living with autism by ing. henry curmi

LIVING WITH AUTISM

AS AN ADULT

Ing. Henry Curmi Dimech

Introduction – who’s talking?

Late diagnosis (Age 26)

Tell tale signs: odd behaviours for my age

Did not reach certain levels of social

development

Reaction to diagnosis

Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome was not a

shock or a trauma, but a justification to me

being ‘different’

Early Education

Schooling with NT children, no distinction

Focus on academic matters

Evidence of struggle with languages

Student-teacher relationship: formal

Middle Education

Bullying – a common problem

Needed some intervention from certain

members of staff

Basic methods worked: assertiveness,

attitude

Noticeably different from classmates

Middle Education

More evidence of better grasp of fields

involving logic and/or memory work

Struggle with languages much clearer (no

logic)

Middle Education

Some however excel at visual arts

Artist: Candy Waters, UK

Source: Facebook

Higher Education

Almost exclusively focus on academic

matters at the expense of socialising

Stick to logical fields of study for best

results

The Job Hunt

Lots of marketing involved – a difficult area

Best bet: jobs involving analysis and

attention to detail, or solitary jobs

At the Workplace

Not capable of adapting to any workplace

Needs environment governed by rules, clear

specifications and defined roles &

responsibilities

At the Workplace - Pitfalls

Avoid office politics!!

Exercise caution when joking/making

remarks – look before you leap

Mind-reading

Confirm understanding, ideally in writing

A Member of Society

Likely to be lonely with no contacts outside

work or family

Friend-seeking is a conscious process:

involves making enquiries

Greater success with people in same

situation

A Member of Society

Important to have an easy-going attitude in

public

Is something worth fighting for?

Feelings and empathy – a difficult area

A Member of Society – Pitfalls/Dangers

Personal Life

Loneliness becomes a problem later in life

Mitigated by being used to solitude, keep

busy

An ongoing challenge

Personal development takes place but on a

different time scale

Interacting with others

Hit-or-miss

Best conversation has a specific purpose

Eye contact is possible but requires

conscious effort

Interacting with others

TOXIC PEOPLE

MANIPULATION

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

PURPOSEFUL, SERIOUS CONVERSATIONS

Facebook

We use Facebook for communication and to

find out what’s going on.

No selfies

Facebook group

“Asperger meeting group – Malta”

Routine

A common symptom which diminishes with

time

Non-sensical routines can be overcome with

logical explanations and real examples

Sensory Overload

In confusing situations, it is helpful to split

the scenario into smaller, manageable

pieces, or modules.

Conclusion

People with Autism or Asperger Syndrome

are just as capable as anyone else to

contribute to society.

We simply request acceptance that we

learn, think and have fun differently.

Many of us have trouble conforming to

society’s trends and pressure to ‘fit in’.

Recommendations

We also need to be independent, like

everyone else.

Ideal careers: involving numbers, logic,

detail, working alone. E.g. IT, Mathematics

& Sciences, Engineering

OR: Visual arts, for those who express

themselves more freely with images.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

Any questions?