[Music]
imperfect and very very loud that’s me
but it didn’t used to be had you met me
when I was in school you probably would
have used the same words my peers and my
teachers used type a perfectionist
obsessive-compulsive anxious bookworm
geek nerd dork and socially awkward and
in a way they were right they’d found my
weaknesses and thought those weaknesses
defined me but there’s a better word for
me asper girl
I’m on the spectrum I didn’t find out
until a couple of years ago and a light
bulb went off the other shoe dropped and
finally my life made sense so what is
Asperger’s well like any Asperger lie
went and looked it up in the dictionary
and there in the dictionary it says
Asperger’s is an autism spectrum
disorder characterized by poor
conversational skills difficulty with
nonverbal communication restricted and
repetitive patterns of behavior and
activity and difficulty with functioning
that’s not very cheerful is it maybe
something less I don’t know
negative so like any Asperger lie found
another source the DSM the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders which guides clinicians and
therapists in their work
there it says Asperger’s is an autism
spectrum disorder with restricted
patterns of behavior interests
inactivity poor conversational skills
difficulty with nonverbal communication
it’s a disturbance with overall impaired
functioning I’m not really getting
anywhere am i I’m a big believer in
agency how you describe and define
yourself is what others should call you
some will fix this real quick
to that end Asperger’s noun a beautiful
brilliant differently wired mutant
superhero brain that’s the future of
humanity delightfully imperfect
delightfully imperfect and very very
loud and now that I’m a mutant superhero
it’s a lot easier to talk about things
I’m basically one of the x-men and just
like the x-men from my favorite comic
books no two members of the team are
alike there is different from one
another
as they are different from those outside
of Xavier school for gifted youngsters
if you’ve met one ask me you’ve met one
ask me so what does that mean for this
particular ASPI those weaknesses from
grade school and beyond you know what
they are don’t you they’re my
superpowers you don’t see it I get it I
do
so let’s reframe and redefine them
together they called me type a
perfectionist
obsessive compulsive those traits aren’t
inherently bad you know if you look at
it again
that’s goal-oriented driven focused and
attentive to detail
those are resume skills it means that
I’m a great employee it means that I’m
able to do the things that need to get
done do you know what else I am I’m
imperfect
I’m not what other people want or expect
me to be I’m not who or what they think
I am I’m just me and I’m me in the most
me way possible I am very very loud
about it I have hyper focus on the
things and topics in which I’m
interested if there’s a skill set I want
to learn I read I research I study I
practice until I feel like I’ve I’ve
attained a level of achievement so let’s
take those negatively connotated words
that have been used about you and about
others and reframe and redefine them
together maybe you know somebody who’s
been called shy quiet reserved
and always in that tone isn’t it what we
mean is that they’re excellent listeners
these are the people who not only listen
they take the time to listen and process
everything that is said which means that
they are great deep thinkers it means
that these are the people that when we
need support we turn to them their
superpower is deep and meaningful
friendship that’s an amazing gift how
about the other side of the coin
maybe you’ve been called gregarious
talkative obnoxious what we mean is that
you have a great voice we mean that you
speak up for yourself and for others you
are an advocate you are a champion
for the people in the world round you
take that beliefs what about people who
have been called Moody too emotional
overdramatic they’re in touch with their
emotions that’s actually an important
thing in this world isn’t it these are
the people who have great empathy and
some of our greatest heroes have the
same trait like the Hulk for instance
you laugh but when Bruce Banner gets
angry he doesn’t get angry on behalf of
himself he gets angry on behalf of other
people and he stands up for them for
what is right and he defends those
people and do they make fun of him for
being emotional no he gets to be an
Avenger you guys and they need him on
the team for his gift maybe you know
someone who’s been called awkward odd or
weird you know what we mean we mean
we’ve never met anybody like them
they’re individual they’re unique
they’re different and they’re quirky I
quirky people you’re here I suspect
there’s at least a little bit of that in
you I quite literally wear my quirkiness
on my sleeve if there’s a power I need
to tap into for that day something that
I need to remind myself of something I
need to get through the things that I
have to get through I wear it on my body
I needed a little extra help today maybe
I needed a lot of extra help today when
we look at these words that have
negative connotations think about what
that trait is and realize that that is a
superpower and superpowers yes can be a
downfall if we don’t use and see them
for what they really are and what they
can do
me I’m an Aspie I am mutant and proud I
am imperfect and I am very very loud
so put your cape on and come and join me
[Applause]
imperfect and very very loud that’s me
