A turn for the better

After my many hard years, thinking I was an average kid, then the kids who I thought liked me started rejecting me like they had never met me before. Then going through middle school with the worst amount of bullying because of my autism and I became ashamed of it. Then, going through a life-changing phase of my life, attending Sun-Hang-Do, which taught me everything that has made me the young man I am today. I wouldn’t be here today writing about my confusing life and how I have come a long way from my problems.

I know a Teaching Assistant who has an autistic son, and he’s planning to home school him because he’s afraid that kids might bully his son to an overwhelming point. Autism is a part of life more common than before, so I think until we find a cure for autism, people need treat autism not as a joke but as something that could happen to any other person. Someone in an elevator or walking on a sidewalk could have autism and you may not know it.
Thank you for following so far and I hope you comment in the future.

My Sun-Hang-Do Benefits

My therapy wasn’t the only thing that got me to where I am today.  If it wasn't for the martial arts studio, Sun-Hang-Do, I definitely wouldn’t have the confidence to write this blog.

Sun–Hang–Do is a Korean martial art that only exists within the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, with 9 locations including Abbotsford and Vancouver, and its' membership count is likely over 1000 people of all ages.

I started Sun-Hang-Do at age 9 and the reason I got started on it wasn’t because I wanted to get fit, but because I wanted to know karate like SpongeBob did. But every martial arts studio my parents tried would  not take me because of my autism. Finally, they tried the Abbotsford Sun-Hang-Do gym and my master, Brian Kinney, didn’t care about my autism. He brought me in for a trial lesson, saw my potential, and here I am a recently turned 2^nd Degree Black Belt. I have been training for 7 years and I would love to keep going at it.

Sun-Hang-Do has taught me responsibility, maturity, and stress control. It has also helped me handle situations better, given me confidence, higher self-estem, and has kept me in good heath. I greatly thank my parents for setting me up for Sun-Hang-Do, and I thank my Master Brain Kinney and all of the instructors that have helped me get this far.

My therapy benefits

When I was 3 years old I still was not able to talk, I had developmental issues when it came to acting my age and may anger management wasn't good. At the age of 7 a little after I was diagnosed with my high functioning autism, my parents started getting me therapy. I started with speech therapy, and I really didn't want to do it,  mainly because I was getting frustrated that I couldn't  say thing's properly or when they just can't understand me. Now a day's I still have troubles  saying things every now and than with speech but it's rare. I also received therapy for my frustration issues, Before my therapy I got easily frustrated over thing's I didn't expect or thing's I just didn't like. That therapy tout me how to better control my frustration by practising breathing control and so on. I am currently receiving therapy now for social issues, but if it weren't for my  Behavioural interventionist Jackie Turner I would not have the ability to speck properly, or control my frustration issues, and I thank her for it.

My Autistic role model

Back in my "not so good days" I was leaned about a famous women, who went past her autism and used the image side of her autism to revolutionised framing framing techniques in America.

That women is Temple Grandin

Temple was diagnosed with autism at the age for four (also didn't speak until four) She always had a hard time with other children, and she was less interested in toys, and more into disassembling things. And Her photographic side of her autism to get thought school, and University.

I see her as a role model because she went from a little girl who couldn't speak until four, to a women who revolutionised cow herding technetium, and proved to North America that people with autism can go very far in   this world. She also went thought kids picking on her, difficulty with understanding subjects in school, and having even her best idea's ruined by other people. If she could do, than I believe any person with autism can do it.

My autistic pet peeves

Being a person with autism I have been picked on and stereotyped, and it made me angry, and I don't want people to think these things just because they that I don't know what there saying about me.
1 of my many pet peeves is the word retarded, I hate it so much I can't even say the word. I find it annoying because its original definition is mentally or physically slow. but because of today's modern a peel to words, mad e the definition change to what most people know it as. It is often used to call some one stupid, what you say to people like me either it was meant to be an insult or a common definition by misconception.
another is when when hear the word autism  they amuse there not smart I'm an easy example, I have a B and C average in school. I did have grade problems back in the 4th and 5th grade but that was because of my bully problems, and I'm sure that there are many autistic adults that have made a fine living doing what even they do.
Another is when people amuse you have a disability just by your looks, because it's not true.the reason 1 in every110 people are diagnosis, it's less that more people are getting diagnosed, but more like the standards of getting diagnosed have gotten smaller. There could be a person with autism in a coffee shops, work place or a stop light, that look like any other person.
I can't blame anyone for thinking these things, because it's not uncommon

Could schools be better?

