Lifelong Learning &
The Autism Spectrum:
My Growth Through Adolescence & Adulthood
March 16, 2007
Scott Michael Robertson
Ph.D. Candidate, Penn State University
srobertson@ist.psu.edu
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
My Contact Information
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Questions are always encouraged & very welcome
Email: srobertson@ist.psu.edu
Instant Messaging:
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AIM: hppalm
MSN: srobertson@ist.psu.edu
YIM: psuresearcher
Google Talk (Jabber): aspiegeek@gmail.com
Website: http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
Telephone: available upon request
My Favorite Quote
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
— Benjamin Franklin
Overview
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My Background
How Experiences Leads To Growth
My Experiences & Lifelong Learning
My Background: Multiple Hats
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26 year-old Adult on the Autism Spectrum
Ph.D. student at Penn State University
Self-Advocate for the autism community
A Son
Multiple Hats: Autistic Adult
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Self-diagnosed in 1999
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Minds & Machines course
Mindblindness (Simon Baron-Cohen, 1997)
Clinically diagnosed in 2005
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Penn State psychological clinic
Multiple Hats: Ph.D. Student
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Program: information sciences & technology
Research focus: use of information
technology to empower advocacy &
educational efforts for neurologically diverse
populations & their communities
Thesis research: how online IT can support
educational & advocacy efforts for the autism
community
Multiple Hats: Self-Advocate
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The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN)
 nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2006
 Focus: increasing understanding, acceptance, & support for all
autistic individuals
 Me: ASAN’s Pennsylvania Regional Director & Vice President
Speaker
 autism conferences
 organizations, groups, classes, & seminars
Teacher
 taught computer programming, writing, and social skills to autistic
adolescents & young adults (summer program, Pittsburgh)
 volunteered for autistic support high school class (Pittsburgh)
 educational consulting
Multiple Hats: A Son
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Youngest of 3
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Grew up in northern NJ
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Sister: special educator in Washington D.C.
Brother: web developer in NYC
Pines Lake community of a town called Wayne
Born in same hospital as baseball player Derek
Jeter
Parents: huge influence on my life
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own a second-generation family business in
Pompton Lakes, NJ
Side Note
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I’ll be giving the opening keynote speech @ Penn
State’s National Autism Conference this summer
2007
Happy Valley (aka State College, PA)
Monday, July 30 from 9 to 10:30 am
Five-day Conference runs from July 30 to August 3
Free registration for Pennsylvania parents of
individuals on the autism spectrum
http://www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/Autism/National/
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(Online registration in late spring/early summer)
Experience & Growth
“I’ve never let my school interfere with my
learning.” — Mark Twain
Learning
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Classroom
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Explicitly defined skills
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Explicitly defined knowledge
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Ex. arithmetic, geometry, reading, writing
Ex. history of U.S., planets in the solar system
Situational
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Implicitly defined (or less explicitly) skills
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Ex. socializing at school/work, flying to another city
Implicitly defined (or less explicitly) knowledge
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Ex. social norms (for eating in public), hallway
conversation topics
Experiences: Learning for Life
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Always having experiences throughout life
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Experiences influence You
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Always changing
Shape your identity, personality, knowledge
Empower your learning for the future
You influence your experiences
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You (identity, personality, knowledge) shape what
happens
Your past learning empowers future action
Experiences & Growth:
Adolescence Thru Adulthood
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My Social Experiences
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Elementary school
Secondary school
Friendships & Social Relationships
Traveling (Abroad & Domestically)
College Living
Self-Advocacy
Conversations
“Conversation is an art in which man has all
mankind for competitors.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
My Social Experience:
Elementary School Years
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Had Friendships
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Bullied by peers
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1 Best friend
Two other friends
2nd Thru 5th Grades
Taunted, Threatened, Called names, Pushed
around
Bullied by gym instructor
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Yelled & screamed for inability to perform
(dyspraxia)
My Social Experience:
Secondary School Years
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No friends
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Overwhelming Environment
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Best friend & I lost touch
Didn’t know how to make friends
Confusing Navigation (hallways)
Sensory overload
Worse Bullying (6th Grade)
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Tormented me daily
Led to:
 Hating school
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Deepening depression
My Social Experience:
Secondary School (Cont.)
