By Christian Tufino
Since 1998, April has been nationally recognized as autism awareness month. Russell Lehmann, motivational speaker and author of “On the Outside Looking In: My Life on the Autism Spectrum,” came to spread awareness to SUNY Plattsburgh through poetry, personal anecdotes and Greek language April 3.
Lehmann begins the presentation with anecdotes from his childhood, outlining the early signs of autism he showed and his struggles with being diagnosed later in his life. He talks about how his peers in school treated him, how the education system failed to support him and his autism, and his experience being homeschooled.
Lehmann told the crowd that even as an adult he still faces many of the problems he faced as a kid with autism. He talked about how his OCD, depression and panic attacks all intersect with his experience as a person with autism. While Lehmann’s experiences are important to share, he reminded attendees that the conversation is bigger than one individual’s story.
“Everyone on the spectrum shows it differently and is different,” Lehmann said.
One of the aspects of Lehmann’s show was a reading of a poem he wrote to his younger self. In the writing, he described the struggles he will face throughout his life, but also how he will grow and learn from the experiences to become the adult he is today.
In the presentation, Lehmann also informed the audience about his struggles to find support from the world outside of his immediate family as he became an adult. This forced him to learn to support himself through times where his autism became overwhelming.
“We need to give them control of their situation, take time to learn about them and really make a safe environment for them to be themselves,” Lehmann said.
Laura Carmichael, director of the Autism Alliance of Northeastern New York, offered reassurance to adults with autism who may be struggling to support themselves that there are resources available through others in similar situations.
“Reach out to other people on the spectrum, find online groups, there are people like Russell who you can follow or read their books. It’s important to just build each other up,” Carmichael said.
Laci Charette, SUNY Plattsburgh professor in psychology, spoke about how the transition from childhood to adulthood might appear for people with autism, and how people can help themselves or others facing these struggles.
“Transitioning into the community can be a little challenging if you don’t have that support system already, so talk to your family, or maybe school-provided resources like psychologists that can help link you to the greater community,” Charette said.
Lehmann has learned to see both the good and the bad with autism being a part of who he is.
“With autism, I excel at the extraordinary, yet struggle with the simple,” Lehmann said.
At the end of his presentation Lehmann reiterates that he’s had struggles with his autism, but he’s learned to embrace who he is.
“I’m going to try my best, and it might not always work out, but I accept my situation and my struggles,” Lehmann said.