I grew up in the public education system, like most kids, and most parents choose to put their children in public education because private schooling can be way too expensive. I'm not saying that the public education system is a terrible choice, but they may have their flaws.
For example, private schools tend to more strict than public schools. My friend used to go to a private school and on one of his first days of school one of the students laughed at the teacher's name and the student got kicked out of class.   Another example is some of the current education problems in B.C. There's a lack of special needs teachers, over crowded class rooms leading to lack of one on one teaching, and last, and certainly not least, lack of school funding. This has been going on for about a decade, and I was lucky enough to get the proper teaching I needed to get where I am today, others may not be as lucky. In some cases it could be worse.
Here's a link to a shocking news article.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45770432/ns/us_news-life/t/school-accused-putting-autistic-student-bag/#.T2ObEcX2Z2A . If you read it you may agree with me that it's stupid in more ways than one. A reason I'm doing this (my blog) is because I went into a school system, in my opinion, that was socially confusing and the confusion and social worry affected my grades. I want the next generation of special needs students to have a better education experiance than I had.
-Chris

Grade 5-8 the Bullying get's worse

Grade 5: In this Grade I was in the same classroom I was in at the 4^th Grade, witch I did not realize until I got into the classroom. I was in the Grade 4 class room instead of the Grade 5 class room because there was no room in the in the Grade 5 class room was full, I was bugged about it, the other students were always asking me if I failed 4^th grade or not. Besides from that I was bugged about being stupid, or dumb (they were instituting that I was too stupid to finish 4^th Grade) besides from my friend and my teacher I hated every one else.

Grade 6: In Grade 6 I started middle school, I feigerd new school, and new people would give me a positive future for my schooling, but it just got down hill from there. The students in my class made me a complete outcast, no one wanted to be my partner in class projects, and so on. By this time every person in the school new about my autism, and from that point on I would have hid my autism form everyone.

Grade 7: In Grade 7 my bullying problems gets worse. In the Hall ways students tried to imitate my voice, and make stupid imitations of me. When it came to bullying it was the worst year form me, some days coming back from school I thought about ending it all for myself, and all I had to do was grad my belt go out side tie the belt to the tree and letting gravity do the rest. But I couldn’t do it, my parents wanted so much more from their son than to do this to him just because some idiots don’t understand what I go thought. That was the only thing that ever stopped me from doing what I was about to do.

Grade 8: this was the year that my attitude for my autism started turning around. I was still getting picked on about my autism, but I cared less, and less about what they said to me.  Sometimes it got under my skin but not that often. And I also realized something important, I shouldn’t let some immature kid who make complete idiots of them self’s to there friends take over my life, only I can control my life, and I say I’m better than what I was last year. And it also accrued to me that every one is differert, the way they look, the sound of there voice, and there mannerisms, I even know some twins that have a completely differert way they dress, and hair do. And when high school starts, I was going in and out fairly positive.

Please comment

-Chris

My first few yeas of school

Grade 1: I had 2 teachers in my class room that year. I was difficult to handle, and I was a really loud screamer. It was difficult to do anything. But they still liked me, which is surprising considering the fact that I screamed a lot.  My social interactions with my peers were really parallel meaning I just did what the other students did. Also that same year I was in a musical production. I introduced the play, and I over-exaggerated everything I did. If you saw it you would agree that it was very cute.
Grade 2: That year I moved to Abbostford. I was really upset about it because I was starting to like that school.  Since the beginning of grade 1 my mother was a classroom helper, or a classroom mom. Despite that I was in a new class room with new students I was really socially interactive with the other students,  in fact I was invited to my first birthday party that year. This was a big deal not only for me but for my mother too, because this meant that kids were accepting me despite the fact I was different. But she was also nervous because I might be picked on at the party because I was different. It was all right in the end and she was happy it happened.
Grade 3: For the first time I had a male teacher, and I really liked the guy. My mom was done being a class room mom, and I was introduced to E.A's. I really wanted nothing to do with them because I thought I wouldn't need them. That year I learned how to play chess, and I liked it so much  it was used as a reward for doing my work. I had problems with reading, so I was given school reading session twice a week, and that's the main reason why my reading is at it's highest today.
Grade 4: This marked the beginning of my bad school experiences. The teacher in that grade wasn't the best that I have ever had. But that's not the worst part, just about everyone who I thought liked me, completely rejected me the second 4th grade started. I couldn't believe it! 3rd grade I was like any other kid doing the same work and talking about the same topics, 4th Grade I was a lot less than I thought I was.
But this is just  the beginning
-Chris

