Autistics Speaking Day

Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of an event hosted on Facebook called Communication Shutdown. Facebook users were encouraged to go one day without logging into their accounts. The intent behind Communication Shutdown was to raise autism awareness by sharing in the experience of being unable to communicate. However, many of us in the autistic community found this event to be highly insulting for multiple reasons.

To start, few things have been more helpful to the autistic community than social media. The internet, including social websites like Facebook, has allowed us to find each other. We have used it to share coping strategies, learn how to navigate the neuronormal world, exchange ideas to be heard, and reassure each other that there are others like us in the world. Encouraging abstinence from this mechanism is a poor way to celebrate these accomplishments.

Probably the more obvious insult is the implication that autistic people don't communicate. It's true that we have difficulties with social interaction, but social interaction is different from communication. In fact, even completely nonverbal individuals are fully capable of communication. To the extent that our attempts fail, it's usually due to those attempts being ignored or not noticed.

To my knowledge, Communication Shutdown has not continued after its first year. Maybe it was due to the backlash from the autistic community. Perhaps it was only planned to be a one-day event from the beginning.

So, why should I bring this up now, four years later? Mostly, it's to talk about the response from the autistic community, which has lasted much longer. Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of Communication Shutdown, but it was also the fourth anniversary of Autistics Speaking Day.

Autistics Speaking Day is an annual event that takes place on November 1^st each year, the same date as the event that inspired it. It was created as a positive, educational alternative to Communication Shutdown. Not simply a push back, but something to fill the resulting void if that push back were successful.

Autistics Speaking Day was created to show that autistic people can and do communicate. What's more, we have a lot to say. The day was created for us to rise up, either in real life or behind our keyboards, and say “I'm autistic, and I will be heard!” Many of these messages are placed under the easy to find heading of “Autistics Speaking Day.”

Worthy of note is that much of what is said on Autistics Speaking Day is at odds with what we are told by the media. The reason is simple. What is said by autistic people is not filtered through experts trying to make sense of what they are seeing. It comes straight from the minds that they are speaking about.

I try to keep a writing schedule, mostly to make things easier for me. (I always post on the first and third Sundays of each month.) This time, it did cause me to be a day late for the event. However, all of the Autistic Speaking Day writing should still be present.

Now log on to your favorite search engine and search for “Autistic Speaking Day” to see what the autistic community has to say.

Autism Rates and Movie Production Costs: Connection?

There is certainly no shortage of attempts to explain the rising prevalence of autism. I would like to present another. As we know, the rate of autism in 1997 was reported as being 1.6 per 1,000. That has sharply risen to 6.6 per 1,000 in 2007, and is currently reported as 14.7 per 1,000 in 2014. By comparison, the cost to make and market a movie in 1997 was around $60 million, increasing to $100 million in 2007, and $180+ million currently. The cost has more than tripled in just 17 years, coinciding with the sharp increase in the prevalence of autism.

It is likely that there are other factors involved, as the correlation does not appear to be linear. In addition, 1942's Casablanca cost just over $1 million to produce. During that same year, the rate of autism was effectively zero. This suggests that there may be a safe level of movie production cost, without risking elevating the autism rates.

It is not known at this time exactly how these two might be related. Some possibilities include more realistic special effects directing children to focus too much on small details, or more aggressive marketing strategies may lead to obsessive interests. Whatever the cause may be, I think further research may be merited.

Odds are very good right now that either you're laughing hysterically or you think I've gone completely nuts. In truth, I created a deliberately ridiculous example to make a point about correlation and causation. I don't believe that any sane person is likely to believe that movie production costs have anything to do with autism. However, there are many studies and theories that have little to no more validity than this, including several that gain widespread media attention. Unfortunately, most people are not adequately equipped to recognize a bogus or unusable study when they see one. I'd like to help by providing a quick guide to understanding the experimental process.

To start, I feel I should point out one of the basic rules of logic: correlation does not imply causation. Just because two things are happening at the same time does not mean they have anything to do with each other. They might be related, but further evidence will always be needed to establish a connection. My hope is that point is made above in the opening of this piece.

Second, it is important to always clearly define your terms. This is often overlooked in autism research, and perhaps other psychological studies. As definitions change over time and methods improve, researchers often neglect to adjust previous findings to account for these changes, leading to faulty results. If you look carefully at the above example, you may find a result of this fallacy. (Hint: Look up when Leo Kanner first published his autism research.)

