Available for speaking arrangements

I'm available to speak about aspergers.  I have spoken in front of public audiances, and mental health professionals to help them gain more knowledge on aspergers.

http://www.aish.com/sp/so/My-Life-with-Aspergers.html

I can speak about several things:
1.My Life with Aspergers
2.Stories of Success
3.Employment stratagies for people with disabilities (especially aspergers).

I can skype in to speak to people anywhere in the world.  Right now there is no speakers fee unless I have to spend $30 or 100 NIS for travel and lodgings (if necassary) (paying those cost).

E-mail me at craig.kohn@yahoo.com if you would like more information

On bullying

Unfortunately too many people know of the pain of being bullied.  One person I worked with really bring it home to me how much bullying can ruin a person's life.

This person was a teenager when I met him.  It stood out to me that he was a kid who had a really good heart.  From the what he talked about I could tell he wanted to do things that would make other peoples lives better, and he also very often looked to do the right thing.  One thing that really hurt this guy was that he had so many bad experiences with bullies.  He told me that he had friend who betrayed him, and started to bully him, and he even teachers who bullied him because of his disability (which he couldn't help).  I remember him telling me about a teacher who was tallking about picking on him (where that is the oposite of what a teacher is supposed to do (to build up a student).

I once spent a holiday staying at a well known rabbi's house.  One of the nights the rabbi talked to us about the bullying he went through when he was young.  How one kid always worked hard to turn the other kids against him.  When he was a teenager he looked forward to getting the guy who was coming to his school from abroad as a roommate, because all of the other kids had turned against him (because of the bully).  When he saw the new kid also turned against him, he begged his parents to send him to a different school.

That's a horrible story, but there are still other details that need to be shared.  The rabbi continued, and told us how because he  left that school, the next school he went to he made a friend.  This friend helped this rabbi meet his wife (the friend's sister).  He told that because he was bullied he also became a kinder person.

Part of the message here is that there are times like when you are bullied that are hard.  But the fact is that where are a lot of valuable stones found?  In the dirt or the times in our lives that are not so great.  Sometimes you have to go through a long process before you can find those blessing in your life.

For those who are dealing with bullies here are some steps that can help you

1.From my own experience with a bully I saw HOW MUCH FRIENDS CAN BACK YOU UP AND GIVE YOU NEEDED STRENGTH (PARENTS OF ASPERGERS CHILDREN GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS ONE GOOD FRIEND WHO CAN GIVE THEM SUPPORT WHEN THEY NEED IT (ONE OF THE WAYS I CAN HELP YOU (TEACHING HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD DEVELOP AT LEAST ONE OR HOPEFULLY MANY FRIENDS)).

2.Follow some of the advice on this wiki how (I like this one because it recognizes that there are different circumstances with bullies) 
http://www.wikihow.com/Deal-With-Bullies

Feedback desired

Are there some issues with Aspergers people that you want me to address.  I'm focusing a lot on showing people a lot of jobs that Asperger people can do well.  Starting in 2015 I will be putting focus on other areas more.  Please tell me any asperger topics that you would like me to blog about.

Do you know someone with aspergers who is thriving and able to live "normaly"

One thing I have seen from a lot of the comments on my article is that Aspergers includes a wide range of people.  People usually only think of those who can't function normally.  This is a part of the aspergers population, but it is not everyone.

If you are or know someone with aspergers who is succeeding and is in a position where they can tell publicly that they have aspergers (with no harm to any aspect of their life).

I work with everyone (not only Jews)

I just want to state because there are people out there who may see that I am an Orthodox Jew, and become afraid that I will impose my religion on them.  Yes a lot of things that influence me are from my religion, but I do not look to impose on others.

One of the families that I worked with in New York was from a religious family.  I was working on helping get things that could help their son do something instead of just sitting around.  I suggested a series I though he would like (Redwall) but the family didn't feel comfortable with it so I left it at that.

One other thing I do is encourage people to connect to a religious community they are comfortable with.  Whatever religion they are it is a good idea.  This gives a person opportunities for social interaction, networking (which could lead to a job or meeting a potential spouse), and helps them build a community that can help with different issues that any person may have to deal with.

There is a job that is right for everyone

If you read my article you probably read that I was told to do accounting, which I didn't like.  I was at a very good friends wedding last night, and someone I knew from Yeshiva University mentioned he read my article and could remember that I was not enjoying accounting.

The reason I'm now going towards coaching people with Aspergers is because that is something that comes naturally to me to do coaching and I have seen more of Aspergers than a lot of people (and have experienced what is really like),

Coaching comes naturally to me as two examples can show.  One over a recent Jewish holiday, where I was staying with a family.  I saw a friend who I had not seen for years.  He was telling me how he is going towards business.  When I asked what kind of business, he didn't know and was going for the degree because there were opportunities in business.  I told him if he can find an area he could do a good job in and get experience in that area he would have an easier time finding a job once he would graduate college.  Over the several days we spent together I saw several times he was showing interests in giving massages (in a friend kind of way).  I told this friend that he should try massage therapy out to see if that's something he likes (because if you like your job you will do better and it will come out in your life in general).

