Monthly Archives: August 2011

Autism Burnout: Connecting The Dots (Part 2)

Posted on August 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Let’s Talk Autism Burnout was part 1 of this series.  In that post, I tried to frame the challenge of autism.   My purpose was to draw clear battle lines, so we wouldn’t make the mistake of fighting pain rather than finding purpose.

Autism is hard, and can consume our lives, if we don’t figure out how to turn the obstacles into opportunities.  Steve Jobs might call this connecting the dots.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

[Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

I realize some may be tired of talking about Steve Jobs, since he has been in the news a great deal since his resignation.  My dilemma is I promised to provide lessons from Silicon Valley, which will help us overcome burnout.  No one typifies Silicon Valley better than Steve Jobs.  He has a great deal he can teach us about overcoming burnout.  So, let’s get back to this idea of connecting the dots.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. “

I believe in destiny, that each one of us is here for a reason.   I also believe time and chance happen to us all.   Connecting the dots has to do with taking whatever has come our way, and allowing it to lead us to our purpose.

I have seen this happen over and over again in the autism community.   Moms, dads, siblings, and grandparents taking up the cause.   These are the people raising the money, spreading awareness, creating breakthrough programs, and writing the software.  There are certainly others, but these families who have decided to find purpose in their pain, provide the sustaining energy to this passionate fight against autism.

Connecting The Dots

In the year 2000, if someone had asked me, would the small soccer game I organized to have fun with my sons be destined to become a global program, I would have said, “no”.   And yet this is exactly what happened with E-Soccer.

Looking back it all makes sense, but at the time I was simply trying to become a good dad.  E-Soccer was destiny, but it was invented to solve a simple problem. I wanted to help my sons have fun with me, and other families in the community.

I am not the only one.

Looking around the web you will find people like Rob Gorski, whose humor and honesty will help any family with autism know they are not alone.  There are authors like Chantal Sicile-kira whose books on autism and adolescence provide compelling answers and sustainable hope.  Finally, there are community builders like Stuart Duncan, who does everything within his power to make certain everyone touched by autism is connected.   These are just a few of the people I have discovered, who have connected the dots.  They understand autism is a challenge, but by connecting the dots have made it an opportunity to help others.   Everyone should do this, because one of the best ways to beat burnout is to connect those dots.

How can you find purpose in the pain?  How can you connect your dots?

 

 

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Posted in Breakthrough Ideas, Educational & Social Leadership, Emotional Development, Hacking Autism

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Let’s Talk Autism Burnout (Part 1)

Posted on August 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

This blog was born out of my desire to apply technology to the task of overcoming human limits.  The limits in mind were intellectual disabilities, especially autism.

The first stage in the unfolding of this dream will soon be launched, in the form of a communication app for non-verbal children with autism.  We call it “Quick Talk.”

I have learned from friends local and around the world, that there is something more important than this app.  This lesson is tools and solutions are useless without inspiration.  Without the creative and innovative energy to use them, they will fail in their purpose.  I am writing this as a contribution to the cause of inspiration.  I hope to keep the flame of optimism alive in our hearts as we fight autism.

Having spent 17 years parenting a child with autism, my wife and I are intimately aware of the painful difficulties involved with overcoming this affliction.  Autism has a personality and character all its own, and beating it requires understanding what we are up against.

Autism is persistent.  Once progress has been made, it rears its ugly head, and unleashes a fresh set of symptoms.  These new symptoms are often completely different from those we have previously faced.  Just when we thought we would be celebrating, we are forced to start the fight all over again.

Autism is ruthless.  It lacks any sympathy for our hopes, plans, or dreams.

Autism isolates.  It aims at our child’s mind and hits us in the heart (it can do the same to their teacher or therapist).  Autism uses our emotional despair to isolate us.  It leads us to believe no one cares or understands, which makes us retreat socially.  This is what autism loves.  It knows when we are alone, we are most easily defeated.

Autism silences.  It silences the child’s voice, stifles his parents joy, and quiets the enthusiasm of those who teach or provide them with therapy.

These are just some of the ways in which Autism burns us out.