The primary purpose of any experiment or study is to isolate one particular variable as much as possible. If there are too many variables, it can be difficult to say the reason for the results. There are multiple ways to isolate one variable. As many of them as possible should be used.

The first is to use a large sample group. Coincidences and unusual phenomena happen. With a small enough sample group, it can be difficult to tell if you're looking at a coincidence or an actual result of the experiment. The sample group should be large enough that coincidences should be expected. By doing this, it becomes easier to tell if a particular occurrence is happening at a statistically significant rate.

Next, we have to account for individual variation between different people. The best way to control for this is to have a diverse and representative sample. Many autism researchers look to particular programs or classes for their research subjects. The problem with this is that many of these programs only accept people with a defined age or level of intelligence, functioning, or income. Most of them also largely constitute people within a certain area. This means that autism is no longer the only variable involved in the study. The findings become unusable outside the one type of group in the study.

The third way we have to isolate a specific variable is to use a control group. A control group is a second sample group, similar to the experimental group, but without the variable being tested. The purpose is to observe alongside the experiment what a normal result would look like.

One type of control that's commonly used in treatment studies is a placebo. Often, a person will react to a treatment just by virtue of expecting a result. A placebo is designed to separate this phenomenon from actual results. The way it works is the subject is given an inert equivalent to the treatment and is allowed to believe that it is the actual treatment. Only differences between the actual treatment and the placebo group should be noted.

Another technique is a blind or double blind study. A blind study is when the participants do not know whether they are the experimental group or the control group. Most studies are conducted this way. A double blind study is when the researcher present with the participants also does not know which group is which. This is done to prevent the researcher from giving subconscious clues to the participants, or from subconsciously biasing the results.

To illustrate the isolation of variables, I'd like to use what may be considered to be an extreme example, Andrew Wakefield's research into vaccines. I realize this is a controversial example outside the scientific and medical communities. Allow me to explain why his research was never fully accepted.

First, Wakefield used a sample group of only twelve children. It is almost impossible to distinguish actual results from a coincidence with such a small group. Second, all of the children were drawn from his existing gastroenterology work, meaning that they all likely had gastrointestinal problems. That makes his results useless in terms of anyone with no gastrointestinal problems alongside autism. And third, he used no control group to compare his results. It is entirely possible that by using one or more control groups, he may have noticed similar results in unvaccinated autistic children, or different results in vaccinated neuronormal children. Either one of these would have rendered his observations irrelevant.

On a final note, you will occasionally find a study where the researcher appears to have decided on the conclusion before conducting the research. Usually, this is unintentional. Researchers are, after all, human like the rest of us. Sometimes, though, the data may be cherry picked to suit the desired conclusion. If you look at my example of the costs of movie productions, an astute reader may note that those costs have more or less risen steadily over the course of time, while the rates of autism diagnoses appears to have sharply risen in the 1990s, shortly after Hans Asperger's research was translated o English.

The check for this is usually the assumption that science is repeatable. If other researchers are unable to reproduce the same results, there is probably something wrong with the study.

If I may return to the Wakefield study into vaccines, there are two solid reasons to suspect his results may have been influenced by his desired conclusion. First, as often as his theory was put to the test, no other researcher has ever been able to reproduce his results. Second, it was later proven that at least five of his twelve subjects were showing signs of autism prior to vaccination. This second point, in particular, strongly suggests that this study may have been fraudulent.

The major take home message from this should be to not believe everything you read on the internet. There are certainly plenty of valid studies out there. Just be sure to check the methods and double check the data before you believe it.

The Learning Process and How to Use It

It is commonly recognized that different people have different learning styles. Seven have been identified. Furthermore, most people use a combination of two or more learning styles. The seven learning styles are as follows:

• Visual: Visual learners learn best using pictures, images, and other visual cues. Even the suggestion of a visual cue can be enough.

• Aural: This learning style makes use of sounds and songs, such as how we learn the alphabet.

• Verbal: Verbal learners will retain information by repeating it back, in either a spoken or written format. Essays and speeches both cater to a verbal learning style.

• Physical: Physical learning involves associating movements, gestures, and actions with the information. In effect, this is learning by doing.

• Logical: This is learning by reasoning. It is finding the answer by learning why it's the answer.

• Social: Social learners learn best in groups, using others to reinforce what they've learned.

• Solitary: A solitary learner typically does best learning on his/her own. Study groups are usually of little value to a solitary learner.

