Читать книгу Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Jeremy Tolmie - Страница 29

Hi, my name is Jeremy Tolmie I am 38 years old and have Autism spectrum disorder Level 1.

I am a certified computer technician having graduated from Academy of Learning with my Computer Service Technician Diploma with honors.

I used to work for Literacy Central Vancouver Island as a computer technician. I refurbished donated computers that go to families with kids on welfare.

I used to live with my parents in a 500 SQF bachelor pad. They converted the carport into a living space for me. It has a walk-in closet and a full bathroom. I just share the laundry room. kitchen, and dining room.

As a result of my DX of ASD 1 I was able to get on Disability assistance at 19, got the disability bus pass, the disability ferry pass, the disability entertainment pass, the disability tax credit, and in 2010 I got the Disability savings plan. Way back then the disability assistance was only $745 a month. Now it is $1183 a month. Back then you could only make $100 a month before they cut back your disability assistance check. Now you can make $12000 a year before they cut back your check.

With the disability tax credit, I don’t have to pay taxes till I make over $20000 a year in taxable income.

With the disability savings plan the government puts in $1000 a year for 20 years of bonds which comes to $20000 that I do not have to pay back. Plus, they put in 3 times the amount of money that I put in up to $70000 total in grants that I do not have to pay back. So that means that I get $90000 towards my retirement. I have to wait till I am 59 years old before I can start to take money out of the plan. Plus, you have to wait 10 years from the time you get the bonds and grants before you can take money out and not pay them back. I have another 20 and a half years to go before I can start taking money out of the plan. I live in BC Canada that is why I get such good options.

I now live with a support worker who takes care of me and cooks my suppers. He also is an advocate for me helping when I need it. Like taking me to dr appointments and things like that. The government pays him $716 a month room and board. I get $467 from the government after paying the support worker. So, my total disability assistance check is $1183 a month.

I am working at the library part time putting books away. I work 4 hours a day 4 days a week at the library. I make minimum wage which is at $13.85 an hour which gives me $437 every 2 weeks doing that job. I get paid 4 hours for stat holidays so that is just a bonus. They take deductions for Canada pension plan, employment insurance, and workers compensation. That is why my check is only $437 instead of $443. I have been doing it for over 4 years now.

At the end of the year I put whatever is left into a tax-free savings account which is invested in mutual funds. My disability savings plan is also invested in mutual funds, so I earn lots of interest and reinvestment into the funds.

I love computers, hockey, star trek, video games, alternative music, crime tv shows, most movies except romantic comedies, lord of the rings, harry potter, most fantasy and sifi books movies and games, Netflix, apple products, reading, writing and blogging, Facebook, cartoons, comics, and so much more.

I am always up to making new friends on FB and getting new followers for my blogs. I am also always up to talking to people about what it has been like for me. Or about anything that they want to talk about. I am way more social on FB then I am in person that is why I love FB and am glad that it is around so that I can feel good about being social and giving me the time, I need to make conversations.

I am 18 months older than my brother but have not spoken to him in 18 years. I was adopted at 18 months and did not find out about him till 18 years ago. we met once and he is so much like me it is amazing. he does not look like me, but his mannerisms are so similar you would atomically know that we were brothers.

He got to grow up with my birth mother till she died when he was 14. I never got to meet her so all I have is what my

brother said about her and what my blood grandmother said and what was in her medical file. she died from a brain tumour so that is how I found out about them at all. My biological grandmother got in touch with my parents to get me tested when I was 16. the docs first DX was OCD at 16 a year later they said ASD 2 PDD-NOS then 6 months later said ASD 1 Asperger’s syndrome.

It is just so frustrating to feel like you should be able to do all the normal stuff that everybody else does and that it should not be this hard or difficult. That there is no rhyme or reason for how much anxiety you feel all the time. That it should not be this hard to talk to people and keep friends. It really is hard to deal with sometimes. I just wish the good days would out way the bad days once in a while.

