Fighting with Autism- Strong, Autistic, Female & Empowered (SAFE)

Over autism awareness and acceptance month, huge onus is placed upon the youngsters who along with their families are beginning their journey on the spectrum, huge leaps are made in these realms, sometimes frustrating as it sounds it is a case of "one step forwards and three steps back", this is the ideal time for people to share their experiences with emphasis is put on awareness campaigns and rightly so, by removing the barriers it enriches us all to accept everyone irrespective of how different they may be.
Yes it is a month of heightened awareness, but for those on the spectrum and their loved ones it still leaves a further 11 months where the battle for acceptance rumbles on.

Depending where you are in the world the statistic varies, one country will say 1 in 100 people are on the spectrum, another will say its 1 in 68.
Frightening isn't it thinking that the difference in the percentages vary so massively and that all depends on what country you reside in, but then if you were take either one of those numbers and divide it by the worlds population the figure is startling to say the least, if 2 of the worlds leading countries in autism diagnosis have a difference in percentage, then look at the global statistics with some nations still being in the dark ages without adequate access for people to get a diagnosis let alone access to the services required that can make the world of difference to the person and to their families.
Then you have the varying levels of autism, as it is a spectrum that covers many complex conditions, so no 2 cases are ever truly the same, you often get to hear of those who excel in a certain subject or speciality, but on the other hand there are cases where every day is a battle, not just to get additional support required but also against bigotry and misunderstanding, as Autism doesn't have a look it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by still many people despite awareness drives and campaigns, awareness is one thing acceptance is another thing entirely.

One of the core groups that seems to slip beneath the radar are the ladies who are on the autistic spectrum, although one of the most celebrated and recognised people on the spectrum is Dr Temple Grandin, a world renowned professor of animal science, author and many other accolades including an entry as being one of the worlds top 100 influential people by times Magazine in 2010, and in her early years had to battle daily against bullying with the persistent  name calling of  " tape recorder"  called owing to her repetitive speech,
Dr Grandin did not receive a formal diagnosis of being on the spectrum allegedly until she was in her forties.
The incredible part is that you have someone with a what is often described as a social interaction disability, has gone on to  be recognised for taking the feeling of animals into consideration and her theory now put into practice around the world.

With that in mind and the importance of female role models within the autism community, we have asked ambassadors from around the globe who are Strong, Autistic, Female and Empowered to give an insight into what autism means to them and importantly what if any changes they would like to see occur in regards to the support and assistance that is received.
What we are hearing of however are that cases of the females on the autistic spectrum being under represented, and often without support in daily life.
and with that in mind we have launched the Fighting For Autism -S.A.F.E initiative.
We have been fortunate enough to have some incredible ambassadors from around the globe, some of whom are female and are on the spectrum themselves, so they are more than aware of the challenges that are faced.

 

What makes the SAFE initiative different?

 

The reason behind the SAFE initiative is to give females on the spectrum a voice, also to heighten awareness and acceptance, by asking females on the spectrum to share their stories, and step forward not just as positive role models for those on the spectrum but for females of all ages,

 

Chloe Spiteri:

Freestyle Wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist, Teacher

 

Chloe is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Chloe is multi time national champion and Commonwealth competitor in Freestyle wrestling and an aspiring mixed martial artist, aside from her achievements in sport, Chloe is also a teacher, she is renowned for giving inspiring speeches and insights on life as a female on the spectrum and the challenges that come with it.

 

Claire Smith.

Boxer, Mixed Marital Artist, Mother 

 

Claire is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Claire is champion martial artist and Boxer who also is an amazing mum, dedicating her time between training and bringing up a child, Claire has also written some absolutely outstanding blogs on her experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, Claire has avidly been involved in assisting Fighting For Autism in the UK.

 

Serena DeJesus

Mixed Martial Artist, Writer  

  

Serena is Fighting For Autism Fighter Ambassador who resides in the USA.

Serena is a champion Mixed Martial Artist and an outstanding writer whose is also a regular attendee on podcasts in the USA.

Serena's insight into Autism is outstanding, as she explains in a way that both people on and off the autistic spectrum can relate to and understand, explaining her own experiences with passion for autism awareness and acceptance.

 

These are 3 outstanding young ladies who are carving their way in being role models to people both on and off the autistic spectrum, we know there are a lot more females who definitely have a story to tell and we would like to hear from them, importantly we would like to build a network and show that not only is it ok to talk about experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, but also to highlight the obstacles that are faced and how some remarkable people have overcome them and are thriving.

 

Please get in touch with us via our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/FightingForAutism or Twitter www.Twitter.com/FightForAutism

 

Voices For The Voiceless- The Inspiring story of Carl Clements.

