Hi,
I am looking for females who have ASD to help me with a Documentary I'm making.
I have 3 category's and I'd like a video(highest quality you can do) or audio(if you don't want to show your face) of you answering the questions, please speak clearly(or use something like a AAC device if you can't). Please also make sure the background is not distracting(you can use a sheet or a blank wall behind you or you can do it in a park/garden with plants in the background) Please try and use the best lighting you can as well(natural lighting such as being outside is best). For sound, try and minimize the background noise as much as you possibly can.
Please also try and keep the video/audio under 5 min if you can(if you can't that's fine too).
The examples below are just generic that I just made up and I would have put more detail in the diagnosis process but I don't know what it's like for others, you can go into more detail if you'd like or you can keep it very short.
Category 1- Those who have been diagnosed
-Your name(you can use a nick name)
-your age
-age you were diagnosed(and what diagnosis)
-what the diagnosis process was like for you
-what growing up was like for you
-would you like to be "cured"
-what services you have
-what services you would like but are unable to get
-what do you consider the best and worse part about being Autistic
EXAMPLE:
Hi my name is Sara and I am 24 and I was diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 16. It took many years to be diagnosed and even now that I have the diagnosis some people still don't believe I have Aspergers. The diagnosis process was difficult and longer then it usually is for boys. Growing up I always knew I was different and so did my parents but nobody thought it was Aspergers because I was a girl and I didn't behave like the boys who have Aspergers. If I was offered a magic pill to cure myself I wouldn't take it. I am Lucky that I have a counselor/therapist who understands my Autism but there are other area's that I need help with that I can't get because my insurance won't cover it because I'm an Adult such as ABA and sensory integration. I do get brokerage services through my county which help me function somewhat better in society then I would otherwise. I think my ability to see things in my head in very precise detail is one of the best things but my sensory issues make everyday life very hard
Category 2- Undiagnosed
-Your name(nicknames are fine)
-your age
-when you first thought it was autism
-why you haven't been diagnosed
-what it was like growing up
-would you like to be "cured"
-what services you have
-what services you would like but are unable to get
-what do you consider the best and worse part about being Autistic
EXAMPLE:
Hi my name is Anonymous I am 42 and I've never been diagnosed. I first realized that I might have Autism when I was in my early 20s. when I was growing up getting a diagnosis for a Autism spectrum disorder didn't happen for girls unless you were severely affected. I don't have the money now to pay for a specialist to diagnose me. growing up was hard because people didn't understand the way I behaved and I didn't understand the way they behaved ether. if I could be cured I would because I find that autism gets in my way. I see a therapist who helps me but I would really like some support for going out in the community and being independent. I don't see anything about Autism being good and the worst thing about it I think is the social aspect.
Category 3- parents of ASD girls
-Your name(s) (nicknames fine)
- your childs name(nicknames fine)
- your childs age now
- your childs age when you suspected something different about them and why
- the diagnosis process you went through or the process you child went through as a adult on their own
- the hardest part about raising a girl vs a boy who has Autism
- what services you child had/has
- what services you wish your child had
- would you have "cured" your child given the chance
EXAMPLE:
Hi we're John and Jane and out daughter who we will call "E" for her protection is 21. We always knew to some degree that she was a little bit different because of things like she didn't spend a lot of time playing with friends like other girls her age, but we didn't know what was wrong until she was about 9 when we finally got the school to consent to testing. The diagnosis process was long and hard and we had to fight the school the entire time because they didn't want to test her or give her services. People didn't think she had Autism they just thought she was a shy girl who loved books, a friend of mine had a boy the same age who also has Autism but he was easily diagnosed because he was disruptive, E was never disruptive so nobody believed me, nobody understood that it was different in girls then in boys. E was finally given speech therapy for her minor delay and though we fought for other services we were never able to get them, we wished we were able to get ABA and social skills training because E would have really benefited from those, I quit my job while John worked so I could teach E the skills she needed like self care.The school believed because she could do things on her own once in a while that she didn't need any assistance. We love E and given the choice we wouldn't change anything about her, Autism is just part of who she is, and while she still struggles with things as a adult she is happy and healthy and likes who she is.
To submit you video/Audio please message me and I will send you my e-mail address that you can send the video/audio to.
PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL ASD FEMALES YOU KNOW.
Thank you!
07 Aug 2014, 8:41 pm