These difficult times require us to remember our children are a canvas of possibilities.  It is our touch, along with all those who support us, which can turn the empty canvas into a beautiful masterpiece.  This mentality has helped us get through many a difficult day, week, and month (even year).

By no means do I have all the answers.  We are still fighting, learning, and resisting burnout.  What I do know is for our son to reach his potential, we have to beat burnout, and help those who support us do the same.

In my upcoming posts, I plan to show how the innovation culture of Silicon Valley has helped me beat burnout, and can help you as well.  

 



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Posted in Breakthrough Ideas, Educational & Social Leadership, Emotional Development, Hacking Autism

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Guy Kawasaki on Steve Jobs

Posted on August 24, 2011 | 1 Comment

I have been fortunate enough to have met both Guy Kawasaki and Steve Jobs. Lucky enough to have had a couple of great talks with Mr. Kawasaki, and a very very very brief one with Mr. Jobs.  I am no one special, just fortunate.  I will remember them, they won’t remember me.  I guess that is the point.  These are two tremendous people who you simply don’t forget.

Inspirations.

I was moved by Guy Kawasaki writing on his Google+ account about Steve Jobs

No CEO in the history of mankind has done more for his customers, employees, and shareholders than Steve. I consider it an honor to have worked for him.

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Hacking Autism: What It Means To Me

Posted on August 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Discovery News published “Treating Autism:  There’s An App For That” on Monday, August 15.   It talks about the power and potential of touch technology to help people with autism.   It also mentions Hope Technology School, which is familiar to anyone who visits this blog or follows me on Twitter or Google+.

The most exciting thing to me was the new information about the HP Hacking Autism initiative.

This October, HP is organizing a hackathon called “Hacking Autism” to develop new applications. Unlike a traditional hackathon that limits programming to a set time period, the idea is that this will be more of a catalyst.

“We’re crowdsourcing ideas directly from the families, researchers, scientists,” said James Taylor, the director of HP’s Innovation Program Office. A board of directors will evaluate submissions and pick at least five finalists. HP technologists will be volunteering time to create the actual programs, which will then be made available online.

This is the first time I have heard anything about the process, and it sounds promising.  Take a look at the idea gallery, and you will see the great suggestions they have already received.  There will be some significant challenges selecting the right applications, and as I have already written in my 5 suggestions, they must provide at least one great app for non-verbal kids.

Perhaps most interesting is the idea of Hacking Autism becoming a catalyst.  A great idea, but a daunting task.  Nevertheless, I believe it could work, if HP will provide leadership.  They should create an enduring community, so the inspiration extends beyond this moment.   For instance, long after HP returns to their core business, my team of app creators would love to remain connected to a vibrant Hacking Autism community.

Let me explain briefly how my friends and I have already allowed Hacking Autism to become a catalyst for our efforts.  For a number of years, I have puzzled over how to help my son communicate given his verbal limitations.  This is what originally led me to the HP TouchSmart, and provided him with some tremendous breakthroughs.

Throughout our time meeting with HP Engineers, and talking to his therapist and teachers, it seemed like a more portable device would extend his progress to many additional areas.   I kept talking with HP about this, and was assured they saw the need for something portable.  Unfortunately there was no movement and then Apple came out with the IPad (since then new HP Leadership produced the TouchPad).   This worked out well for us when one of our family friends gave us the IPad as a gift.

Since this time our son has used the IPad extensively, but none of the communication software has inspired all day use.  This led me to work with friends on developing a piece of software with the portability, simplicity, and sensory attractiveness to inspire all day use.  We did this in the spirit of Hacking Autism.   We figured why wait for someone to create, what we could create ourselves.

We decided to use the Android platform, and will be releasing our software very soon.  Our hope is users will provide feedback, which will allow us to improve our software regularly until it completely fulfills our all day use vision.

So, the question comes, “What does Hacking Autism mean to me?”   It means getting parents, therapists, teachers, and software engineers to pool their knowledge and talents to create software that can change lives.   This is what we are doing at Digital Scribbler, and I hope the Hacking Autism effort inspires others to do the same.

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Posted in Breakthrough Ideas, Educational Innovation, Hacking Autism, Technology Integration

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