Autism conference

Hello everyone.

 

Yesterday (Thursday 30th January), I attended an autism conference at a place called Landmark House, located in Ipswich, in Suffolk. I was required to do a five-minute speech, then I was allocated ten minutes for questions and answers. I don't know if any of you have done a similar thing in your area, but doing a speech for the first time can be a nervous experience. Fortunately, I was not nervous. I delivered my speech using a clear, concise tone of voice, and I got a round of applause from everyone in the conference room. I felt like a hero, a perfect case study for new or existing conference attendees, and a perfect example for people with similarly mild forms of autism to follow.

The speech itself started with a 'Good morning, everyone' introduction, followed by a brief summary about myself, my current and previous jobs, and the problems I dealt with over the years. Everything I wanted to say was printed on a script, and without it I would have been a bit hesitant. There was also time to add whatever else I wanted to say that wasn't in the script. It was better to say those words in order to get every important little detail across to the audience (probably 100 to 120 people). I concluded it with a nice, friendly 'Thank you'. I would have loved to have gone through the entire conference, and also get to chat to more than just the people at my desk, but due to time restrictions, that was not possible.

  • Many thanks for your comments. My mum told me that she would have felt nervous at doing a speech in front of 100 or so people. I told the audience that in my opinion, no autistic person should ever be discriminated against in any way because of who they are, what they are, or what they can't do, but they should be praised for what they can do. Those words alone send out a powerful message not just to the 100-plus people at the conference, but the nation in general.

    Some of the conference members received copies of some case studies I created, which would give them a more in-depth profile of my past and present life as an autistic person. Electronic copies were sent to the main speaker of the conference, and hopefully they will be used in future conferences or training sessions, with my permission.

  • Fantastic.  I would fall apart with public speaking.  My mind just empties when I have to speak out.  If I could look anywhere but at the people and had my speech on paper I could maybe manage it (with a G&T beforehand too!).  Admirable achievement.  Well done.

  • Sounds like you had a good time.

    I have given talks before about my Aspergers, including during last year's autism awareness day event, run by my local Autism charity.