The following is an invited blog by Paul Isaacs. I have written about Paul before as someone that I admire. Paul is a speaker, trainer, author and consultant on the autism spectrum. Paul has devoted a large amount of energy in trying to understand himself as a way of helping others. In this regard he is very well read not only in regards to autism spectrum disorders but neurosciences in general.

Looking Beyond The Haze
By Paul Isaacs

What Keeps Me Going Forwards?

Empowerment for others on the autism spectrum, through speeches, training and consultancy is something I feel I want to give back and giving all people on the spectrum a chance to understand their abilities within their autism and the importance of positivity and happiness and understanding that they are a person.

What Issues Concern Me?

I think what concerns me in the Autism world is “stereotyping” and assumptions about what Autism is and how it affects people and over generalization can be very damaging to people on the spectrum and their families. Autism in terms of presentation is hugely diverse and yourself, Donna Williams and Olga Bogdashina have explored the true diversity of Autism and is infinite amount of presentations which is both liberating and really does help people on the spectrum, their families and friends.

What I Have Learned?

I often joke that you can never learn enough about Autism and that you can obtain a “bottomless pit” worth of knowledge throughout your whole life span. Donna Williams’ Fruit Salad Analogy (1995/2005) has helped me understand how truly vast the Autism spectrum really is it has also helped me in my work, Olga’s work has also helped me with exploration of communication and sensory profiles that exist within the autism spectrum and your work is also helping me understand the way in which the brain is structured and connected. I will continue to learn from others and will never stop learning really.

© Donna Williams
My Fruit Salad

Expressive Agnosias
• Alexithymia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia
• Social Emotional Agnosia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social-Emotional_Agnosia
Receptive/Expressive Language & Movement Issues
• Echolalia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia
• Echopraxia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia
• Echomimia
• Palilalia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palilalia
• Aphasia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia
• Speech Delay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_delay
• Language Delay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_delay
Visual Agnosias
• Semantic Agnosia (Meaning Blindness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associative_visual_agnosia
• Simultagnosia (Object Blindness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultagnosia
• Prosopagnosia (Face Blindness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia
• Visual – Verbal Agnosia
• Colour Agnosia (Recognise red with “meaning”)
• Mirror Agnosia http://www.cognitiveatlas.org/disorder/id/dso_0060144
• Form Agnosia http://vectors.usc.edu/issues/4/malperception/agnosia.html
Auditory Agnosias/Aphasia
• Pure Auditory Agnosia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_agnosia
• Language Auditory Agnosia (Meaning Deafness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_verbal_agnosia
• Tonal Agnosia (Atonia) http://psychology-lexicon.com/cms/glossary/glossary-t/4844-tonal-agnosia.html
• Aphasia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia
Body Disconnection
• Pain Agnosia https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2F&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2F&service=jotspot&passive=true&ul=1
• Speech Apraxia (Verbal Dyspraxia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apraxia_of_speech
• Visualspatial Dysgnosia (Body Blindness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visuospatial_dysgnosia
• Finger Agnosia (Digit Blindness) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_Agnosia
Dissociative Disorders – Recognised in 2012
• Derealisation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derealisation
• Depersonalisation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalisation
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder
Mental Health
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive_compulsive
• Bruxism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder (During late 2000s) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal
• Borderline Personality Disorder (During late 2000s) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder
Learning Difficulties
• Dyslexia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia
• Dyscalculia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia
• Dysgraphia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia
Auto-Immune Issues
• Candida Albicans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_Albicans
Other Syndromes
• Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotopic_sensitivity_syndrome
• Gerstmann Syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertsmann_Syndrome

Conclusion

I will continue to do the best I can my saying is that I have been dealt a set of cards and I’m going to play them to the best of my abilities. I thank my parents for seeing my personhood first. They saw “Paul” they didn’t see me as “damaged, broken or defective” and I believe that foundation has helped me a lot in my life and has kept me from the jaws of “Learned Helplessness” I truly thank them for that. That is the empowerment I want to give back for people to feel happy with themselves and look at their abilities and recognise the importance of their personhood.

Donna’s Books http://www.donnawilliams.net/author.0.html
Paul’s Books http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Isaacs/e/B00B7ADUTK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1391288290&sr=8-1
Olga’s Books http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olga-Bogdashina/e/B00B4IXKF4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1391288359&sr=1-1
Autism Oxford http://www.autismoxford.com