.comReiki II practitioner, #1 alternative treatment recommended by Dr. OzHerbal consultations

[Guest guest]

great job!

[Guest guest]

Wow, this was great.

Ide

From: <kevin8@...> Sent: Thu, February 25, 2010 6:55:57 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

these are the things that i struggle with i am an adult with AS by the way.

From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs (DOT) com> Sent: Thursday, 25 February, 2010 3:50:21Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@ eastlink. ca>Subject: ( ) My presentation. .. Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers, this library is

very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks might

have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

Very nice...I would love to copy and send to all the teachers in my son's school!

jan

From: Idelice A. Haack <haackia@...> Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 10:12:10 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

Wow, this was great.

Ide

From: <kevin8btinternet (DOT) com> Sent: Thu, February 25, 2010 6:55:57 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

these are the things that i struggle with i am an adult with AS by the way.

From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs (DOT) com> Sent: Thursday, 25 February, 2010 3:50:21Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@ eastlink. ca>Subject: ( ) My presentation. .. Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers, this library is

very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks might

have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

May I copy this and put give it my family and friends so that they can have a better understanding and acceptance of my son? Thanks, TeamJakobSupport children with Aspergers,With your support their is no limit to Jakob's success!!

From: rushen janice <jrushen@...> Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 10:55:16 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

Very nice...I would love to copy and send to all the teachers in my son's school!

jan

From: Idelice A. Haack <haackia (DOT) com> Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 10:12:10 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Wow, this was great.

Ide

From: <kevin8btinternet (DOT) com> Sent: Thu, February 25, 2010 6:55:57 AMSubject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

these are the things that i struggle with i am an adult with AS by the way.

From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs (DOT) com> Sent: Thursday, 25 February, 2010 3:50:21Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@ eastlink. ca>Subject: ( ) My presentation. .. Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about them that are a bit different.

Aspergers, like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do. Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both work!

AS isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude, but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way. When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€, they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!. Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes! Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them, learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads without us really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers, this library is

very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks might

have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth, hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends, even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at school!

You can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us all unique.

Thank you.

=)

[Guest guest]

Of COURSE! I shared it so that anyone could adapt and use it as

they like! Why re-invent the wheel? J hehe

=)

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 1:39 PM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

May I copy this and put give it my family and friends

so that they can have a better understanding and acceptance of my

son? Thanks,

TeamJakob

Support children with

Aspergers,

With your support their is

no limit to Jakob's success!!

From: rushen janice

<jrushen@...>

Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 10:55:16 AM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation...

Very

nice...I would love to copy and send to all the teachers in my son's school!

jan

From: Idelice A. Haack

<haackia (DOT) com>

Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 10:12:10 AM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Wow,

this was great.

Ide

From:

<kevin8btinternet (DOT) com>

Sent: Thu, February 25, 2010 6:55:57 AM

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

these are the things that i struggle with i am an adult with

AS by the way.

From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs (DOT)

com>

Sent: Thursday, 25 February, 2010 3:50:21

Subject: Re: ( ) My presentation. ..

Great job!!!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with

respect.

Robin

From: O'Brien <nicole.obrien@ eastlink. ca>

Subject: ( ) My presentation. ..

Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 10:09 AM

Aspergers

Syndrome is not something that can be seen. People with Aspergers (AS as it’s

often called) look just like you or me. But you might notice things about

them that are a bit different.

Aspergers,

like other types of Autism, is a neurological disorder – which is just a big

fancy way of saying that their brains work differently than yours or mine do.

Not wrong, just different! Two cars might be wired differently, but they both

work!

AS

isn’t an illness, it cannot be caught like a cold – because those who have it

were born with it. It also won’t ever go away… but over time, people with

Aspergers can learn most of what comes naturally to the rest of us.

Some

things you might notice about someone with Aspergers Syndrome:

· They might not look you in

the eye when they speak to you. This isn’t because they’re trying to be rude,

but rather because there’s so much information in your face that they don’t

understand, that if they get stressed out trying to make sense of that, they

won’t hear anything you say.

· They don’t understand how

to tell the difference between friendly teasing, and bullying teasing. To

them, it all seems like bullying teasing. This makes them feel stressed and

upset, which can lead to some difficult behaviours. It might be hard for you

to understand why they yell at you, or say bad words to you, or sometimes

even HIT you, when you were just kidding and trying to be funny. Please tell

a teacher if this happens, so they can help. And remember that they don’t

mean to upset you when they get angry, and they don’t mean to hurt you when

they get mad. They just don’t know what else to do.

· When they get upset, or

stressed, they might say or do things that hurt your feelings. They really

aren’t trying to be mean or hurtful. You can help by calmly and quietly

telling them when they’ve said or done something that upset you, so they can

start to learn how friends talk to and treat each other!

· When you’re playing with

them, they might seem bossy or selfish, and always want things their way.

