ABOUT PAUL ISAAC'S PRESENTATION

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Looking At Autism as a "Fruit Salad"  

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In this presentation Paul Isaacs will be presenting about autism as a “fruit salad” and by looking at autism from the inside out and breaking down what “autisms” can be in presentation.

 

You will learn about the different pieces of a person’s autism fruit salad which was created by the late Donna Williams who was diagnosed in 1965 with “childhood psychosis” and later autism in 1990.

 

She authored two handbooks on this subject called “Autism: The Inside Out Approach” (1996) and "The Jumbled Jigsaw" (2005).

 

The topics covered will be as follows -

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• An autobiographical account of autism in terms of development 

• Visual Perceptual Challenges

• Language Processing Challenges

• The “System of Sensing”

• Exposure Anxiety 

• Autism, Identity and Personhood

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In this presentation you will learn: 

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• How not all people on the autism spectrum are the same.

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• How not all people on the autism spectrum as visual thinkers, have challenges in areas of visual perception.

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• How exposure anxiety has an impact on the sense of self, awareness of self and connecting with the others.

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• How autism is “Autisms” and breaking down barriers of and looking at the condition in a three dimensional perceptive and opening fluid areas of thought.

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• The System of “Sensing” which a world before interpretation and how it may present itself in terms of what one sees externally. 

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• Breaking autism down into pieces which include information processing, mental health, personality and identity, environment and learning styles. 

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• How visual perceptual disorders have an impact on the association and offering practical and accessible advice from personal and professional experiences.

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• About using a different way of communicating for people with Exposure Anxiety and using an indirect approach to connecting.

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• How the most common pieces of a person’s “autism fruit salad” are giving the “human experience” to them. 

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• How although we live in a world of interpretation, what is it like to still be in the “system of sensing” in areas of development. 

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ABOUT PAUL ISAACS

 

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Paul was branded as a “naughty child” at school. He was classically autistic in his early years and gained functional speech around the age of 7 or 8 years old. He went through mainstream school with no additional help or recognition of his autism. Consequently, he did not achieve his academic or social potential and had very low self-esteem.

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After a string of unsuccessful jobs, Paul’s mental health suffered. He was referred to mental health services and misdiagnosed with “Asperger traits with a complex personality”, which did not satisfy him. Paul was diagnosed by an experienced psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with High Functioning Autism at 24 years old. 

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In 2012 Paul was also diagnosed with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome by an Irlen Consultant who confirmed that he also had face, object and meaning blindness – conditions which Paul describes eloquently in his speeches and training sessions.

 

He also has dyslexia, dyscalculia and also a dissociative disorder.

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Paul has authored and published 5 books on the subject of autism published by Chipmunka publishing and has also contributed to other books. Some of the book he authored include:

 

• Life through a Kaleidoscope 

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• Living through the Haze

 

Having overcome many challenges to achieve the success that he now enjoys, Paul’s message is that Autism is a complex mix of ability and disability. He firmly believes that every Autistic person should have the opportunity to reach their potential and be regarded as a valued member of society.

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Paul wanted to promote autism awareness and help others on the autism spectrum, in the hope that others would not have to suffer as he had. He became a speaker for an autism organisation and has not looked back!

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Presenting speeches, training and conducting consultancy, Paul continues to raise the profile of autism at every opportunity. Having done much research, he is keen to explain the differences between Asperger’s Syndrome & Autism using Autism Consultant Donna William’s ‘Fruit Salad’ model.

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Paul has been speaking about autism since 2010 and has spoken at national conferences, autism charities/organisations as well as schools, police officers, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and social workers.

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You can read Paul's blog post called: Strategies For The “Pieces” of My Autism Using Donna Williams’ Fruit Salad Analogy HERE

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