Name: Arnold

5 Favorite Hobbies:

1. Catching bugs
2. Puzzles
3. Putting together models with his parents
4. Baseball
5. Yo-Yo

5 Favorite Things:

1. Hotdogs and pizza are his favorite foods
2. School and academics
3. Computer games
4. Comic books
5. People

5 Strengths:

1. Loves to talk and being around people! Since his parents own a local comic book store, there are a lot of people that Arnold finds very interesting, oftentimes based on what the content provides in the bookstore
2. He isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind
3. A genius in math and science
4. Can be a total goof at times getting a few laughs here and there
5. Very good at sports (baseball being his favorite sport)

5 Weaknesses:

1. Very closed minded when it comes to food
2. Doesn’t know when to stop talking about his favorite things at times (even though he admits that he needs help in some areas)
3. He rambles on whenever he’s afraid in trying something new. Whether that’s with food or going to a new place. Even if it’s...

Name: Ella

5 Favorite Hobbies:

1. Spending time with her sisters
2. Drawing abstract art
3. Picking flowers
4. Playing the Piano
5. Photography

5 Favorite Things:

1. Playing with her dog “Daisy”
2. Eating ice cream
3. Doing things with her Family (she prefers family over friends)
4. Computers
5. Art museums

5 Strengths:

1. Amazing at drawing designs and adding color to them during her free time
2. Talented singer
3. Knows all of the bells and whistles in photography editing
4. Her family and friends adore her bright beautiful smile
5. Excellent at math, and writes the answers in an artistic kind of way

5 Weaknesses:

1. Extremely shy
2. Often times she isn’t strong or confident in what she does
3. Hard to stay focused at school, and very insecure about her outward appearance, and her mind is typically on when she will see her big brothers again.
4. Tends to get lost when people (other than family) come up to her to say hi or have a conversation.
5. Doesn’t know how to use body language in a social situation

...

Name: Tyler

5 Favorite Hobbies:

1. Writing
2. Snowboarding
3. Dancing
4. Reading
5. Competing (in sports or other games that can be challenging)

5 Favorite Things:

1. Animals
2. Toys
3. Video Games
4. Things that go fast (cars, planes, and trains for example)
5. Music

5 Strengths:

1. A colorful mind in the world of imagination (cleverly creative)
2. Open minded to any kind of entertainment such as music and movies
3. Fearless
4. Focused
5. Fast learner

5 Weaknesses:

1. Finding his words in the correct order when talking
2. Gets a bit upset when people don’t understand him or when they see him as questionable
3. Facial expressions can be difficult at times when expressing emotion
4. Loud noises and vibration on the ground is overwhelming
5. Embarrassing moments keep coming back to him, and whenever he thinks of them, he’s not fully in the present. Extremely hard to forget them and wishing it could have all been different.

Family: Divorced parents and raised by his mother from the time he was eight years old; his father is...

The very first discovery when having autism is innocence.

In the beginning, many children would not know that they have autism. Should someone let them know early or later on? It depends; Every parent is different when breaking the news to the topic of autism with their children. For my case, I didn't learn about this information until I was thirteen. Here's why.

I had the help at school. With the para pros, the tests, and all of that good stuff to assist me because of autism, but was not told that I have had it. I retained my innocence and went on with whatever went on.

Felt happy in a way not knowing about the whole autism thing as I was growing up. Next to the extra help, I had my share of fun moments with other children in elementary school. In all honesty, I believed we shared the same innocence together. Learn, laugh, run, and play; Didn't matter if you were dumb, deft, or blind, or anything like that, along with things I have had; One thing we all had in common was that we...

It is strange to me.

Used to want to be like everyone else. The looks, the way people talk, even the popular trends that would be discussed. Now a days, I look, and see if it is okay to touch. In other words, if there's something that's popular, I tend to ponder over it and decide if I want to be a part of it. A running gag, a fashion style, a popular television series, even the way people think about stuff.

Trends sort of became a curiosity to me. If I don't be a part of it, I would be left out and unnoticed by the community. Is that a bad thing? Depends on how ya see it.

Got nothing against trends. I like'em! Trends feel like discoveries that someone has shared with me when I take the time to make my own discoveries. Take for example, music. Most of the time I like to fire up a music streaming service and go find bands that aren't really heard in the radio. Many times even today I would listen to the same song over and over again, and would take a while to go listen to something...

Many children with autism watch the same video over and over again. The question is: Should you let your child with autism watch the same video over and over again?

The answer is yes! Most likely they are using that part of the video to develop language, or are using it as a “touchstone” to help them handle the sensory input around them.

You can use that repetitive activity as a bridge into other interests. It may seem strange at first, but once you understand the reason that your child with autism watches a video over and over again, you will learn how to use that as a took for their development.

So next time that they are watching the same thing repetitively, sit with them, be interested in what they are doing, and have them show you the specific part of the video they are watching.

Look for faces, mouth movements, and other clues as to why your child might be watching that particular section.

Most likely they are trying to add that specific activity to their world,...

It has been one topic that I have been pondering over when someone asked me what were some of my fears were. Dinosaurs were one of them; But then something about this topic of fear got me even more fascinated. Because it can be a similar study in the topic of humor. What could be seen as not that funny, to someone with autism, they're laughing their heads off. Same with fear, what could be considered not so scary, to someone with autism, they're frightened.

For example, speaking to others. Afraid of saying the wrong things. I know I sure had my fair share of those moments... through experience. Rather be the silent protagonist in whatever goes on. But many people with autism can have the ability to speak, and speaking itself can be a skill that can be mastered. To the point where people become keynote speakers and singers on stage. Another example of an unusual fear based on what I have experienced would be birds. May be because of an Alfred Hitchcock movie I've watched; But even...

From humble beginnings, author and writer, Tyler McNamer, casually introduces himself as AutismWorks was still under development shortly after he wrote and published his first book, Population: ONE.

Here is Tyler's first appearance in the video sharing channel.

Introducing the first video to the AutismWorks video sharing channel. When we were first developing AutismWorks, my dad took the time to share the audience on what AutismWorks will be about as we were building the community.

Enjoy the first video!

Second time became the charm.

Long ago, Dad took me to the drag races when I was twelve. Felt like the worst place to be. Reasons for that was:

• Outdoor
• Cold
• Strange smells involving foods and gasoline
• Incredibly loud noises
• Vibrations of the race cars as they speed by

Was a beautiful nightmare. I say beautiful because that trip has taught me something very important that I will get to in a little bit.

I had everything in attempt to make it a better experience. Earplugs, headphones, and layered coats; Still didn't work! Even when things got quieter on the race track, I just never knew when the next time the cars roar on the racetrack; Always anticipating the next loud sound that even with the earplugs and the headphones, I still felt like I needed to cover my ears and my head.

Lots of backlash for Dad. People would think that he was trying to hurt me in the drag races because of the whole autism thing, but Dad did this because of a very fascinating reason.

The reason why was this....