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Autism Archives - OCASG

DEADLINE for Chance Theater Spectrum Speak-Up

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This summer, the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group (OCASG) and Chance Theater will offer the third annual Spectrum ‘Speak Up’  Series for teenagers with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s. June 13th is the deadline for registration.

By participating, teens will speak up and find their voice! Through story circles, improv games, and writing exercises, students will learn the fundamentals of storytelling and have a ton of fun. Over five weeks, they will work collaboratively with their peers from all over the county to write, design, and perform a new play!

This year, due to COVID-19, we have introduced a virtual format.

For more information on the 2020 Spectrum Speak Up: Click Here

 

OCASG ONLINE: Conquering Emotions Series: Dealing with Depression Webinar

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OCASG is proud to announce the Conquering Emotions webinar series for parents and adults with Asperger’s, High Functioning Autism or PDD-NOS with Dr. Alexander Gantman. The series deals with the three most common emotional challenges for individuals diagnosed with ASD:

  • June 14th, “Handling Anxiety”
  • July 12th, “Managing Anger”
  • August 9th, “Dealing with Depression”

The third webinar is about Depression. Depression is widespread among teens with ASD. This session will include a discussion on recognizing signs of depression, understanding the causes, and learning the skills and techniques available for tackling depression.

The fee is $30 for all three webinars, for dues-paying OCASG Members and $45 for all three webinars, for non-members. Subscription entitles exclusive access to recordings of the webinar.

The webinars will be held Sunday mornings ONLINE.

Reserve a spot and pay in advance by providing the information requested below. Thank you.

OCASG ONLINE: Conquering Emotions Series- Handling Anxiety Webinar

By No Comments

OCASG is proud to announce the Conquering Emotions webinar series for parents and adults with Asperger’s, High Functioning Autism or PDD-NOS with Dr. Alexander Gantman. The series deals with the three most common emotional challenges for individuals diagnosed with ASD:

  • June 14th, “Handling Anxiety”
  • July 12th, “Managing Anger”
  • August 9th, “Dealing with Depression”

The fee is $30 for all three webinars, for dues-paying OCASG Members and $45 for all three webinars, for non-members. Subscription entitles exclusive access to recordings of the webinar.

The webinars will be held Sunday mornings ONLINE.

Reserve a spot and pay in advance by providing the information requested below. Thank you.

Daily Pilot Publishes Article on OCASG Toastmasters Gavel Club

By Social Activities, Therapies, Toastmaster Gavel Club No Comments

Since October 2012, the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group has run a Toastmaster Gavel Club for adults with High Functioning ASD and Asperger’s. Recently the Daily Pilot published an article about our club. Written by LA Times columnist, Patrice Apodaca, this article highlights her visit to the November 2019 meeting of the OCASG Spectrum Speakers Toastmaster Gavel Club.

READ ARTICLE

Vu Story: Bullying

By Personal Stories No Comments

When I was young, bullying existed. Now whenever I turn on the news, I hear about bullying. It’s such an unfortunate epidemic that doesn’t seem to go away. Throughout my middle and high school years, I was called names constantly. Because my head was bigger than most people, the bullies would call me big head, jimmy neutron and monster. Monster was my favorite, because at the time I I thought it was a compliment. Here’s the story of when I was first called monster.

The Monster Nickname

It was during PE and we were playing soccer. I’ve always loved to play soccer. Every time we got to play it, I would get really excited. My love for soccer stemmed from watching the 98 World Cup. It was love at first sight. I was playing well on that day. And out of nowhere, a guy called me monster and a couple of his friends snickered. I’d thought they meant monster as in I was a good player. I kept playing hard. I felt really good that someone would give me such as compliment.

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. That’s when I knew it wasn’t a compliment. It was really annoying and I hated when it was time for my PE class. I started wearing long sleeve shirts under my PE uniform in order to make myself look bigger. I felt uncomfortable, but I was happy in some way because it was a way for me to stop thinking about my thin body.

