[ APPLAUSE ]

>> WELL IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE TODAY.

ONCE I PRESS THIS BUTTON AND MY SLIDES COME ON.

IF THEY WORK, THAT'S GOOD.

ONE OF THE THINGS CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH

WITH THE YOUNG AUTISTIC CHILDREN IS EARLY

EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION.

THAT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY SUPER IMPORTANT.

I WAS 60 JUST THIS SUMMER AND BY THE TIME I WAS TWO

AND A HALF YEARS OLD, I WAS IN A VERY GOOD PROGRAM.

I'M-- MOTHER TOOK ME INTO A, YOU KNOW, THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

IN BOSTON AND A DOCTOR NAMED BRONSON CROTHERS REFERRED HER

TO A SPEECH-- TO SPEECH THERAPIST THAT WORKED

OUT OF THEIR HOME AND THEY WERE JUST THOSE A LITTLE EXPERIENCED

TEACHERS THAT KNEW HOW TO WORK WITH KIDS.

AND THEN MY MOTHER HIRED A NANNY WHO SPENT HOURS AND HOURS

AND HOURS DOING TURN TAKING GAMES WITH ME AND MY SISTER.

WE'VE GOT TO BE TEACHING THESE KIDS TURN TAKING.

SEE ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT BEING A CHILD

IN THE '50S IS IT TURNED--

EVERYTHING YOU DID WITH ANOTHER KID

THAT WAS FUN INVOLVED TURN TAKING.

TURN TAKING IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE GOT TO TEACH THAT REALLY, REALLY EARLY.

AS A TEACHER, I'M KIND OF GRABBING THE KID'S CHIN.

MY TEACHER DID THAT WITH ME.

SHE SAID, COME ON, JUST PAY ATTENTION.

SOME AUTISTIC KIDS YOU CAN KIND OF PULL THEM OUT OF IT

BUT THERE'S OTHERS WHERE IF YOU DO THIS, YOU'RE GOING

TO DRIVE THEM INTO SENSORY OVERLOAD.

AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST MOST NEGLECTED AREAS IS THE

SENSORY PROBLEMS.

WHEN A LOUD-- SCHOOL BELL WENT OFF, IT HURT MY EARS.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF A YOUNG MAN SENT TO ME IT'S ACTUALLY

FROM A BOOK CALLED LITTLE RAINMAN.

IT'S-- A YOUNG AUTISTIC BOY DREW THIS

AND SHOWING HOW LOUD SOUNDS HURT HIS EARS.

NOW THE THING IS, IS THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS ARE

VERY VARIABLE.

ONE KID MIGHT LIKE THE SOUND OF RUNNING WATER,

ANOTHER KID IS GOING TO--

WILL GET AWAY FROM THE SOUND OF RUNNING WATER.

NOW, HIGH-PITCHED INTERMITTENT SOUNDS,

THINGS LIKE SMOKE ALARMS, THOSE TEND TO BE THE WORST THINGS

BUT THESE ARE REALLY REAL PROBLEMS.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A CHILD AND YOU TAKE THEM

IN AT A BIG SUPERMARKET OR A WALMART OR SOME PLACE LIKE THAT,

HE JUST HAS A MELTDOWN AND START SCREAMING,

THAT IS SENSORY OVERLOAD.

SO YOU KIND OF WANT TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW,

IF YOUR CHILD GOT A LOT OF SENSORY PROBLEMS, WHAT HAPPENS

AT WALMART OR THE BIG SUPERMARKETS

OR THE SHOPPING MALL.

AND IF EVERY ONE OF THOSE TRIPS ARE SCREAMING FIT YOU'VE GOT

REALLY BIG SENSORY PROBLEMS

BECAUSE SOME KIDS CAN SEE THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS FLICKER ON

AND OFF LIKE BEING IN A DISCOTHEQUE.

IT JUST DRIVES THEM CRAZY.