Most people are familiar enough with their own learning styles to find what works best for themselves. As a teacher, however, it's important to cater to as many learning styles as possible in each lesson. This not only teaches to the largest number of students, but further reinforces the lesson for those with multiple learning styles.

However, the ways that people learn can be simplified even more. Everyone goes through four stages in the learning process: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. Let's go through these four stages in terms of learning to ride a bike, since most of us are familiar with that.

• Unconscious Incompetence: At this stage, you would not only have no knowledge of the subject you're learning, but you wouldn't even have any idea what you don't know. In our example, a child might look at someone riding a bicycle and think of it as an almost magical phenomenon that something could stay upright on only two wheels.

• Conscious Incompetence: After trying to learn a subject, you begin to become aware of the things you need to know. Most children learning to ride a bike experience this stage while using training wheels. They begin to understand that there is a trick to it, but still rely heavily on the training wheels.

• Conscious Competence: This is when you would begin to understand what you're learning. You still have to think about it, but you know what you're doing. When learning to ride a bike, this could be constantly adjusting the handlebars to stay upright, or it could be finding some way to get speed without starting from a completely stopped position. This is also the stage where you will see the classic occurrence of a parent letting go of the seat without the child's knowledge.

• Unconscious Competence: The final stage of learning is when you no longer have to think about it. In our example, you don't have to think about how to keep your bike upright. You just get on and ride. You may even no longer know how you didn't know to begin with.

Every time you learn something new, you will go through all four stages of this process. As a matter of fact, even babies will go through these stages when they learn how to walk, talk, and even eat. Teenagers go through this process when they learn to drive. Adults will even go through it when they start a new job. In addition, people are likely to move through each stage faster if they approach the subject using one of their favored learning styles.

My regular readers know that I usually write about autism-related topics. So, why am I writing about this? In part, it has to do with my fascination with how the human mind works. Even more, I feel that this knowledge can be used by multiple aspects of the autism community.

When I talk about learning styles, you're likely to think about teachers, so I'll start there. One thing I notice is that autistic people tend toward logical and solitary learning styles. I've never liked study groups, or even group activities in class. Many of my teachers have accommodated by allowing me to do group activities on my own, so that I only have to focus on learning the things that I don't know, without the distractions of everything everyone else needs to review, which has very rarely helped me. In addition, I've always felt that taking a logical approach and learning why the answers are what they are is a more concrete way to learn. If I forget, or if I want to know something related, I already have to tools to figure it out myself.

Additionally, it's often easier to work a person through the stages of the learning process by relating the subject to something they already know. For an autistic student, this is likely one of their interests. I realize that that may not be efficient in a large class. However, if you can get one-on-one time with the student, it may be more likely that you can help them through a difficult subject that way.

For parents, an understanding of the learning process may help in other ways. As you may know, some of the distinguishing characteristics of autism are social deficiencies and problems with independent living skills. Most people learn these almost automatically, so it's often easy to fill in the gaps. However, autistic people do not. Understanding that you must teach these things to an autistic child, starting from the unconscious incompetence stage, meaning that the child doesn't even know what he/she doesn't know, can help this process considerably. Don't forget to play on the logical learning style as much as possible.

From the autistic point of view, some of us are great self teachers. However, I'm constantly amazed that some of the autistic people I know have trouble getting started with the learning process, because they don't know anything about the subject. I admit that I struggle with this too sometimes. Getting past the unconscious incompetence stage can be difficult for specific-to-general learners like us. All I can really say is to dive in and the areas where you need to start will gradually become apparent.

Finally, a note for the self-advocate. Teaching others about autism is one of the cornerstones of autistic self-advocacy. Cater to as many different learning styles as you can. Logical should be easy for most of us, since we already think on a logical level. Being open about your autism and being the best example of autism you can be works on a visual level. Personal stories will help verbal learners. You can cater to physical learners by befriending and spending time with those who would be neurodiversity allies. Always keep in mind what stage in the learning process they are in.

I hope this information helps you. Now, go start learning what you don't know and teaching what you do.

The Problem with Puzzle Pieces

The puzzle piece. It has been used as a symbol to represent autism for decades. But why was that symbol chosen? What does it mean to people? And for that matter, why are some of us so offended by it? Let me attempt to answer these questions.

The puzzle piece was first adopted as a symbol in 1963 by the National Autism Society (NAS), after a presentation titled “Perspectives on a Puzzle.” The reason given was that it was distinctly different from the logo for any other charity or organization at the time, as far as they could ascertain. Since then, other autism charities have adopted variations on it.