I hate when people ask how I feel. I have no freaking idea how I feel so stop asking me this please and thank you. I could not tell you or anyone how I am felling at any given time. I might be able to tell you if it is a really strong emotion that I am feeling but otherwise I have no clue.

I love music and have loved music since the first time I heard it. I love singing to music, dancing to it, listening to it. anything with music is a passion of mine.

I calm down drastically when listening to music so whenever I get upset or am starting to have a meltdown, I grab my iPod and plug in the ear phones and play some music and it calms me right down in no time.

I did not start to read for fun till I was 18 and my parents bought me the first harry potter book. Till then I thought reading was just a waste of time and would have nothing to do with it.

Since then I have become a big-time reader and have read more than 50 books for fun.

I really love audiobooks and own more then 100 of them. I listen to them almost every day as I take the bus to and from work.

I am 5 foot 8 and weigh 145 pounds. I have next to no muscle tone in any of my body even less in my left arm which is pretty much useless. Thank god I am right handed because I cannot use my left hand for anything except typing and holding onto utensils. I cannot move my left hand to cut food, so I hold the fork in it while I use my right to cut the food then take the fork in my right hand to eat with.

I cannot even move it to print with or catch with or anything. It is so annoying.

When they test my academic skills, it shows that I have grade 2 age 7 writing, grade 4 age 9 spelling, grade 6 age 11 reading and grade 9 age 13 math skills. That was done 20 years ago when I was 17.

I am on clonazepam, divalproex, olanzapine, and abilify. The clonazepam is for my anxiety, the divalproex is my mood stabilizer, the olanzapine is my anti-psychotic, and the abilify is for the behaviour issues and helps with my meltdowns.

I was never medicated for ADHD. I was for the OCD symptoms and it was a nightmare. For me anti-depressants caused me to get many times worse.

I found turn based computer games to help a lot. Like civilization and games like that. They are educational and fun.

I always knew that I was different from other kids my age, but I never really thought of myself as having more than just a mild learning disability. So, it was not really that hard or difficult for me, but I think it was for my parents to see how I was treated by the other kids. I had a couple good friends and whenever I lost a friend, I usually found one or more to replace him with. I am still getting used to all of the symptoms and more seem to crop up or get worse every year.

Man, kids get it good these days. I never had any OT, PT, ST or stuff like it when I was a kid. I never had an aid worker or got any treatments. I guess it helps to get the DX early not like me starting at 17. That is way too late to be of much good. I had to do all the regular classes and courses. I had to fend for myself. Teachers never paid me the siltiest bit of attention. I never got any help from teachers to teach me anything. I had to teach myself how to do everything. I was expected to do everything a regular kid has to do at each stage of the game. The problem is that I never told anyone that I really could've used some help.

I really hate September and October. September always reminds me of going back to school and that meant a new teacher and new classroom to try to remember. I hatted going back to school. within a week or two I would be fine I just hatted the going back part not the school part. I did not mind school so much as the change in routine. October is thanksgiving up here in Canada plus I have my moms and my grandma's birthdays and Halloween to deal with. It is just too much to deal with in a short period of time that’s all.

Christmas and new years were not much better for me also. I never get any sleep Christmas eve. I think it goes back to when I was 5 and I was determined to catch Santa in the act of putting out the presents. I stayed up all night and caught my parents in the act. that was the end of the illusion of Santa for me.

There are not that many disabled people That I get to see every day. and the average tantrum I see is from a preschooler not getting what he wants from his parents.

I am a very independent person, so I see a lot more melt downs than my parent’s do.

I hate speaking in public it gives me a total meltdown every time I have to do it. I am not all that successful yet.

I think of all the crazy things I asked for Christmas and my birthday. Like a horse, dirt bike, go kart, hover craft, trip to space, a pet t-rex. compared to some Like a new game or book or comic or upgrade to my computer. Or even a dog or cat seems small compared with some of the stuff I thought up for myself.