The Importance of parenting

As a person with autism, I know an important aspect for intervention is the proper parenting. An example of a misguided parent Jenny McCarthy is a famous actress who has appeared in many hit shows like Two and a half men, one and a half years after her son was born he was diagnosed with autism. Being an actress she had the money to get her son the best autism therapy money could buy. Her son got the benefits of the therapy but Jenny believes that her son is cured of autism, and other people and other people who have read this will probably think that this is true. I was raised in a house hold that encored the fact I was autistic and I only see autism as a challenge of my abilities. In a house hold that Jenny McCarthy son will be raised in, he will grow up unbeknown of his autism.  She have did do the right about getting the proper therapy for her son but it is completely irresponsible of her to be spreading around that there’s a cure to autism not only to her son but other people, even thou, there isn't one.

Let me tell you right of the bat that there is no known cure to autism, there’s not even a known cause of it, there are many suspected causes but no know ones. And parents of autistic children must not let autism be an excuse. From what I have heard many parents of autistic children will us there autism as an excuse. For example if an autistic acts out in public the parent will say something like “O! Sorry he has/she autism” And special needs adults will likely use there disability as an excuse. Here an example of one from the animated comedy's family guy. Warning Kids shouldn't watch this.

My parents never let my autism become an excuse in any situation, because they didn’t want me to see autism as a bad thing later in life. Another misconception is seeing autism as something not be proud of. Even thought it toke me a while, to realise this, I can tell you that I proud of what I am and there’s nothing anyone can every say and do that will ever change my mind about my self. And all I say is autism is not a privilege but it’s also not an excuse.

-Chris

The big reaction (from my parents)

When I got my mildly mentally handicapped label, my mother was constantly questioning herself on what she did wrong during her pregnancy with me, which would be a typical maternal reaction. My father on the other hand thought something didn’t make sense to him, like he somehow knew it was something else but he didn’t know what. When I was finally diagnosed with high functioning autism both of my parents were happy to finally know what the problem was, so they could get the proper therapy for me.

When I was 3½ years old Sunny Hill Hospital gave me my mildly mentally handicapped label. At about 6 years of age my mom went back to University to become a teaching assistant, and during her time there she started learning about the different mental disorders and figured that I was autistic. Before my reassessment in the second grade both my mom and my teacher agreed it was a type of autism. I got my autism label from the Fraser Health Autism Network (F.H.A.N), with a private assessment team in Vancouver at the start of the third grade. -Chris

My Child hood before my diagnosis

My mother's pregnancy was like any other, with all the cravings, morning sickness, and mood swings. I was born a healthy baby boy. When I was about a year and a half old I had little speech communication (this may not mean your child has autism). By the time I was in pre-school I still had minimal speech, I had difficulty following instructions, and I would freak out if we were doing something that I did not expect (many children with autism will boil over because of something they are not expecting), and since the teacher could not handle me, I went in to a special pre-school. As a person with autism I like knowing what my day is going to be like, and so will others with autism. People with autism like doing things a certain way, for example, at 3 years old, my mother and I would walk my older brother to kindergarten and I insisted on walking along the white chalk line of the school's soccer field and then, walk along the concrete curbs around the school.  I still sometimes do that today. When I was 3-4 years old , I would be watching T.V., every once in a while I would go up to my mother and I would repeat something from a T.V. show or a Disney movie, Mom would say good job or okay, and I would go back to what I was watching. Also about that age I was given the label of "mildly mentally handicapped, with autistic traits, and a severe language disorder" by Sunny Hill Hospital for Children. In the beginning of grade 2 I moved from Aldergrove to Abbostford, and my second grade teacher pushed to have me reassessed. When the school psychologist came by to observe me, my teacher purposely  pushed my buttons (so to speak) so the observer could see the real me. By the time I entered third grade I had the label of "high-functioning autism".  Not all diagnoses will be like mine, some will get diagnosed early in age, others not until their late childhood. I hope this gives you some information.
-Chris