We have been so incredibly fortunate at Fighting For Autism to have met some amazing individuals who have joined in the fight for awareness and acceptance, these phenomenal individuals come from a multitude of different backgrounds across the globe, todays blog is written by his mum Christine, and is about a young man that brightens a room wherever he goes, his passion for martial arts and life is infectious, this gentleman is Carl Clements whom we are absolutely honoured to have as a Fighting For Autism - Voices for the Voiceless Ambassador.

"Someone recently said to me ‘I’ve just been watching your son, odd little chap isn’t he?’ and it occurred to me that people who haven’t known him very long don’t really get his little Carlisms. So I thought I’d tell you a little about him.
Born with a failure to thrive Carl has had many challenges throughout his life, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with a learning disability at the rate of half his age alongside feeding problems from birth which led to him being tube fed first with an NG tube and later with a gastrostomy. There followed many different feeding routines to try to overcome the constant vomiting until the age of 7 when he was diagnosed with a lactose intolerance. It was then we were able to start the long process of teaching him to eat. As Carl had never eaten he hadn’t developed the muscles in his mouth needed for early speech and with his learning disability his speech and vocabulary were both affected as were his fine and gross motor skills.
Fast forward many years of speech therapy and physiotherapy and many trips to various hospital departments covering almost everything from head to foot (literally) Carl isn’t diagnosed with Autism but I can see similarities on Carl's Journey as experienced by those on the big and beautiful spectrum.

Carl on the Mat at the Fighting For Autism Seminar held by club affiliate Immortal 365
under the watchful eye of Coach Ambassador Tony Bailey

In 2012 I received an email from Cambridge’s disability sport initiative inviting Carl to participate in a 6 week summer course of Martial Arts run by Cambridge Kung Fu and that is where he met his now friend and Sensei Neil Kirkland. Neil immediately got his Carlisms and Carl had a great time. At the end of the course we had a dilemma, for Carl to continue with martial arts where could he go? For his age (18 at the time) he should join the adults, not an option. For his size he should join the youths, again not an option as his learning disability means he could never keep up and for his ability he should join the very young class, obviously not an option, he was 18! Neil told me to leave it with him and true to his word a few weeks later contacted me with details of a new class. The Snow Leopards, a class for any kind of disability has grown from strength to strength and Carl continues to attend every week. In the meantime Neil set up his own association, Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland open to anyone, any age any ability, is fully inclusive and means me and Carl can train together. It has provided many opportunities to meet some truly inspirational and brilliant people and led to Carl being given the great honour of becoming a Voice for the Voiceless Ambassador with Fighting For Autism.

 

Throughout all of this and despite many years of looking and testing no one has ever been able to give us a reason for Carl’s disability until... now! We have recently received confirmation, thanks to the advance in technology, of a diagnosis of Noonans Syndrome, a genetic disorder that proves a mutation of one of Carl’s genes. So after 23 years of not knowing we now have an answer, it’s quite something but won’t make any difference to Carl and his little Carlisms.

So there he is, Carl Clements, in a rather big and long winded nutshell, my very own Peter Pan, my fully qualified X-Man, my Hero".

Carl With his coaches Robbie and Neil from Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland, along with Coach Ambassador Anthony Pillage

Carl continues to go from strength to strength, his willingness to learn and make a brighter day for everyone despite of the challenges and adversities that he has faced is truly the stuff that legends are made of, earlier this year Carl was in hospital and was incredibly poorly, but bounced back with enthusiasm and spark, Coach Ambassador Neil Kirkland and everyone at Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland really do bring the very best out in people, Neil was recently awarded Community Martial Artist of the Year at the British Martial Art Awards, an award given to a remarkable man who most definitely dares to be different and whose club, friendship and guidance will see so many inspiring stories of some of the most courageous people you could ever meet is what the world needs to see more of.
The Snow Leopards class that is run by Neil's school does really strike a chord, as the snow leopard is unable to  roar like the other big cats, but certainly adapt to their surroundings, for more details on Adaptive Martial Arts UK And Ireland please check out their Facebook page.
                        https://en-gb.facebook.com/AdaptiveMartialArtsUkAndIreland/

Carl holding the runner up award for Seminar of the Year at the 2017 British Martial Arts Awards along with Head of Fighting For Autism ( Europe) Paul, and Coach Ambassadors Pete Holmes, Chris Jones, Tony Bailey, Neil Kirkland, Steve Lloyd and Russell Jarmesty.

The award was won for the Fighting For Autism Seminar held at Immortal 365 Martial Arts Academy in Peterborough UK.