Most of my dreams come true for me. I am always

having moments where I feel like I have already done them before and then I realize that I had a dream of doing exactly the same thing. I think that my whole life has already been planned out and I am just going along for the ride.

I also have major anxiety issues and have a hard time adjusting to any change period. The start of school was very hard on me and I still get upset come September because of the start of the school year

When I was 12, we moved, and it was really hard on me. I did not say anything to my parents about how hard it was. It took me 3 years to get adjusted to the new house and location. I acted really bad for those 3 years and got into a lot of trouble. I skipped 2 months of school without my parents knowing till one of the teachers bumped into them at the grocery store and asked if I was alright because I had missed the last 2 months of school.

I also racked up $500 in long distance phone charges in one-month phoning movie studios and threading to sue them for movies that used names that I had thought of using. It was a really bad time in my life, but it did get better.

I wouldn't share with anyone it did not matter who they were. My parents kept having to tell me that I had to learn to share my stuff. I got over it eventually, but it did take a very long time to learn the art of sharing.

I was 17 when I got the DX of Asperger’s syndrome ASD 1. So, for me I would have liked to have known much sooner than that. So that I could have had the proper support in school. I look, act, and seem very much like my blood brother and I only got to see him once 17 years ago. It was really freaky because we never grew up together any, yet we are so much alike. He has the same mannerisms, body language, speech patterns and everything. It makes you wonder how much nurture has to do with it or if it is mostly nature. The genetic code that binds you together is stronger than anything on the planet.

I watch crime TV shows and medical dramas. I play virtual hockey games and watch hockey onTV. I blog about what it was like growing up as me. I read fantasy books and listen to their audio books. I play strategy games on the computer and fiddle with the computer to try and keep it in perfect working order. That is what I do these days to make me happy.

I played the drums, piano, and trombone and got good at each one of them.I have had several girl friends over the years. All this having ASD. So, it is possible to live a semi normal life. Hang in their it does get better. I think the only one that should be called a expert on ASD is someone who has ASD and is able to talk about what it is like to have it. You can ask me anything and I will try to answer it. I cannot answer questions that I have not been asked.

Whenever I find a post that goes into something that I have knowledge in I comment on it and post the comment on my blog if it is worthwhile. I think everybody should benefit from my experiences

I was 17 when I got my first DX of Asperger’s Syndrome, so my parents never put any limitations on me either. I tried every sport in the book till I found golf and bowling that I am good at. I know lots of people with ASD that live a pretty normal lives on their own and I am living a pretty normal life, so I think anything is possible.

you would think that someone would have noticed

something was wrong and told my parents about it.

But nope no one did, and it was just a fluke of my

birth mom dyeing of a brain tumour and for me to get checked out that I even got the DX of ASD when I did.

I like people to know that I am autistic so that they can see the other side of it. I wear a hoodie that says I wear blue for autism awareness.

Most people think of autism as being the classic aloof form and don’t realize how varied the disorder is.

My mom had to become a stay at home mom because every time she tried to drop me off at daycare I would start crying and throwing a tantrum till she stopped trying. The daycare people said after a week that they could not handle me because of the crying and tantrums that I would through. she took me to our pediatrician, and he said because I had come from foster care and was adopted that I was having abandonment issues and that it would not get better any time soon and that she should stay at home with me and be my own day-care provider. so, she did till I was 12 and then she went back to work.

I did do some pre-school, but I just hid under a table and did not partake in anything and would have nothing to do with anyone, so she gave up on that after a couple of months and just kept me at home till I was old enough to start kindergarten.

I think it is a big mistake to get rid of the Asperger’s DX because without it in their most of us will not get a proper DX and will not get the services or support we deserve.

I would have been DXed as PDD-NOS which is what they were wanting to push on me but for one nero doc that said it was Asperger’s.