OR THEY GO DOWN THE DETERGENT AISLE AND THEY JUST WANT TO GAG

BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO MUCH SMELLS.

TOO MUCH IS OVERWHELMING STIMULATION.

NOW THE THING IS, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WANT

TO TEST ME BEFORE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT I WASN'T DEAF.

SO I GOT A HEARING TEST AND I WASN'T DEAF.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS AUDITORY THRESHOLD TELLS YOU NOTHING

ABOUT AUDITORY DETAIL.

AUDITORY DETAIL IS THE ABILITY TO HEAR HARD CONSONANT SOUNDS.

LIKE IF I SAID CAT OR WAS IT RAT OR BAT, YOU KNOW,

DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN CAT, RAT AND BAT,

AND MY SPEECH TEACHER WOULD ENUNCIATE THOSE SOUNDS.

SHE'LL HOLD UP A CUP AND SAY, CUP.

IN FACT, SHE USED A LOT OF KIND OF ABA TYPE OF THINGS.

AND THE THING THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT THAT I'M GOING

TO BE ADAMANT ABOUT IS THAT REAL LITTLE KIDS THE TWO,

THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS, THEY NEED 20 HOURS OF ONE-TO-ONE

WITH A REALLY GREAT TEACHER.

YOU KNOW, AND WHO THAT GOOD TEACHER IS?

THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

NOW, THIS IS WORK DONE BY AMI KLIN AND HE HAD WITH ASPERGERS

AND PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW,

HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISM WATCH WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT'S A BORING SOCIAL MOVIE

AND I WOULDN'T BE THAT INTERESTED IN.

I DON'T EVEN THINK I COULD KEEP THE HEADPHONES ON A PLANE,

YOU KNOW, FOR THIS ONE.

AND LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES A NORMAL PERSON LOOKS AT THE EYES.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAD ALL THESE SECRET EYE SIGNALS

UNTIL I READ A BOOK ABOUT IT WHEN I WAS 50 YEARS OLD.

BUT THE OTHER THING IS MOST PEOPLE EXPLAIN THIS PICTURE JUST

FROM A SOCIAL STANDPOINT.

THERE'S ALSO A BIG PROBLEM WITH ATTENTION SHIFTING.

LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES THE NORMAL PERSON LOOKS BACK

AND FORTH, HOW QUICKLY THEY CAN SHIFT ATTENTION BACK

AND FORTH COMPARED TO THE RED LINE

WHICH IS THE AUTISTIC PERSON.

AND THE AUTISTIC PERSON IS LOOKING AT THE MOUTH

BECAUSE YOU GOT TO REMEMBER,

THEY DO NOT HEAR AUDITORY DETAIL VERY WELL.

SOME OF THESE KIDS ARE LIKE A REALLY BAD CELLPHONE CONNECTION

AND WHEN THEY GET TIRED, IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE.

YOU KNOW, HOW YOU YELL ON THE PHONE, YOU'RE GOING, OH,

IT'S BREAKING UP, IT'S BREAKING UP.

THAT'S THE WAY SOME OF THESE KIDS' HEARING IS.

YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE-- AND IT'S GOING TO VARY AS TO HOW MUCH

OF THE SIGNAL GET THROUGH.

ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE THERE NEEDS TO BE A LOT

OF RESEARCH DONE IS IN THE SENSORY PROBLEMS.

I'M KIND OF REALLY [INAUDIBLE] SICK OF ALL THE THEORY

OF MIND RESEARCH BECAUSE THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS CAN BE

SO DEBILITATING.

HOW CAN YOU SOCIALIZE

IF YOU CAN'T EVEN STAND BEING IN A RESTAURANT.

YOU CAN STAND BEING AT A SORTING--

SPORTING EVENT OR OTHER PLACES,

A NOISY RESTAURANT, PLACES LIKE THAT.

NOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE VISUAL PROBLEMS.

I DIDN'T HAVE THEM.