So what does the puzzle piece represent, exactly? It's entirely possible that the NAS meant it as an entirely innocuous logo. However, it can be difficult for a symbol like that to not have any meaning, even if it isn't intentional.

The first thing that I see is that it presents people as puzzles that need to be solved, or even that autistic people are puzzling. I find this to be a ridiculous notion, since all people are unique and complex individuals. I also find it to be insulting that a certain group of people are singled out as being in more need of being solved.

Now, some people will point out that the people are not the puzzle. They will say that the puzzle is autism itself. I don't feel that that's much better. For one, it seems like a variation on the same thing. All neurotypes are complex, and difficult for others of different neurotypes to understand. That even includes neuronormal. Just because something happens to be in the majority, that doesn't mean it's less difficult for an outsider to understand.

Perhaps it may have made sense when the puzzle piece was first used. At the time, there weren't many diagnosed autistic people who had the ability to express their thoughts, so it would have made sense that people wouldn't have had any way to know how their minds worked.

In modern times, though, the same traits have been found in much more verbal people. In addition, technology allows even nonverbal people to speak what's on their minds. Many people in both these categories are attempting to put our voices out into public awareness. We are trying to educate people about ourselves. We do understand the frustration that many parents go through. Those of us who are as opposed to a cure as I am have a stake in whether parents fully understand their children. We are working hard toward that goal.

The other thing I see in the puzzle piece is the implication that there is a missing piece. It feels as if people are saying that the reason we're different is that there is something we don't have that everyone else does. Most autistic people feel like complete human beings. Further, many of the organizations that use puzzle piece logos are searching for some sort of a cure. It makes no sense to complete the whole by removing something.

Several people have told me that maybe autism is the piece that completes society. Maybe the puzzle piece could represent that. It is true that it takes all types of brains to create a complete and functional society. However, if that's what the puzzle piece represents, shouldn't all neurotypes be symbolized as puzzle pieces?

I hope that has explained why some of us are repulsed by this symbol. So now what? What kind of symbol would be more appropriate? One thing I have noticed is that I have never seen an autistic-run organization that uses a puzzle piece as it's logo. There are many good ideas out there. My personal favorite is the infinity symbol.

Image from commons.wikipedia.org

The infinity was adopted as an autistic pride symbol by Aspies For Freedom. Although the founders are controversial figures within the autistic community, I feel that in this case they chose well.

The infinity symbol was chosen because it represents logic, intelligence, and continuity. It represents something that has always been and always will be a part of this world. The representation is simple and easy to look at, but the meaning is very complex. In short, while the puzzle piece represents everything negative about autism, the infinity represents the positives of the autism experience.

Do you have any other ideas for a symbol?

A Retreat into Mindfulness

By Melissa Farley, KindTree volunteer...
Copied from http://fullaccessblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/a-retreat-into-mindfulness/

A Retreat into Mindfulness

Dear Friends of Full Access,
This was my third year attending the Autism Rocks friends and family camp (aka: The Retreat). For the people who attend, this event is anticipated as a much needed break from the “neurotypical” demands of mainstream society. The retreat is located on a small peninsula in the Siltcoos Lake, near Florence. There are giant trees, wildlife, safe people, and divine densities of stars. There are also activities to choose from day and night: karaoke, canoeing, art, nature walks, live performances, and disco dancing. In this place, people are given the space to truly be themselves without judgment or expectation. One simply shows up as they are in this moment and is loved.

For Some, it Takes Time to Acclimate

My first year attending the retreat, I was nervous. I had been hearing about it for years and wanted to attend, but spending a weekend camping in an unfamiliar environment was intimidating. Finally, after too many excuses, I made it. I parked my car and walked through the camp full of dozens of unfamiliar faces to register. When I wasn’t working my kitchen shifts, I spent a lot of time alone walking through the forest, reading in my tent, napping…I felt awkward. I didn’t know how to connect. I wasn’t sure I would be back again.
The next year I was employed by Ryan to help with his career as a Dean Martin impersonator. I worked with him and Jed, a Frank Sinatra impersonator, to prepare a stage show for last year’s retreat. At their request, we got a few ladies together and choreographed a showgirl routine for their finale. Dancing in a feather boa to a shouting crowd, on a peninsula in the forest was a blast. I felt more connected than the previous year; I thought I might be back.

