Learning About AWEtism

While in Chattanooga we ate at
Southern Star restaurant, where we found
inspiring quotes on all the tables!

This past weekend we attended for the 2nd annual Southeast Adult Autism Symposium. It's a day dedicated to the needs of adults with autism and is attended by adults with autism, their families, caregivers, public service groups and anyone interested in learning more and supporting the needs of this special population. Hats off to creator/director Scott Kramer and all the faculty/volunteers who made this a great day!

We attended sessions on employment anxiety and safety for Aspies (who are generally wallflowers and easy to pluck!) and independent living. We learned about resources for adults with autism in Alabama (not much), Georgia (growing) and Tennessee (amazing!). Seriously, I don't think there's a better place in the country for adults with autism to live than in Tennessee.

Here's a link to a favorite resource shared, and I think everyone should read it:
  10 Tips on How to Communicate with Autistic People

Other things we heard about and discussed was learning how to translate the language between NTs (neuro-typicals) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) individuals. Just like with any other language translations, that takes time. Let's all take that time, shall we? *What looks like an attitude problem is usually a communication issue.*

We heard a lot about self-advocacy and the pros and cons of discloser. We learned about predators of this community and the particular vulnerability of women on the autism spectrum.

And we learned the story of 2 wolves within you. Which one do you feed?