Anxiety Poem

Here is a poem I wrote about anxiety that I feel I should share with my readers:

Anxiety: By Ryan Comins

Irrational Fear

Grips me at

The times where

I am most vulnerable.

When I am anxious

It is at these times

When my decisions

Seem irrelevant

My accomplishments

Seem null.

Everything I am

Is dictated by my fears

My feelings

Determine all

Such are the challenges

Of anxiety.

*I reserve all rights to this poem.  Although, anyone familiar with poetry knows that trying to sell it is no quick and easy way to make money.  It is done through passion or not at all.  

How Sensory Overload Feels to Me

My job at the grocery story was particularly challenging this past Sunday.  The workday started out alright enough; I was talkative and even joked around with friends and coworkers.  However, as the day went on, I began to have sensory issues, even though I did not recognize them for what they were at first.  Over my lifetime, I have tried to find reasons for the sensations that accompanied sensory overload.  I've tried to tell people that I was just tired, I had a headache, things like that.  My most recent reasoning for sensory overload was that I was empathetic and was reading the emotions of others.  Finally, I have not only identified when I am having a sensory overload, I can also describe how it feels.  It is sort of like a hard, pressing feeling in my head that came in waves and becomes increasingly painful.  This is what it feels like for me to have a sensory overload.

Disney World Wins Autism Awareness Award

One of the great things I remember growing up were vacations to Disney World in Orlando Florida.  I've been there three times total: twice with my family and a third time with my high school band program.  I'm from southeast Michigan, so a trip to Florida during the midwinter months was always a great relief from the stark realities of snow and cold weather.  

In a marketing management course I took in college earlier this year, I studied how Disney trains its employees to look at their jobs differently.  They are trained not to feel as though they are working in the theme park industry, but rather, they are trained to feel as though they are in the entertainment industry.  This way, Disney employees can grant visitors a rich, authentic experience they can get nowhere else.  So, needless to say, a job at Disney requires exceptional acting talent.

A fond memory I have from Disney took place when I was fourteen.  At this time, I played the clarinet in my high school marching band.  During a five day school trip that involved both the band and choir programs, my classmates and I marched down main street in the Magic Kingdom playing "Conga," by Gloria Estefan.  A Latin-Rock song suited for warm weather and palm trees.

Another great thing about Disney is that they pride themselves in having top industry support for individuals with disabilities, including autism.   They recently won the Gold Autism Award on behalf of the United Kingdom Autism Foundation.  In addition to acting training, Disney employees receive extensive training to accommodate those with autism, as well as other disabilities.  A Disney executive is quoted saying the following in my source: he said "part of Disney's heritage is to have no one feel excluded."

Click on the following link to read more and to view my source: 

http://thedisneyblog.com/2012/08/31/walt-disney-world-receives-award-for-autism-awareness/

Autistic Decals on Cars?

What do you think about this idea?  A man in Texas is pushing for decals to be manufactured and provided for drivers who are on the autism spectrum.  This, he says, will give police and emergency officials the information they need to make appropriate decisions based on the individual's specific needs.  For more information, click here.  I personally think that this is a good idea because, if a high functioning individual with autism is pulled over, for whatever reason, the pressure of the situation could trigger a meltdown.  This would give law enforcement officials the necessary information they need to know that their own safety is not compromised. There should also be training in place for law enforcement officials so that they know how to react to a situation such as that.  The same with fire fighters and emergency respond personnel.  These are my thoughts on this idea.  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below.

Going for the Gold at the Rebecca Olympics

While the 2012 Summer Olympics draw to a close in the United Kingdom, a school in New York City is hosting some Olympic inspired events themselves.  The Rebecca School for developmentally disabled children in Manhattan held events of their own for the children with autism who attend in celebration of the Olympic events occurring "across the pond," as the English say.

Over the past week, the Rebecca School has transformed their gym into an Olympic Stadium.  Events ranging from shot put to sprinting where held.  While the children on the spectrum might not necessarily lack the physical strength needed to participate in shot put, due to the neurological nature of autism, information processing is often the key hindering issue in such events.  For more information about this event, click here.

Dennis Leary Autistic Statement Response

I have never been particularly fond of practical jokes.  I personally prefer slapstick comedy like "The Three Stooges," or "America's Funniest Home Videos," or even "World's Dumbest Drivers."  However, in my experience, practical jokes are normally someone laughing at my expense.  I just never know how to react.

Recently, actor Dennis Leary made comments in his book about autism that has greatly offended many parents of autistic children as a joke.  Now, Leary is a good actor.  I particularly like the character "Diego" from the "Ice Age" franchise.  It won't stop me from seeing the new "Ice Age" movie. However, I can honestly say that I was offended by his statements that blamed parents for the behavior of their autistic children and stating that autistic kids are just "lazy" or "stupid."

That really irks me to no end.  I may have had difficulties in my own past where even I considered myself stupid, but in five months I will graduate from college with a Bachelor of Science and a 3.3 GPA.  If that is considered "stupid" then we really need to rethink our priorities as a society.  Jokes are supposed to be funny. Comparing stupid or lazy people to those many people on the spectrum is a very poor excuse for a joke, in my opinion.

To read the article about Leary's comments made in his book, click here.