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Transferred to private school for 7th grade
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Less bullying, teasing
Calmer, more accepting environment
Still no friendships
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School acquaintances
Stayed home most of time
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Reading, Computer Games, TV, etc.
Yearbook (Social outlet)
Solutions: Bullying
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Teaching assertiveness skills
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General assertiveness & understanding of
nonverbal communication
Anti-bullying strategies for autistic children &
teens (Myles & Smith, 2003; Dubin, 2007; Gray, 2004)
Encouraging anti-bullying policy
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State laws on bullying (no law in PA yet)
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Proposed law: http://www.bullypolice.org/pa_law.html
District policy on bullying
Mentor/buddy pairing
Solutions: Social Exclusion
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Promote environment of acceptance
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Establish social support & mentoring
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Encourage school board to introduce diversity
understanding (esp. neurological) into curriculum
Encourage teachers to promote diversity
Mixed autistic & non-autistic social group
Autistic-only social group
Peer mentors for autistic students
Pen-pals for autistic students
Augment w/ volunteering & club activities
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Volunteering opportunities w/ local community
Clubs at school & around community
Friendships
“Friendship is born at that moment when one
person says to another: ‘What! You too? I
thought I was the only one.’” — C.S. Lewis
Friendships:
My Experience Thru The Years
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Best friend & friends in elementary school
No friends in secondary school
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Except for school acquaintances
Friends in college+
Friendships:
Elementary vs. Secondary
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Friendships in elementary school
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Focus: shared play
Conversation only while playing (mostly)
Small to Moderate emphasis on comm. skills
Small emphasis on interpersonal skills
Friendships in secondary school
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Focus: shared feelings/beliefs, shared time, common
interests, personalities, social norms
Conversations w/ & outside of activities
Large emphasis on comm. skills
Moderate to Large emphasis on interpersonal skills
Friendships:
My Post-secondary Experience
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Peers changed in college
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More mature & accepting of differences
“Cool to be smart” in college
Social environment changed in college
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Many more social outlets
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Sports, activities & events on campus, dorm life
Flexibility of time & location
Many clubs to fit an interest
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Joined newspaper as reporter (sophomore yr.)
Stayed on as editor & reporter for 3 yrs.
My Social Network (Current)
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Undergraduate friends
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Graduate school friends
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Penn State & Carnegie Mellon
Autism advocacy
Online friends
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Student newspaper
Class
Autism communities & mailing lists
Secondary school & elementary friends
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Back in touch w/ peers I used to know
Connected w/ former teachers
Friendships: A Two-way Street
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Autistic student learns social skills
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Communication skills
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Interpersonal skills
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Initiation, reciprocation, topic expansion, etc.
Concept of friendship, listening, interest in other, trust,
conflict resolution, respect & concern
Environmental accommodation
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Physical (including sensory)
Social (peers, adults, others)
Learning Friendship
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Practice & model w/ same age peers
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Take perspective of the specific social world
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Peers understand their social world best
Include non-autistic peers in practice
Social conventions differ for age levels
Social conventions differ by place & culture
Provide mentoring
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Encourage seeking social advice & guidance
Promote mentoring reciprocation
Communication Skills
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Procedural Conversation Skills
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Initiation of conversation
Responding
Topic expansion & shifting
Turn-taking
Content
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Vocabulary words
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Literal meaning
Figurative meaning
Contextual use of vocabulary
Interpersonal Skills
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Much more abstract, less tangible
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Essential to social relationships
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Personality & identity influences
Not as easily defined or represented
Friendship attractiveness
Employment
Some Key Interpersonal Skills:
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Concept of friendship (& social relationship)
Interest in other & POV
Conflict Resolution
Trust
Interpersonal Skills (1)
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Understanding Concept of Friendship
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Common interests & hobbies
Shared time + feelings, ideas, dreams, etc.