I Wasn’t Beat Up. I Was Just Called Names.

Middle school and high school years were not fun for me. There’s a good side to this story because I wasn’t beat up or anything. I was just called names. Maybe it was because I ignored what they were saying and went on my business. Perhaps the reason that I did not get beat up was that I had a friend in PE. I made an effort to always stay by his side, so I didn’t look like a loner.

Workplace Bullies

Bullies are everywhere and they exist in the workplace too. Unlike grade school bullying, workplace bullying is more subtle and can be quite destructive. I once read an article on Yahoo about bullying in the workplace and I found it to be very informative. There are ways to help mitigate the bullying in the workplace such as evaluate the situation, stand up for yourself, document the situation, get superiors involved, and move on. I can’t speak to how effective these steps are as I’ve never had a real job, but from watching my mom, I can say that they do work.

I always wondered what it would be like to work. I had an inkling of what it’s like working from watching my mom. A lot of how I view the world is through my parents. I can see a stark contrast in how they look. My dad, who works alone, doesn’t interact with a lot of people. He looks relatively young for his age. People guess his age wrong all the time. They are amazed at how young my dad looks. My mom, in comparison, is often very stressed at work so it shows in her face. After reading about the article and telling my mom, she’s been less stressed in the workplace. It has been five years and my mom is very happy. Why do people feel the need to put down other people? Life is too short and we all should get along. Unfortunately, that is the reality so having steps in how to deal with bullying should be a top priority.

My Dream Job

Back when I was young, all I ever wanted to do was to be a doctor. This stemmed from the fact that everybody in my family expected me to become one. I had no idea of my condition. The signs were there when I was little. I would run and hide whenever people came over to the house. My family and I didn’t think much of it. Now being apart of the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group as an intern has taught me a lot. From going to support groups and talking to Asperger’s like me, I know more about myself than ever before. I’m seeing how I want to live my life. My dream is to someday open a business where I don’t have to work for anybody but myself. That would be my dream job.

Judi’s Story: Helping my son Graduate from CSUF

By Educational Success, Finding Employment, Personal Stories No Comments

This is Judi Uttal, President of OCASG, with a new Blog.

This week’s blog is about my efforts to help my son complete his bachelors degree at California State University at Fullerton (CSUF). In particular, how to meet the important but difficult internship requirement. Many of OCASG members have children who either are attending or will attend CSUF, and I am hoping that my experience could be useful to you all.

Signing Up for Workability

Today, my son Joshua and I had a meeting with Yvonne Cordova, Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for Department of Rehabilitation. Yvonne is working on getting Josh admitted into the Workability Program as CSUF.  We are hoping that Workability can be of assistance in helping Josh find an internship. To graduate from CSUF with a BA in Cinema and Television requires completion of an internship (495 course). Josh is likely to graduate in December 2019. This internship is a critical step towards his receiving a diploma.

The Reel People Connection

We are also enrolling Josh in the Reel People program being offered at New Vista Academy. Through this program, Josh will be able to develop skills in After Effects. According to Jimmy Lifton, this training will be complemented by “real” employment. Hopefully this “real” job can meet Josh’s treasured internship requirement. To stay on schedule for a December 2019 graduation, we want to make this program an independent study (499 course). However, having never done this before, I am not sure what types of problems we may encounter. One difficult milestone will be finding a CSUF faculty member to act as the sponsor.

To help with the mitigation, I reached out to Jacqueline Gerali, Disability Management Specialist at CSUF. So far I have not heard back from her, but I am hopeful.

Team Josh

One of Josh’s old buddies, Josh B. is finishing up his degree in Art at CSUF with an eye towards video game development. Josh B. and his mother Diane are attempting to pursue a similar strategy. So we are working together as a team, as we try and navigate the ins-and-outs.

I will check back with you in the future to let you know our progress. Wish us all  luck.