I began Autism Strategies in 2007 after developing a workshop to train private and in-home childcare providers about autism. My hope was for childcare providers in Denver to feel more comfortable and ready to accept children on the autism spectrum into their programs. I am a parent of an adult son with autism and my experience is primarily practical but includes 25 years of professional experience in the disability field.

I want to share practical ideas with you so that you may get to know a person with autism in your circle. Here are a few strategies how we got to know our son, Alex. And, Alex shares his stories to “teach you something about interacting with people like me”.

Please know that this has not been a quick or easy process. Getting to know Alex has and will always require support, structure and patience. The results, however, are more than well worth it!

Today Alex is thirty-years-old. He rarely speaks and when he does, it is often indecipherable and barely audible. He slurs words and often whispers to himself; he is challenging to understand and carry on a conversation with. Alex is a loner and a pacer; he stays on the perimeter of things. He requires home health care; he cannot safely cross the street and has trouble asking for help. Yet, Alex reads at college level, has an above average vocabulary, notices everything around him and has a very unique writing voice.

Alex is the perfect example that there is so much more to an individual with autism than meets the eye, ear and heart.

In 2008, I turned the job of writing our annual holiday letter over to Alex with my support. Each year, his stories began to include more and more information. Our family got to see his unique voice develop and we got to know the real Alex. Our friends and family repeatedly tell us that his is their favorite holiday letter they get each year. Eventually, this exercise lead to Alex writing several short stories about how “typical” people have acted strangely around him because of his disability. He is in the process of writing a book and developing a podcast. Any publishers or sponsors out there?

Alex’s brother is a music producer in Denver. He noticed that Alex speaks more and speaks more clearly when he uses a microphone with music beats in the background. With these accommodations, he can be easily understood and the beats make his spoken stories more powerful.

In 2015, Alex and his brother were competitively chosen to present a breakout session at the Autism Society of America National Conference in Denver. Alex presented 13 stories over instrumental tracks that his brother developed. It was extremely well received and the evaluation comments were outstanding.

Please enjoy a sample podcast narrated by Alex’s cousin Jacob Bernard and a video produced by Alex’s cousin, John Seyler. Both Jacob and John got to know Alex through his holiday letters.

Remember to build on strengths; the results will be worth it!

Please bookmark this site and check back for new stories monthly. Thank you for your comments.

Alison Seyler
Autism Strategies