Another case is another friend I saw just last night.  He was telling me that he was trying to go into a certain field, and I grilled him on what he was doing to succeed, and gave him some suggestions that he appreciated.

I was talking with another group of friends last night and a certain person came up who one other guy knew.  I was mentioning the person is going into a certain field, and another friend commented "isn't it hard for someone with aspergers to get a job?"  I told them he was not going to have a problem getting a job.  The reason he won't have that trouble even though he has a lot of potential improvement in social skills, is that he is going into a type of job he's going into is one that doesn't rely so much on social skills.  The fact that this guy is so good at the other parts of the job he's going towards will make it so that he will likely easily get a job.

Most people don't know that there are jobs, and stratagies for finding jobs that are good for people with aspergers.  That is one of the things that I do; I help people find the right kind of work for them.  Doing what comes naturally, and what you like is one of those things we look at because many people don't realize how many types of jobs there are out there.

My Life with Asperger’s

Check out my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TeamAutismpedia to learn more on autism!

Sometimes in life there are situations, people, or times that at first seem like they are worthless or in some cases detrimental, but in time you find out how they come to change your life so much for the good. This is my story.

I have Asperger’s or high functioning autism. I was diagnosed when I was a kid. This does not mean I am what most people think of when they think of a person who has a disability – someone who lives such a different life than you do. That is not me. I am able to function on a level like everyone else. Even people who work with Asperger’s have a hard time seeing how I have it now.

As a young kid it would have stood out a little more because I wasn't as good with social skills as I am now. Less developed social skills is one of the big characterizations of autism. Some examples for me were that I used to not smile much (as opposed to now when I almost always have a smile on), I wasn't as good at conversations, and I didn't have the best eye contact. I was always in regular classes, and was able to interact with my peers. Asperger’s wasn't so much a part of my life because it didn't negatively affect my life. That was until I went to college.

In college I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, but wasn't having much luck figuring out what I wanted to do. I looked at a lot of careers, but none of them fit my interests, skills, and that I would be able to do the course work. A lot of people suggested that I try accounting because I would avoid social situations, and my stutter wouldn't be a problem. I tried it, but I could tell that it was not for me because being secluded to a desk didn't feel right for me.

I also looked at Speech Pathology as I had gotten my diaphragm to start working (through deep breathing meditation that a friend of mine got me into) and was getting rid of my stutter by myself. I liked the idea that I could help improve other people’s lives. But I later found out the cost of graduate school – and the fact that I didn't focus so much on my secular classes – were going to stop me in that path.

After I graduated from college I went back home to try to figure out what I wanted to do. I found out about the human services field where you help other individuals out, and looked at working with disabled individuals. I got a total of 7 interviews, but didn't get anything. Then while in New York I was put into contact with someone I knew back from Kansas who worked at one of the agencies for disabled people. She helped me get several part time jobs that added up to be full time work. My jobs involved helping other people gain skills to help them do better in life. It turned out that most of the clients I received had Asperger’s like me (but lower functioning than I ever was).

My biggest advantages came from me having Asperger’s.

I was able to prove myself in helping my clients in meeting the goals set for them. I could see that both my supervisors and the parents were amazed at the work I was doing. My biggest advantages came from me having Asperger’s, as I had more knowledge than most people on what Asperger’s is and that I could get fixated on my work. What I mean by that is that some people with Asperger’s have one or a few narrow interests that they get really into. They can be extremely interested or focused on that item enough that they are able to become very knowledgeable in that area very easily. With my work I was always looking to see how I could challenge my clients to grow, and I got myself more educated on dealing with individuals with Asperger’s. I provided good enough work that in less than 6 months that I got all 4 of the agencies I worked with to give me letters of recommendation.

I also talked to some of the people I knew from Yeshiva University who I realized have Asperger’s, most of them EXTREMELY intelligent (one of the possible effects of this disability), to see if I could also help the extremely high functioning population like myself. I realized that even though I could see that they had the skills needed to have a successful relationship they were not sure about dating with their social skills, or were having very bad luck. One guy told me how because the shadchanim (matchmakers) looked at Asperger’s like any other disability (which is a very wrong view of Asperger’s in some cases) he wasn't getting many girls suggested to him.

Now I am starting to take my experience to work privately to coach, in person and through skype, individuals with Asperger’s, to help them better function and reach their goals in life. I now realize despite the fact that I can be awkward, Asperger’s for me is an advantage and is something I can use to help better other people's lives.