YOU KNOW, WHERE THE IMAGE WILL BREAK UP LIKE A MOSAIC.

DONNA WILLIAMS DESCRIBED THIS IN SOME OF HER BOOKS.

AND OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS--

THEY'LL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH DEPTH PERCEPTION.

OK. HOW CAN YOU TELL THE KID'S GOT VISUAL PROCESSING PROBLEMS?

OBVIOUSLY, IF HE'S GOT SOUND SENSITIVITY,

HE'S GOING TO COVER HIS EARS.

THEY DO A LOT OF FLICKING AROUND THE EYES.

THAT'S A TIP-OFF.

THEY'LL TEND TO TILT THEIR HEAD BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE BETTER

IF THEY LOOK OUT THE CORNER OF THEIR EYE.

OFTENTIMES, THEY HATE ESCALATORS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T TELL

WHEN TO GET ON AND OFF THE ESCALATOR.

FLUORESCENT LIGHTS CAN BE A BIG PROBLEM.

IN FACT, WHEN THEY LOOK AT THINGS, THEY MAY HAVE

TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR IN COLLEGE GETTING AWAY

FROM FLUORESCENT LIGHTS IS PROBABLY BIG NUMBER ONE.

PROBLEMS WITH CATCHING A BALL AND YOU GO IN

AND YOU DO EYE EXAMS AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE NORMAL.

THEIR PROBLEM IS INSIDE THE BRAIN.

DON'T GET HUNG UP ON DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES.

THESE DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES ARE NOT PRECISE.

THEY ARE LABELS, JUST LIKE PROFILING A HIJACKER.

IT'S ONLY SORT OF ACCURATE.

IT'S-- AND I'M SAYING THIS REALLY, REALLY SERIOUSLY.

IT'S NOT ACCURATE LIKE TUBERCULOSIS IS ACCURATE.

I MEAN WHAT OTHER KINDS OF SYNDROMES DO PEOPLE SIT

AROUND A HOTEL ROOM AND DECIDE HAVE DIAGNOSING.

I MEAN, THAT'S THE SAME WAY BUILDING CODES ARE FIGURED

OUT AND, YOU KNOW, ENGINEERS SIT AROUND HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOMS

AND DECIDE, YOU KNOW, HOW TO CHANGE BUILDING CODE.

THEY'VE NOT DONE THAT IN ANIMAL WELFARE CODES.

NOW THE THING IS IF THE PROFILE IS USED CORRECTLY,

THERE'S A HIGH CORRELATION WITH BRAIN SCAN DATA.

BUT I FIND ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY

FROM THE BIG MEDICAL CENTERS, PROFILES ARE NOT USED CORRECTLY.

OK. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASPERGER AND AUTISM?

WELL RIGHT NOW, UNTIL THEY CHANGE IT, REAL SIMPLE.

AUTISM HAS TO BE ONSET BEFORE AGE 3.

THERE'S OBVIOUS SPEECH DELAY ALONG

WITH THE OTHER AUTISTIC SYMPTOMS.

ASPERGER'S, THERE'S NO OBVIOUS SPEECH DELAY.

SO TO PUT IT VERY, VERY SIMPLY, WHEN THE KID'S 3,

NOBODY'S RUNNING OFF TO THE DOCTOR.

SO WHAT'S PDD?

IT'S EARLY ONSET BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH SYMPTOMS

TO CALL IT AUTISM.

NOW, A LOT OF THESE SENSORY PROBLEMS I'VE BEEN

TALKING ABOUT.

DYSLEXICS CAN HAVE THEM.

ADHD CAN HAVE THEM.

LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF THE DIFFERENT LABELS CAN HAVE THEM.

AND I CAN TELL YOU, I CAN'T WAIT

UNTIL THEY CAN GET HIGH SPEED BRAIN SCANNING

AND THAT COULD BE USED TO DIAGNOSE THE BRAIN SYSTEMS

WHERE WE HAVE PROBLEMS.