I Need Help

Lately my limitations have really been getting to me. I know that I have more to give than I have the capacity for right now. But if things stay as they are, I will never be able to do all that I want to do. Autism will never go away. People say that there are cures or that they’ve seen people be cured, but it’s a fallacy. We simply learn to blend in better.

And so… I need your help. I need your help to blend in better. I need your help because I can’t do this alone. I can’t teach myself what I don’t understand and what I can’t learn from observing the world I am currently living in. There are a lot of things that I don’t know how to do or can’t do right now because of autism. But maybe if I had some help I could learn how to do those things. Maybe if someone could show me in a way I can understand, I can improve on skills I’ve craved to learn since kindergarten.

I have heard a lot of good things about video modeling and I would like to try it. I would like to do a little self-experiment to see if video modeling can help me get past some of my current limitations.

So… here’s what I need from you:

Take a video of yourself or a friend or even a stranger (make sure you get their permission first) saying hi to someone. It can be anywhere- the grocery store, the mall, work, church, etc. Try to make it as realistic and natural as possible.

Then send me the video or post it on your youtube page or blog and send me the link. If you would like to email me with it, leave me a comment and I’ll send you my contact info.

I would also appreciate any other videos you are willing to share with me that have to do with everyday social interactions- small talk, meeting someone new, asking someone on a date, etc.

Thanks in advance for anything you can help me with. I can’t do this alone and I really need help to become better so I really appreciate anything you can do to help.

 

Video Modeling

I was reminded recently of video modeling by a comment on one of my posts.
If you haven’t heard of video modeling, it is when a video shows a behavior modeled for others to imitate. Generally people watch these videos and then do some or all of the behaviors shown in the video. “How to” videos would be considered video modeling.

Research has shown that video modeling may be especially effective with people that have autism. Using videos, therapists have been able to teach autistic children different behaviors and those behaviors are generally retained even after the video modeling/ therapy ends.

I have personally never experienced video modeling as a form of therapy. However, I have noticed that I am especially susceptible to behaviors I see on a screen. When I watch a movie, it changes the way I act and the way I think. I mirror the behaviors in the movie more than I would mirror those behaviors if I were to see the same things happen in person.

For example, if I watch an action movie, I tend to walk faster and with more confidence, take more risks, and be more physically active. If I watch a children’s movie, I tend to be happier and friendlier and more playful. If I watch an intellectual movie, I tend to speak more formally, recite facts more often, and be more willing to sit and read.
That’s one of the reasons I don’t watch horror films… I don’t know how I would act if I watched a horror film, and I don’t really care to find out.

 

One day I would like to experiment with video modeling as a form of therapy on myself.

That’s actually part of my reasons for promoting this blog. If this blog ever gets enough support, I want to do a kickstarter so that I can get someone to do a video for me that will video model how to say hi in different situations. I have never been able to say hi to my friends without them either looking directly at me or them saying hi first. I hope that one day I will be able to say hi to people when I see them. Until then I look forward to the day when I can try out video modeling to see if it will help me with this skill.