A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT TO USING YOUR GIFTS TO FIND THE RIGHT CAREER

Autistic kids and young adults are not that different from neurotypical kids and young adults when it comes to choosing a career. We want to enjoy what we do. We also do not want our careers or expertise to merely be seen as diagnostic criteria diminished to special interest.

My mom has always been supportive of my zipping from one interest to another, within reason. She has always encouraged me to use my interest as a way to develop a new skill. However, she never allowed me to overindulge in my special interest. Growing up, I had a specific time for whatever my special interest was at the time, usually in the form of lessons. When that time was over, it was over.

At first, I did not understand why I couldn’t decorate cakes all day, but as an adult, I now realize she was teaching me how to give myself a break so I don’t burn out and get frustrated, and I could learn moderation. She put limits, so I did not become obsessed and addicted to my special interest. She created a healthy education and exploratory environment.

As my mom, Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes, has said in many of her speaking engagements, “Too much of a good thing is bad for anyone. The same goes for a special interest. When someone on the spectrum makes up their mind they want to do something, there is not much a parent can do to change their minds. All we can do is show them how to achieve their goals.” She would suggest you find groups or activities where the child or teen could excel in their interest as well as grow in social skills with others around a passion or interest to help get the child/teen there. I encourage parents to help their kids find a way to turn their interests into a potential job. Now the thing with special interests is that they change every few years, so the special interest the child had at seven will not be the same as at 17. The dance lessons they have at six are not wasted if they become interested in robotics when they are 12. Every opportunity in a new environment or activity is important.

According to Dr. Grandin, exposure to different things builds the autistic child’s development. But if you encourage your child and teach them how to think in ways that lead to a potential career, by the time they are older, they can do it on their own. They learn to be self-motivated because they are doing something they love. They will learn they can be self-sufficient because they are doing a job they love. Breaking the negative autistic stereotypes that those on the spectrum can’t do anything meaningful in their life starts at home. It starts with parents. It starts with a nurtured special interest. Interests serve several purposes—it is a way for the autistic person to decompress and sometimes cope with stress. The interest can be used to foster social skills and group involvement by finding a group around that interest, and who knows? It may end up being the very thing they find fulfillment in as a job or career one day.

Sydney Holmes is a 22-year-old graduate student studying Public History and Museum Studies. She runs a small successful soap business on the side. Sydney was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, now known as Level 1 autism, when she was six years old. Sydney graduated with her bachelor’s degree in History and a minor in Education in the fall of 2019. Sydney has spoken with her mother, Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes, at numerous events such as the North Georgia Autism Conference. Sydney has also written many articles for magazines such as Autism Magazine as a teen and young adult. She is an autism advocate available for speaking and writing. Website: https://www.holmesasr.com/staff-and-board

Ways You Can Use the Sense of Smell to Improve Communication and Social Skills

By Ruth Sutcliffe

SMELL/DISCOVER/RECALL/CONNECT

THIS PAST YEAR SHOULD BE CALLED THE YEAR OF RESILIENCE, AS VIRTUALLY EVERYONE HAS HAD TO LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE THREAT OF CORONAVIRUS, THE NEW VIRUS THAT HAS TAKEN AND THREATENED THE LIVES OF SO MANY. SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS INCLUDE SENIORS AND CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. MANY HAVE BEEN IN LOCKDOWN SINCE MARCH, SEVERELY AFFECTING THEM, FROM DIFFICULTY CONNECTING WITH LOVED ONES TO CONTINUING THEIR EDUCATION AND ACCESSING NEEDED THERAPIES. DURING THE PANDEMIC, RESEARCHERS HAVE LEARNED THE LOSS OF ONE OF OUR MOST UNDERRATED SENSES IS A COMMON COVID-19 SYMPTOM AND OFTEN LINGERING AFTER EFFECT: THE SENSE OF SMELL. THIS DISCOVERY WAS EVENTUALLY PLACED ON THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) LIST OF SYMPTOMS IN APRIL AND IMMEDIATELY DREW THE ATTENTION OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND MEDIA WORLDWIDE.

The sense of smell and The Proustian Effect

A familiar term often used for the connection of the sense of smell to memory is “The Proust Effect,” which refers to the great classic novel by French author Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past when the author recounts memories of teatime and a madeleine with his aunt. That time, that special moment with family, illustrates how quickly one can relive an event from the past through sensory stimuli. Many of us are familiar with those sudden moments when taken by surprise by sensory stimuli (for example, the scent of your mother’s soap) that evokes an intense and emotional memory of an episode from our childhood.

After losing my mother to dementia-related causes in 2016, I wanted to merge my profession as a scent designer with a desire to support those who were suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s by creating Essential Awakenings® Smell and Memory Activity Tool Kits. The 12 scents in the kits, such as the smell of grass to prompt memories of picnics and freshly mown grass in the summer, or cinnamon, which is likely associated with baking, are carefully-selected to resonate with the general population from various cultures. While giving smelling sessions to seniors in memory care communities, I realized I had also created an innovative communication tool that enabled seniors to engage in communication and storytelling through smell prompts. This encouraged me to extend the product to create MindScent®. This innovative kit would include visual clues, fact cards, and 20 distinguishable smell prompts that would resonate with children. Being a mother of a grown daughter born with a neurological anomaly but never diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I drew on my daughter’s love of The Almanac and hired her to research facts for that essential component of this new concept. In my mind, I wanted to help my daughter Claire be empowered and productive by participating in the development process of this patent-pending multi-sensory communication tool kit. In 2019, MindScent® went into production.

The smell and memory connection—the science

So how do smells trigger such strong emotions and memories? The answer is likely due to brain anatomy. According to neuroscientist and professor at Brown University, Dr. Rachel Herz, “Incoming smells are first processed by the olfactory bulb, which starts inside the nose and runs along the bottom of the brain. Interestingly, visual, auditory and tactile information do not pass through these brain areas. This may be why olfaction more than any other sense, is so successful in triggering emotions and memories” (Herz et. al. 2010).

Further evidence shows the effect is found to occur gradually and largely outside the conscious mind (implicit activity in different parts of the brain): The sense of smell is housed in the Limbic system, the most ancient part of the brain that also houses emotion. Within this system are:

1. the hippocampus that collects memory pathways from different sensory domains,

2. Amygdalae, which add emotion to experience, and

3. the Frontal Lobe, which oversees the coherence and consistency of memories.

Stockholm University neuroscientist Dr. Artin Arshamian and his colleagues found evidence to suggest memories triggered by an odor (like the scent of a rose) were accompanied by greater activity in the limbic system (which includes the hippocampus and amygdala) than memories triggered by the verbal label of that odor (like the word “rose”). The scientists also found memories evoked by odors were linked to more brain activity in areas associated with visual vividness (Arshamian, 2013).

The process For MindScent®

• After seeing increased engagement and communication among seniors and others, I wanted to see how the smell prompts might be able to elicit communication among other populations.

• I piloted the use of smell for children and adults with communication challenges (i.e., mental disabilities, autism, speech, and language impairments).

• I saw increased engagement and expressive language!

• Speech-language pathologists (SLP) were given MindScent® prototypes to use in the summer of 2018.

• Positive feedback was received by SLPs, prompting me to move forward and bring this innovative tool to SLPs, occupational therapists (OT), educators, and parents caring and servicing people with speech communication impairments.

• Sourcing and manufacturing in the USA went into effect in February 2019.