1-10 Scale (level of social relationship)
Listening to Other’s POV & Needs
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Actively listening to what’s said
Showing interest in other person
Conversational equilibrium (approx. 50/50 control)
Interpersonal Skills (2)
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Conflict Resolution
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“I” statements
Active Listening
Compromise
Development of Trust
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Time & Interactions: >Trust
Openness, honesty, loyalty
Benefit of doubt
Interpersonal Skills (3)
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Respect & Concern
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Respect for other’s differences
Concern for safety & well-being of other
Compliments
Respect for boundaries
Assertiveness
Nonverbal Communication
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Expressive (output) & Receptive (input)
70-90 % of face-to-face communication & phone
Less for electronic comm. (ex. email, IM)
Understanding Nonverbal Comm.
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Games & Activities
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TV Shows & Movies (audio-visual)
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Comedy shows
Songs & Show tunes (Singing to music/clips)
Radio shows & podcasts
Lines & Groups (audio-visual)
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Watching w/ sound turned off
Listening but looking away from picture
Recordings (audio)
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Charades, Miming, acting games (Davies, 2004; Schneider, 2007)
Observing others’ facial expressions & body language
Artwork, Photographs, & Drawings (visual)
Travel
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"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is
a change that goes on, deep and permanent,
in the ideas of living." — Miriam Beard
My Traveling
(Abroad & Domestically)
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Exchange Trip to France
Post-secondary School Traveling
Exchange Trip to France
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3-Week trip
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1 week in Tours, France (adjusting to culture)
2 weeks w/ host family in Paris
Attended classes w/ host student
Lived & ate w/ host family
Visited sites w/ H.S. peers from U.S.
Challenges: Exchange Trip
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Foreign Language
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Not a native speaker
Trip Speaking Expectations
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First Week: Some French & Some English
Second Week: Mostly French
Third Week: Entirely French
Foreign Culture
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Different conventions, customs from U.S.
Challenges: Exchange Trip (2)
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Academic Requirements
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Missed one week of school
Completed missed assignments during trip
My Differences (Being Autistic)
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Knew about challenges
Didn’t know how to advocate for assistance
Didn’t know about autism yet
Growth: Exchange Trip
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Strengthened interdependence skills
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Preparation for college life
Living away from parents
Expanded perspective
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Understanding of differences in living
Diversity of social-cultural experiences & POV
Postsecondary School
Traveling
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Buses, Trains, & Planes
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Planning & Packing
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Buses (since ’99)
Trains (since ’02)
Planes (since ’02)
Easier when done systematically w/ checklists
Review trip days in advance
Pack days in advance & night before
Social constraints to trip planning
College
“I learned three important things in college:
1) to use a library,
2) to memorize quickly and visually, &
3) to drop asleep at any time given a
horizontal surface and fifteen minutes.”
—Agnes DeMilles
My College Living Experience
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Undergraduate Years
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Dorm room w/ roommate (4 yrs.)
Dining hall for food
Shared living experience (RA, floormates, etc.)
Graduate School Years
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Apartment w/ no roommate (4 yrs.)
Eating on campus, around town, at apt.
Individualized living experience
College Living: Fun
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Undergraduate Years
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Newspaper (3 years)
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reporter & section editor (news, features, contributing)
Concerts & Sports
Graduate School Years
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Friend’s parties & get-togethers
Weekly Bar excursion (sometimes)
Dinner w/ friends
Other activities
College Living: Academics
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Extra time on tests (& separate room)
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less anxiety, less need to panic
there whether I needed it or not
Extra notes
No autism-specific support
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No social support
No support for navigating life on the autism
spectrum
College Life:
Challenges & Growth
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Challenges
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Learning to become interdependent
Becoming comfortable w/ the social world
Finding my career & life path
Growth
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Focused my path
Gained understanding of myself & identity
Gradually learned subtleties of social life
Ongoing process
Advocacy & Life
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do
everything, but still I can do something; And
because I cannot do everything I will not
refuse to do the something that I can do.”
— Helen Keller
Self-Advocacy
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Disclosure of neurological difference
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Autism Spectrum
Other Co-occurring conditions
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Anxiety, Depression, Epilepsy, Dyspraxia, Learning
Disabilities, Panic Disorder, etc.