 

We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every ambassador and club involved with Fighting For Autism, the award received is testament to the hard work, care  and support shown by some of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet who are dedicated to making a difference to so many , these are the true superheroes that are allowing some phenomenal people to chase their dreams and show the world that Impossible really means I Am Possible, if you dare to be different.

 

And finally a massive Thank You to Christine for an amazing write up on a truly remarkable young man, Carl you are a Superstar :-)

 

 

 

Fighting For Autism- Shining through the spectrum, Joshua's Story

In todays blog we would like to introduce you to Joshua Wilding, who lives in Derbyshire United Kingdom.

Joshua's story has been submitted by his mum Amanda who runs the Warriors Within Martial Arts Club which is in Belper, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
Amanda is also a Fighting For Autism Coach Ambassador who is raising autism awareness and acceptance in her classes as well as being Mum to a young superstar on the autistic spectrum.

 

Joshua wearing his Fighting For Autism Cap

"Joshua is 18 years old, he has Autism and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, he as severe sensory and sensitivity, and severe Anxiety and Panic disorder. He suffers from IBS, and he has to have quarterly injections for Vitamin B12.

Joshua struggles socially, he becomes very distressed when people are around him, he struggles to cope with it, he doesn’t like being anywhere busy and he doesn’t like being in shops. He doesn’t like going to parks or open spaces also, as he becomes terrified of birds, and dogs. He is happier in his own room, in his own space. Also Joshua struggles to walk far, so he as to go in a wheelchair which then makes him more aware of the environment around him, he cannot walk far as his muscles in his leg start to really hurt, the way josh explains how he feels after trying to walk for so long is " my legs hurt like someone is hitting them or pushing something in to them and my whole body feels the same" and he will be in pain for up to 3 weeks just for trying a 10 minute walk. Josh explains is M.E. as " everyday I get up I feel like I have the flu, my whole body hurts and I am in constant pain with it, I feel exhausted.

Joshua came out of school when he was 13 years old and had to be home schooled, which he also did his GCSE’S from home, he took the exams at home for Science, English and Maths, he has 2 Science GSCES, and passed Maths twice, but failed one part of his English, so didn’t get his English. he was so poorly at the time, and it all started with just tonsilitus, it then went to laryngitis , to the stage he was put on steroids. He never came back from then, his illness took over and turned to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Up to the age of 13 Josh had always been quite healthy apart from getting tonsillitis frequently or ear infections, but healthy. Now he cant walk far, doesn’t like leaving the house, cant eat meals properly without suffering, and cant cope with noises, smells, outside places.

But Joshua is a very very clever young man, 2 years ago he taught himself quantum physics, he taught himself to code, and he can now code in 8 different languages. He built his own computer, and he loves to design games.

He can build websites, he can design as he designed my logo for my martial arts club, and he has designed other things as well, he can build apps and do so much more.

a sample of some of what Joshua can do, this remarkable gentleman is entirely self taught, imagine how bright his future could be with some encouragement and guidance

Joshua’s aim is to build games but due to his social issues he cant cope going to college or university and sitting in a room of people, we tried this with him when he was 17, and we ended up at the hospital with him having severe panic attacks to the stage they thought there was something wrong with his heart, for one day in college just to enrol, took him one year to get over it. So I tried to get help for him to do a course from home, I applied to several colleges and no one would let him do a course from home. I contacted my local politician. which they said they would help, which in all fairness I had a few phone calls but nothing ever happened, we are still waiting. I begged for them to keep in education but no one wanted to help, so now Joshua doesn’t have that luxury and he should be allowed to be in education until he is 25 as he as Autism.

I paid for on online course last year for a beginners programme built your own game, which he received a diploma and he was so proud. However there isn’t courses available for Joshua’s needs, he is happy to do courses but needs to do them from home".

Are you in a position to help Josh?
This young gentleman has a remarkable gift, Joshua's passion is for anything that is computer related, and he dreams of building his own personal computer so he can widen his knowledge base, perhaps you know someone who is involved in the computer world or computer games industry, this amazing young man uses his ability and passion as a means of speaking to the outside world and can produce some incredible results, How cool would it be to see what Joshua can do with some advice from people in those industries, perhaps someone who is developing a distance learning course that Josh can study or maybe you have a part that you may want to donate so that Josh can build his dream personal computer.


Fighting For Autism advocates and encourages those with autism to shine through the spectrum, if you can help in any way please contact either ourselves or Joshua's mum Amanda at warriorwithinmartialarts@gmail.com

Or there a Just Giving Page that has been set up.


https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amanda-wilding-3?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Yimbyprojectpage&utm_content=amanda-wilding-3&utm_campaign=projectpage-share-owner&utm_term=kDjEyJX4J


a huge thank you to Amanda for sharing Joshua's story.