Aaron Likens. Touch Point Autism.

Aaron Likens came to join us today.  His first re visit in three years but a very welcome one as it was here three year’s ago the he started his speaking career.

It was here as a visitor to the winter Olympics three years ago the he first addressed us and found his talent as a public speaker.

Now he has gone on to address 330 different audiences and over 21,000 people.

He has written a book and gone on a public speaking tour of the US.

He described his up brining and his experiences of Aspergers as a child.

He is on the Autism spectrum and he described what that is like.

It used to be assessed as one in 500 but now is recognized as one in 88.

They often have sensory issues.  They can hear sounds around them very vividly.

He asked for silence and we could hear the air conditioning and other room noises very clearly when he pointed them out to us.

We normally block these sounds out but what if you couldn’t?  Would they drive you to distraction?

Then when you add in colours, touching, and other people just doing things ‘wrong’ you start to understand the issues.

He likes his food compartmentalized.  Nothing touching.   (Like a TV dinner)

People that have their food all mixed up on a plate---well that’s just wrong.

We have so much to learn about mental health

If you have met one person with Autism you have only met one person with Autism.

It is important to get this information out to first responders such as the Police.

Sufferers often take requests literally.

Don’t ask someone on the spectrum to ‘crack’ the window. Meaning open it.

Anything emotional is a struggle.  They are often quite and reserved.  This is human behavior taken to the extreme.

Why do we do what we do?

It is often a repeat of the first time it is done.  It should always be the same.

If I think it, then you should know it.

Game therapy is often a good one. People with Aspergers are often drawn to games.  One reason is because they have rules and the rules can’t be changed.

Processing is the big gap.  It just time to process things.

If a question is misunderstood try re wording the question.  Finding the rules for life is hard.

The Autistic mind gets set in a pattern early in life so the earlier you can break up unwanted behavior the easier it is.

Once rules are established and order set it is much more difficult to change behavior and attitudes.

They get set like concrete.  The pattern gets set.

Aaron has now done 338 public presentations!

In 2012 he was voted Mental Health Champion of Missouri.  His home state and his public speaking career all started here at the Arbutus Rotary Club.

Well done Aaron and we look forward to seeing you back here again one day soon.