þÿ<html> <title>Asperger Women Association</title> <style type="text/css">{ } body { scrollbar-arrow-color: #FFFFC1; scrollbar-base-color: #54B7B7; scrollbar-face-color: #54B7B7; scrollbar-highlight-color: #FFFFC1; scrollbar-shadow-color: #1780AF; scrollbar-3dlight-color: #54B7B7; scrollbar-track-color: #54B7B7; scrollbar-darkshadow-color: #1780AF; } .head{ background: #176BA7; border-bottom:0px dashed #54B7B7; color:#FFFFC1; font-weight:none; font-size:12pt; font-family:century gothic; text-align:center; width:100%} A:link {color: #FFFFC1; text-decoration: none;} A:visited {color: #FFFFC1; text-decoration: none;} A:active {color: #FFFFC1; text-decoration: none;} a:hover {color: #1780AF; text-decoration: underline overline;} body {background-color: #176BA7; background-image: url(); background-attachment: scroll; background-repeat: yes; font-family: times; color: #FFFFC1; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;} h1 {font-family: Times; text-transform: none; font-size: 18px; font-style:italic; color: #FFFFC1; letter-spacing: 1px; font-weight: normal; border-bottom:1px solid #1780AF; text-align:left; line-height: 22px} </style> </head> <body> <img src="layout1.jpg" style="position:absolute; left:0px; top:0"> <div style="position:absolute; top: 55px; left: 104px;overflow: auto; width: 400px; height: 50px; "> <center> <b> &middot; <a href="index.html">Home</a> &middot; <a href="contact.html">Contact</a> &middot; <a href="info.html">Info</a> &middot; <a href="articles.html">Articles</a> &middot; <a href="directors.html">Board of Directors</a> &middot; <a href="fashion.html">Fashion</a> &middot; <a href="members.html">Members Directory</a> &middot; <a href="links.html">Links</a> &middot; <a href="children.html">Children's Page</a> &middot; <a href="http://s4.invisionfree.com/Apserger_Women/">Forum</a> &middot; </b> </center> </div> <div style="position:absolute; top: 107; left: 56;overflow: auto; width: 789; height: 430; "> <h1>Interview</h1> <b>Exclusive interview with Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D.</b> <br><br> <b>Dr Paradiz</b> was diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 42. After her son s diagnosis, at the age of four, she always identified with our community calls shadow traits  of Autism. Later, when she switched professional fields and more was required socially on the job, she decided it was time to be evaluated. <br><br> <b>Dr Paradiz:</b> Since the official diagnosis, I have benefited greatly from greater self awareness of sensory and social overload and how to manage it day to day, as well as in my employment choices. Currently, I'm self employed and have a thriving consulting business that brings me all around the country. Eventually, I would like to return to an administrative post in our fields, when the circumstances are right for integrating women on the spectrum more fully on job sites. <br><br> My biggest challenge is juggling my working life with my parenting responsibilities (of a child with ASD). I am a single mom. I have experienced discrimination (refused employment) for self disclosing my diagnosis of AS. This, of course, was against the law on the part of the agency who did so, but I chose not to pursue the agency legally. My son will be going through transition this year as he exits high school. I suppose I can only take on one good cause at time while remaining the effective and positive I try to be. Deciding to let go of legal action was a great challenge for me this year. (<br><br> My most difficult times were during the early years of my son's diagnosis. I was a single mom. He had a severe seizure disorder. We were dirt poor. My family lived very far away. I fell into a serious depression. The way I learned to manage was to create a family of my own in the community where I live. I have a circle of very good friends who have become adoptive aunts, uncles and grandparents to my son. This made it possible for me to work and support us. It also pulled me out of depression! (<br><br> I love knowing other Aspie women with interesting minds and pursuits. We have such a good time together! I am very happy being an Aspie myself. I would not change being an Aspie, though I have always thought it would be extremely interested to be an NT for a day, since it's difficult for me to understand sometimes just what NT is or means in our culture. (<br><br>  My advice to other Aspie women and girls is to be sure to have a circle of support to guide you in understanding your emotional life, your family life, your relationships, and your career path. This is VERY VERY important. Having good mentors and coaches can shorten the learning time it takes to make improvements where you want or need to. It also helps us be more flexible in our thinking and problem-solving. DO NOT FEAR TO REACH OUT!!!! (<br><br>  I would tell Parents of an Aspie or Autie child to get good training on sensory awareness and sensory issues your child might be experiencing. This is about modifying the environment first, when a difficult situation or behavior arises. Too many of our challenges are a result of sensory or processing issues. These are the core place to begin, if you wish to understand and make your child feel you love and support him/her.  <br><br> (If parents have an Aspie girl they need to give her very supportive mentoring and information on relationships and sexuality, so that she knows when she is unsafe or entering into situations that are not good for her. Be patient with what might seem like immaturity in this arena. We are often late bloomers in understanding sex and relationships, even though some of us might present as promiscuous. This is because some girls and women do not receive the proper support in understanding that they have control over their own bodies. (<br><br> My hope is that our society focuses less on how to change us and more on how to integrate us into everyday living, at home, in schools, in communities, and at work. In other words, what would be the access ramp for people with AS when it comes to employment? For one, I'd like to see us and our children feel our world is safe enough to self disclose at a job interview, so that we may ensure simple environmental modifications or other supports are in place to make us productive contributors. <br><br> ( As for co-morbid disorders, I was treated for depression for many years and never felt I was adequately getting to the real heart of the matter: Aspergers Syndrome. My struggles with depression have lessened a great deal since my AS diagnosis. I'm not sure if this would be the case for all women. (<br><br> I cannot speak for all women, but I observe that there are many of us who are "passive" or "shy." This often gets misread as being well behaved girls when we are in school, when in fact, there might be other issues brewing below, such as emerging depression, or serious processing differences. We are overlooked also because the culture at large shows a bias toward males in research spheres. Quite often it takes some advocacy to bring funding around to focus on women and girls. We seem to be on the cusp of this in the autism community. Valerie Paradiz, PhD <br><br> <a href="http://www.ValerieParadiz.com" target=_blank>www.ValerieParadiz.com</a> </div> </body> </html>