When it comes to sharing, taking turns and playing games, people with

Aspergers Syndrome get easily confused about what other people are doing, and

what they themselves are supposed to be doing. So if they are “in chargeâ€,

they feel much safer, and less stressed. You can help by reminding them in a

friendly way when they need to take turns, and taking the time to explain the

rules of a game before you start.

· They like things to be the

same ALL the time. When things are the same, when there are routines, they

know what to expect and don’t have to worry about what they are supposed to

be doing. They might want to sit in the same spot, or the same chair, or eat

the same thing every day. If they aren’t prepared for changes… even something

as simple as having a substitute teacher for a day, for them it is like

visiting a foreign country with no map and no knowledge of their language!.

Very scary and confusing!

· You might notice that

they’re very interested in one or more things, and want to be doing those

things a lot, or talking about them all the time – even too much sometimes!

Maybe they love dinosaurs, and like to draw them, read books about them,

learn about them, talk about them, and play with dinosaur toys. They don’t

realize that not everyone may love dinosaurs as much as they do, and won’t

realize if you’re getting bored, or tired of listening about it. They might

need help knowing when it’s time to talk about something else.

· Even though they are very

smart, they might miss obvious pieces of information – and even though

they’re confused, they might not ask for help. They might try to hide their

confusion, or act like they don’t care, or don’t want to do something – when

really they just need help understanding.

· They get VERY overwhelmed

with input of all types – sights, sounds, touch and smell. When someone has

Aspergers Syndrome, they aren’t able to shield certain types of information

the way you or I can. Take this library for example… when you or I come into

the library we know that this is a place where we can read, look at and

borrow books. There are tables and chairs we can use. There’s a coloured mat

we can sit on to listen to stories. We know we should be quiet while we’re

here, we should walk not run, and we should watch what we’re doing so to not

mess up any of the books. For us, these thoughts come and go from our heads

without us really having to think about it. But for someone with Aspergers,

this library is very overwhelming. They see books… and those books are

everywhere. They are different sizes, different colours, different heights

and widths. They are about different subjects. They hear people flipping

pages in books. People talking quietly. People tapping their fingers. Chairs

shuffling on the floor. Someone walking in the hallway outside. They smell

the different types of shampoo that people have used, they smell the

different laundry detergents on people’s clothes. They see the mat on the

floor and know that it will feel different to walk on that. They have to

think about how to walk through the room without bumping into anyone, without

knocking over a chair. How to be careful when taking out a book so to not mess

up the others. And ALL the while, all that other information is still

clogging their brain. Add to that, that they can also feel the shirt they’re

wearing, the tag might be itchy, their jeans might be too tight. Their socks

might have a funny seam that bothers their toes. And every single bit of this

information is hitting their brain ALL at the same time, and they have NO

idea how to tell which is the most important information to pay attention

to!! You can see how this would be very upsetting and confusing, and how they

could need to go to a quiet place to take a break, and sort some of the

information out in their head.

· When they are upset, or

stressed, or overwhelmed, you might see them doing some pretty strange

things… hiding under a desk, yelling, crying, rocking back and forth,

hitting, saying bad words… this isn’t them trying to be weird, or mean, or

rude… even though it might look that way to you! This is just their way of

trying to feel less stressed, or less angry, or less scared.

Having

Aspergers Syndrome isn’t ALL bad. There are positive things too !!!

· People with Aspergers

usually have an EXCELLENT memory, and will remember things that most other

people have long forgotten about.

· They can become EXPERTS in

their areas of interest! They might even use that to get a job doing their

favourite things when they grow up!

· They notice details about

things that most of us would miss.

· They are usually VERY

smart, and happy to help others with things they are very good at! Even

Albert Einstein is believed to have had Aspergers!

If

you know someone with Aspergers or another type of Autism, and can find a way

to understand a bit more, and look past the different, sometimes weird and

sometimes difficult behaviours, you will find that people with AS are like

you and me in so many ways.

· They really want friends,

even if they don’t always know how to make and keep them.

· They HATE being teased (I

don’t think any of us like it!)

· They feel all kinds of

different feelings, and don’t always know the best way to deal with them (I

think we’re all guilty of this one!)

· They want to be accepted

and liked in their classroom.

· They want to feel safe at

school!

You

can help by asking your teacher or another trusted grown up if you aren’t

sure what to do, by making sure you have their attention before you start

talking. By using small sentences, and being patient. By using friendly

words. By NOT doing things that you know will upset them. By ignoring the

difficult behaviours, and letting them know instead when you really like

something nice they’ve done. By watching out for them, and sticking up for

them against bullying. And most importantly, by acknowledging the ways they

are like you and also by accepting the ways they are different, the same way

all of us are different, and knowing that differences are just what makes us

all unique.

Thank

you.

=)