but it didn’t used to be had you met me
when I was in school you probably would
have used the same words my peers and my
teachers used type a perfectionist
obsessive-compulsive anxious bookworm
geek nerd dork and socially awkward and
in a way they were right they’d found my
weaknesses and thought those weaknesses
defined me but there’s a better word for
me asper girl
I’m on the spectrum I didn’t find out
until a couple of years ago and a light
bulb went off the other shoe dropped and
finally my life made sense so what is
Asperger’s well like any Asperger lie
went and looked it up in the dictionary
and there in the dictionary it says
Asperger’s is an autism spectrum
disorder characterized by poor
conversational skills difficulty with
nonverbal communication restricted and
repetitive patterns of behavior and
activity and difficulty with functioning
that’s not very cheerful is it maybe
something less I don’t know
negative so like any Asperger lie found
another source the DSM the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders which guides clinicians and
therapists in their work
there it says Asperger’s is an autism
spectrum disorder with restricted
patterns of behavior interests
inactivity poor conversational skills
difficulty with nonverbal communication
it’s a disturbance with overall impaired
functioning I’m not really getting
anywhere am i I’m a big believer in
agency how you describe and define
yourself is what others should call you
some will fix this real quick
to that end Asperger’s noun a beautiful
brilliant differently wired mutant
superhero brain that’s the future of
humanity delightfully imperfect
delightfully imperfect and very very
loud and now that I’m a mutant superhero
it’s a lot easier to talk about things
I’m basically one of the x-men and just
like the x-men from my favorite comic
books no two members of the team are
alike there is different from one
another
as they are different from those outside
of Xavier school for gifted youngsters
if you’ve met one ask me you’ve met one
ask me so what does that mean for this
particular ASPI those weaknesses from
grade school and beyond you know what
they are don’t you they’re my
superpowers you don’t see it I get it I
do
so let’s reframe and redefine them
together they called me type a
perfectionist
obsessive compulsive those traits aren’t
inherently bad you know if you look at
it again
that’s goal-oriented driven focused and
attentive to detail
those are resume skills it means that
I’m a great employee it means that I’m
able to do the things that need to get
done do you know what else I am I’m
imperfect
I’m not what other people want or expect
me to be I’m not who or what they think
I am I’m just me and I’m me in the most
me way possible I am very very loud
about it I have hyper focus on the
things and topics in which I’m
interested if there’s a skill set I want
to learn I read I research I study I
practice until I feel like I’ve I’ve
attained a level of achievement so let’s
take those negatively connotated words
that have been used about you and about
others and reframe and redefine them
together maybe you know somebody who’s
been called shy quiet reserved
and always in that tone isn’t it what we
mean is that they’re excellent listeners
these are the people who not only listen
they take the time to listen and process
everything that is said which means that
they are great deep thinkers it means
that these are the people that when we
need support we turn to them their
superpower is deep and meaningful
friendship that’s an amazing gift how
about the other side of the coin
maybe you’ve been called gregarious
talkative obnoxious what we mean is that
you have a great voice we mean that you
speak up for yourself and for others you
are an advocate you are a champion
for the people in the world round you
take that beliefs what about people who
have been called Moody too emotional
overdramatic they’re in touch with their
emotions that’s actually an important
thing in this world isn’t it these are
the people who have great empathy and
some of our greatest heroes have the
same trait like the Hulk for instance
you laugh but when Bruce Banner gets
angry he doesn’t get angry on behalf of
himself he gets angry on behalf of other
people and he stands up for them for
what is right and he defends those
people and do they make fun of him for
being emotional no he gets to be an
Avenger you guys and they need him on
the team for his gift maybe you know
someone who’s been called awkward odd or
weird you know what we mean we mean
we’ve never met anybody like them
they’re individual they’re unique
they’re different and they’re quirky I
quirky people you’re here I suspect
there’s at least a little bit of that in
you I quite literally wear my quirkiness
on my sleeve if there’s a power I need
to tap into for that day something that
I need to remind myself of something I
need to get through the things that I
have to get through I wear it on my body
I needed a little extra help today maybe
I needed a lot of extra help today when
we look at these words that have
negative connotations think about what
that trait is and realize that that is a
superpower and superpowers yes can be a
downfall if we don’t use and see them
for what they really are and what they
can do
me I’m an Aspie I am mutant and proud I
am imperfect and I am very very loud
so put your cape on and come and join me
[Applause]
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