But Then We Make Friends

To quote the KindTree website: “The retreat is a time for rejuvenation and solidarity. Autists are accepted and enjoyed for themselves, not forced into a procrustean neuro-normal mold.” There is a beautiful empowerment that comes from this experience. Many of us take feeling relatively “normal” for granted. At the retreat there is no template for normal. We are all normal. We all belong and are invited to join in each moment with love and acceptance. Campers make friendships that last year after year. Every year I see faces light up as friends arrive from afar and tears as they have to say good-bye.
This year, arriving through massive pines and stillness felt like sinking into a warm bath, like an easing of my aching bones. I got there late and it was getting dark, so I hurriedly set up my tent. I could hear The Raventones playing music down at the Chapel stage. I decided I’d get the rest of my stuff later and rushed over roots and through bramble toward the sounds of TR and Randy playing “One Size Fits All”. Friends greeted me from the shadows, silhouettes of happy autists decorated the dance floor, and I felt like I had arrived home.
Over the years, as I released my attachment to fitting in, I began to glimpse what this event means to the autists who attend. I accepted that I am an introvert. I need to spend time by myself and it is socially acceptable to do so, even in the midst of a very socially interactive community. I never expected to find myself experiencing this type of relief. I expected to support others as they found their comfort zones but there I sat, alone, light filtering through branches with softly striped brilliance and I felt more comfortable than I had in a long time.

And Then We Feel Loved

I have seen thisblossoming happen for both campers and their families. The feeling of being accepted as we are, with no demands to fit in, is a feeling many of these people do not often get the privilege of enjoying. But for these few days we can flap, stim, talk to ourselves, follow others around talking endlessly, rock back and forth, stare, avoid eye contact, shout, laugh, and sing to our heart’s content. We are free to flow and free to allow our loved ones to flow without ridicule or judgment.

And Then…It’s Like Buttah

I cannot speak for other attendees, but for me, the feeling of interconnectedness increases as I let go of expectations and just enjoy each moment as it comes. I did not expect to be floating on the dock at midnight, staring at the Milky Way with new friends. I also didn’t expect to be quoting Saturday Night Live while making crowns out of old telephone cables, but have you seen Barbara Streisand in the Prince of Tides?!?! It was like buttah. Mindfulness comes naturally in this environment. We arrive ready to be present in each moment without reservation. It is this presence of mind that allows each individual to shine and blossom in their own unique way. We do not fly off to some exotic retreat to study mindfulness. We retreat to the forest near Florence, Oregon. We get dirt on our shoes and eat s’mores. We smile and sing and scream, right here, right now.

Melissa Farley
Personal Agent, Full Access, Eugene, OR

My experience at 2014 KindTree - Autism Rocks Friends and Family Camp

From Katie Clark...

My experience at 2014 KindTree - Autism Rocks Friends and Family Camp.

I went to the Kindtree Autism camp on my own for the first time. i always went with my mom and her ex Robert. well Robert did karaoke for the camp for 6 years and then stopped doing karaoke when he fell ill so we didn't go for 4 years. and then i went by myself to the 2014 kindtree camp.

i really enjoyed myself and did well on my own there. well my friend Mary who is president of kindtree and her friend Johanna helped set up my tent for me and get my stuff that was in a wheelbarrow. they were great help.

i moved to La Pine Oregon which is in Deshutes county in Central Oregon and don't get to see my friends most the time since moving, so it was nice to go to camp and see all my friends and hang out with some.

well i have High Function Autism and the camp is a way for me to be around others with Autism and to get to be myself. i enjoy the activity's such as the RavenTones, Frankie and Deano, and the talent show, and i really enjoyed the stim room or quiet room - a place where those with Autism can go and unwind, have quietness and stim and get calm. the food is good too, i specially like the lasagna .

well i got to really enjoy the camp after going for a while with my folks, seeing how the volunteers and staff how they accommodated people with Autism, how they could be them self and not be judged, how they had a place to camp that was made specially for them to be them self and be safe, how some of them were interacting with others when they may other wise not do as well at, or how some of them would do things like the talent show when that may other wise not be easy for them to do. they may not feel so comfortable doing a talent around a crowd or communicating to the crowd. it just felt like a place that was meant for me to be how i wanted to be and not be told other wise. 

i also enjoyed spending time with Mary, you know the president of kindtree who also has Autism. i went with her to the raventones, the talent show, and Frankie and Deano, and went with her where they were doing a fire and smores, and went to the water front with her as well. i would not be able to do those things with her since moving except at the camp. it was nice to spend time with her that i don't get most times. I just love the whole atmosphere of the camp and how they run it plus because of kindtree and Mary i have met lots of people and are friends with a lot of those people.

