autism, sensory perception and agnosia by Donna Williams

[autiemuse]

Thanks for book references in your reply, Donna! After posting my question, I found your DID videos about dx, alters, etc. Interesting! I was dx'd DID in 1991 before I was dx'd Asperger's two years ago...Sorry I haven't read your books yet...your reply was really helpful. My husband is AS (pretty severe-not working for 10 yrs), two of our three boys dx'd AS, and the third is spectrummy!

We're poor, about to be homeless/no adult treatment here in Alabama. I'll buy the books asap. Thanks!

[1210donna]

Hi Antimuse, you can check your library for the books. Where will you folks go? At least have a waterproof tent? Hope one of you gets some work. Even the most disabled people in dire straights generally find something they are capable of which they can market. All the best.

[autiemuse]

@1210donna Yes, D, we are trying to market ourselves. I am writing my memoir on my own very interesting journey with autism/abuse as a mother of 6, concert pianist, recording artist. We have lots of talents, but have lacked ability to get noticed and published,etc. Tent? Yes! I'm an avid camper--outdoors grounds me. Alas, it's too cold here in winter to be safe! A friend just emailed me gov't program to help avoid homelessness. Looking into it, and I have faith in God to help us. ;-) Take care!

[1210donna]

I dealt with homelessness in my teens and for a while in my 20s. It's tough. I would always think about having a tent, being somewhere warm, somewhere with fruit trees overhanging the fences. stay well

[autiemuse]

Hi Donna!

I have a detailed question for you:

at approximately 3:10 on the video you have a great list of associated outcomes such as learned dependency, general anxiety disorders,attachment, PTSD, personality disorders,etc.

I have long suspected this--where are you getting documentation/credibility for the connection between these and autism, sensory or cognitive challenges? Where can I best read more about this connection?

This is utmost in importance to me personally-- Thanks!

[1210donna]

I've got 10 published books, 4 of them text books which all address some of these interconnections, especially Autism; An Inside Out Approach and The Jumbled Jigsaw.

[1210donna]

Aside from being dx'd with autism (and sensory perceptual disorders) I am a sociologist and teacher and became an autism consultant since 1996. I've worked with over 1000 people with autism (children, adults, across the spectrum, often those with the biggest functioning issues).

[1210donna]

you can certainly find more info via my website. As for the field... well unfortunately it is dominated by psychologists and interdisciplinary co-operation/teams is only beginning to emerge (I recommended it in my books since 1995) so a holistic approach (as comes from sociology training) is not the norm in the field, which is quite reductionist, always fixating on x, OR y, or Z but rarely the interconnections, overlap, interplay between them.

[TheIsaacs22]

Hi Donna A very wonderful video about agnosias brimming with information. I also like the music. :-)

[7NTM61Ic]

Your writing in these comments seems perfectly OK and in fact very intelligent. After reading your first two books it seems incredible. If one were to meet and have a conversation with you nowadays, would one notice anything unusual?

[1210donna]

yes, it's clear from anyone spending any significant time with me that I am still affected by visual and verbal agnosias.

When tired or rushed by word order might tumble and my speech might simplify. I tend to use gestural signing a lot and representational objects so its clear something is sensorily different.. but the health and co-morbid sides of my autism are really well managed so mostly I come across today as someone with sensory perceptual and associated cognitive issues.

[7NTM61Ic]

Thanks very much for your detailed reply. I hope you will pass through Toronto one day, and I hear about it, as I'd be intrigued to see you in person.

[1210donna]

Einstein recognisably fitted the Idiosyncratic personality trait. Like a percentage of non-spectrum children he had late speech and for whatever reason, perhaps being a naturally non-forming idiosyncratic personality, he was a poor learner as a child. Idiosyncratics by nature have a strong world of their own and no strong sense of social normality. None of this makes him autistic, though the idiosyncratic trait and/or extreme conscientious trait could appear like an 'autistic personality'.

[MrFRAER]

Sire Einstein had some sort of that features.

can we imagine world without Einstain nowadays?

What is worst - to have features of autism or to be 'the member (part) of the society ('partnership')

[1210donna]

Good luck with your presentation.

Nobody Nowhere is the first of my 9 published books. It has several sequels: Somebody Somewhere, Like Colour To The Blind and Everyday Heaven, so I'm sort of the Harry Potter of the autism world ;-)

[kathd242]

Donna Williams,

I am a senior in high school. I just read Nobody Nowhere today, and I couldn't put it down. It is amazing! I am giving a presentation on Nobody Nowhere to my Psychology class this week, and I am going to encourage my classmates to read it.

You are a true role model!!

[1210donna]

yes, the first painting is called Wonderment.

It's from a collection called Dreamscapes. You can view all the dreamscapes in the online gallery on my website.

:-) Donna *)

[kathd242]

Donna Williams,

I am a senior in high school. I read Nobody Nowhere today, and I couldn't put it down. It was SO amazing!!! I am doing a presentation on Nobody Nowhere for my Psychology class this week, and I am going to tell all of my classmates to read it.

You are a true role model!

[JulesVerne13]

I really like the first painting.

[1210donna]

yes.

:-)

[redpuppy52]

Your Great! Thank you for putting this here. My husband and I work with autistic children. It is respite care, giving parents a break. We started in June. But really didn't know much about autism. We desperately wanted to know what the children were thinking. We work with 5 different kids. One of the mothers loaned me your book. I learned so much from you. I can't stop wanting to learn. I just typed your name here and found your video. You are helping us, help others. Your beautiful!

[jordanpauley]

hi there your video is great but a little to fast to read

[1210donna]

yeah, i was still learning but you can press the pause button throughout to read each.

:-)

[BSPAngeli]

Very,very interesting, thank you sooo much! I am a mom of two with Autism, older one is also totally blind and medically fragile. Both of them have also a lot of sensory issues, and your writing puts a lot of things into perspective for me. I have to check out your books! Thank you!

[assyria24]

beautiful music...beautiful art :)

[1210donna]

thank you

the music is an original backing track to the song, Beyond The When, which I wrote, composed and sang and features on one of my 2 CDs. The song is also in a TBS TV series throughout Asia called Things You Taught Me. If you want to hear it sung, you can hear that on my site. Glad you like the art too. Art speaks well.

[assyria24]

i do and i really loved ur book...i work with children with autism and it really helped to hear from you :) THANKS!

[assyria24]

my favorite is From Autism to Artism. and thank you for ur books. I work with children with autism so it really helps to hear from you.

[Kiradele]

THANK YOU!

[1210donna]

Yes, I don't know why

You tube has some quirks

I did find though that you can manually move forward through the clip.

Hope future clips iron out this bug

but you got the most important part of it

the rest looks at the relationship of agnosias to sensory flooding and sensory hypersesitivities.

[ennayhtac]

This clip stops playing for me at 02:18 =(