Advocating for your unique needs
Advocating for others’ needs
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Your experiences & knowledge=guidance
Disclosure
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Benefits
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Reduce misunderstandings & misperceptions
Strengthen social connection & bond
Challenges
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Potential discrimination based on difference
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Protections from ADA
Taking advantage of weaknesses
Disclosure Thru My Lifespan
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Pre-school & Elementary School Years + 6th
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Private School Years (7th-12th)
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Parents did not disclose (fear of discrimination)
Undergraduate Years
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Parents advocated & disclosed when needed
Not developmentally able to advocate for my own needs
I disclosed for my own academic needs
I gradually learned to disclose to friends
Graduate Years
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I disclosed more readily to friends & co-workers
I moved toward becoming public about being autistic
Advocating For Your Needs
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Must understand individual needs
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All individuals on autism spectrum have:
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Common needs
Individualized needs
Can learn advocacy through practice
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K-12
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Attending your IEP meetings
Directing IEP meetings in H.S.
Advocating For Others’ Needs:
My Influences
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Paying it forward for those who had helped
me over the years
Understanding myself & meaning in my life
Fun
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Enjoyable experience to help others
Higher self-esteem
The Autistic Self-Advocacy
Network (ASAN)
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Started by autistic adults in 2006
Collaborative effort
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Primary Initiatives:
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autistic individuals, parents, educators, professionals, etc.
Educational Support
 Transition to post-secondary education
 K12 & Postsecondary education support
Social/Support Groups & Mentoring
Public Policy & Advising
Speaker’s Bureau
Website: http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
My Contact Information



Questions are always encouraged & very
welcome
Email: srobertson@ist.psu.edu
Instant Messaging:





AIM: hppalm
MSN: srobertson@ist.psu.edu
YIM: psuresearcher
Google Talk (Jabber): aspiegeek@gmail.com
Telephone: available upon request
Recommended Resources:
Social Relationships/Friendships
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McAfee, J. (2001), Navigating the Social World: A
Curriculum For Individuals with Asperger Syndrome,
High Functioning Autism, and Related Disorders
Lawson, W. (2006), Friendships: The Aspie Way
Gabor, D. (2001), How To Start A Conversation And
Make Friends
Canfield, J., Hansen, M. V., Reber, D. (2005):
Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul: The Real
Deal Friends
Grandin, T. & Barron, S. (2005), The Unwritten
Rules of Social Relationships
Recommended Resources:
Assertiveness & Self-Advocacy
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Yoshida, Y. (2006), How To Be Yourself In A World
That’s Different: An Asperger Syndrome Study
Guide for Adolescents
Palmer, P. (2000), Teen Esteem: A Self-Direction
Manual For Young Adults
Joyner Hayne et al. (2004), Ask And Tell: SelfAdvocacy and Disclosure for People On The Autism
Spectrum
Murray, D. (2005), Coming Out Asperger: Diagnosis,
Disclosure, And Self-Confidence
Recommended Resources:
Anti-Bullying Strategies
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Myles, B. & Heinrichs, R. (2003), Perfect
Targets: Asperger Syndrome & Bullying
Dubin, N. (2007), Asperger Syndrome &
Bullying: Strategies & Solutions
Grey, C. (2004), Grey’s Guide to Bullying
Field, E. M. (2007), Bully Blocking
Recommended Resources:
Social Relationships/Friendships
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McAfee, J. (2001), Navigating the Social World: A
Curriculum For Individuals with Asperger Syndrome,
High Functioning Autism, and Related Disorders
Lawson, W. (2006), Friendships: The Aspie Way
Gabor, D. (2001), How To Start A Conversation And
Make Friends
Canfield, J., Hansen, M. V., Reber, D. (2005):
Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul: The Real
Deal Friends
Grandin, T. & Barron, S. (2005), The Unwritten
Rules of Social Relationships
Recommended Resources:
Acting & Nonverbal Comm.
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Schneider, C. (2007), Acting Antics
Davies, A. (2004), Teaching Asperger’s
Students Social Skills Through Acting
Nowicki, S., & Duke, M. (2002), Will I Ever Fit
In? The Breakthrough Program For
Conquering Adult Dyssemia
Recommended Resources:
Traveling
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“Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome &
International Exchange: What, Why, & How”
http://www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/autismtips/
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Debbaudt, D. (2001), “Autism & Airport Travel
Safety Tips”
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http://urlcut.com/autismairportsafety