An Experience Unlike Any Other - The Autism Camp

Two weeks ago, I attended what I consider to be the ultimate getaway for an autistic person. A local organization, Kind Tree – Autism Rocks, stages an annual three day camping trip on the Oregon coast. This was my fourth year in attendance, and I don't plan on missing another in the future.

There were roughly 240 people in attendance at this year's Autism Camp, including seventy volunteers. Guests include people from all sections of the autism spectrum, including self-diagnosed, as well as family members. The volunteer staff is composed of autistic people, family members, professionals, and anyone with an interest in contributing.

Once we're all there, there is no line drawn between autistic and non-autistic. The only line drawn is between guest and volunteer, and even that is mostly just when the volunteers are on duty. Two years ago, one of the board of directors of Kind Tree was told by a lifeguard at camp, “I can't tell who's autistic and who's not!” She responded by saying, “Good! That's the idea.” In my observation, even that misses the point. The real point is “Who cares?” We're all people, we're all individuals, and we're all there to have fun.

In fact, the core tenants of the Autism Camp are safety and fun. The fun requirement is filled with good food (three meals each day, and snacks available all day), music almost everywhere you go, and a schedule packed full of activities. Activities include arts & crafts, nature walks, non-competitive sports and games, swimming, and performances. If you're bored, it's because you're trying to be.

Of course, with all of the activities there are, no one is required to participate in any of them. If you want to spend the entire weekend reading or sitting in your tent, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, some people do it that way. Again, it's all about having fun.

The safety aspect is handled a little more carefully, without being overbearing. It's mostly about presence. Of course, there are always lifeguards present at the waterfront. In addition, there is also a group of volunteers known as the vibe crew. There are always two to four of them on duty at any given time. Their job is mainly to be there and ready to help if it's needed. Otherwise, as long as everyone is being safe and having fun, they just allow people to do what they're doing, without interfering.

For an autistic person, attending this camp, whether as a guest or as a volunteer, should feel like coming home. The first time I attended was also the first time I felt like I was part of the normal population, because autistic is normal there. It was an amazing feeling that I've never felt anywhere else. The now president of Kind Tree, who is also autistic, has said of her first time that it felt like she had found her tribe.

I believe this is because autism is seen as something to celebrate. Autistic people are not required or even encouraged to hide their traits. It is a weekend to simply be yourself. A freedom that many on the spectrum do not normally have.

It has been said that everyone is autistic by the end of the event. I have noticed that the neuronormal people in attendance do tend to absorb some of the behaviors of those surrounding them. When people notice this, they usually mention how good it felt. In fact, some of the first time volunteers who have never had much exposure to the autism community come away wondering if they might even be autistic as well.

There is one specific story I would like to share. A woman who came with her teenage son publicly read a part of a book that she is writing. Her son had never known friendship when he was growing up. He had been rejected by other children his age. She said that he had grown to hate himself, and that he used to self-harm.

His first time attending the Autism Camp, she was surprised to see him hanging out and playing with other people. He had made friends. When they left, he did not continue to engage in self-harming behavior. He had grown to stop hating himself. Each year, he looks forward to seeing the friends he made at camp.

Sadly, I don't think this story is uncommon among a population that is repeatedly made to feel inferior and defective. Each year, there are people that are reluctant to leave camp because of a newfound sense of belonging and a vastly improved self-image. Each year when I leave, I am grateful that something like this exists.

If you like this idea, but you don't have anything like it near you, I strongly encourage you to create your own version of Kind Tree in your area. It doesn't even need to be big.

Kind Tree was started by two people that worked in a group home. They were disgusted by the lack of activities provided for the residents, so they decided to take some of them on a retreat for a day. As Kind Tree was able to acquire more resources, that retreat gradually grew into what it is today.

No matter what that retreat has consisted of, the biggest thing that has always made it work was that those in charge of it have always held a healthy respect for the guests as fellow human beings. There has never been any attempt to “fix” them or to alter their behavior. Instead, the Autism Camp and all other Kind Tree events are times to be yourself, no matter how weird, unusual, or silly that might be.

If you are interested in taking part or starting your own, check out www.kindtree.org.