Penguin Speakers Bureau

Speaking Topics — Michael John Carley

Old Ways of Looking at Autism, New Ways of Looking at Autism—The New Look at the Needs of Adults and Teens on the Autism Spectrum 

Very akin to a journey, “The New Look” examines the many ways we look at the entire autism spectrum and guides us through the confusing mixed messages we receive today. With a very humanist road map, author and executive director Michael John Carley discusses obstacles faced by adolescents and adults, the myths surrounding their capabilities, and the sociological history of why we react the way we do to words like “autism” and “Asperger’s.” Finally, as an adult with Asperger’s (and the father of a child with AS), Carley sprinkles in his own personal reflections as he outlines—characteristic by characteristic—how subjective our view of the spectrum truly can be. 

The presentation can also touch on how this “New Look” affects our views of transitioning, self-advocacy, families, sex, or the work of GRASP and ASTEP. 

Target Audience: Anyone who knows of Carley’s work. 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 2–5 hours with Q&A time. 

You Thought Things Were Tough When They Were Kids?: Transitioning Young Spectrum Men and Women from the Home 
More and more young people on the autism spectrum are leaving home. As colleges and workplace environments increasingly understand the fiscal and spiritual benefits of accommodating people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome, opportunity for all is created. But the road is fraught with challenges. The paperwork of college applications, service agencies, and the search for housing is compounded by many potential emotional pitfalls that occur during the separation from the life that everyone knew so well. 

In this presentation, Carley starts by discussing the varying levels of independence that are the goal of individuals, their families, and their support people. He then identifies the conflicting emotions that all parties are likely undergoing; discusses what is—and is not—out there for these young people; and provides strategies for acclimation, assistance, and learning how to let go. 

Target Audience: Individuals, parents, and all educational and clinical professionals. 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 2–4 hours with Q&A time. 

His Wiring May Be Different, but His Body Isn’t: Sexuality for the Autism Spectrum 
In this presentation, Carley follows the trajectory of a spectrum adult’s transition from friendships to dating and into sexual development, finishing with what life is like for many spectrum/non-spectrum romantic partnerships. Carley discusses the mistakes that historically have been made in these areas, especially in the curriculum, as a way to show how our collective thinking is changing perhaps faster in this area than in any other facet dealing with the life of a person on the autism spectrum. 

Carley outlines the challenges that traditionally present themselves herein, particularly when we feel bound by the scripts many of us unnecessarily follow, or the pressures put upon us by the mixed messages we receive from society. Carley finishes by providing alternate scripts, pathways that utilize both the positives and the negatives of our ever-shifting sexual culture. 

Please note that minors should not be in attendance. While graphic sexual content will not be shown, it will be discussed. 

Target Audience: Parents, high school support staff, university support staff, and/or the significant others of persons on the spectrum (presentation is usually tailored for whichever target audience is in attendance). 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 1–3 hours with Q&A time. 

Travel Is a Clean Slate: The Least-Believed Story of Asperger’s Syndrome 
While his Asperger’s diagnosis, his position with GRASP, and his writing ability are known, the incredible life experiences Carley has passed through are not. This is the story of a man with an autism spectrum condition who was raised on poker, roamed the streets, lived behind the Iron Curtain, lived out of his car, and negotiated with Saddam Hussein’s government for a clean water project that would serve 81,000 people. 

Drawing from Carley’s just finished memoir, The Last Memoir of Asperger Syndrome, this presentation traverses twelve trips that changed Carley’s life, each one showing his development to becoming the person he is now, through travel. In this easy-to-follow form, Carley provides only choice instances—twelve of them—covering twenty-two years of his life. 

Growing up without a father due to the Vietnam War, Carley first went from running in the mob-controlled streets of Providence, Rhode Island, in the 1970s, to discovering a revolutionary high school where he became recognized for his artistic abilities. Later, at a time when few ventured behind the Iron Curtain (1986), Carley found solace in an often penniless existence traveling through Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and especially East Germany, where he went to study the work of Bertolt Brecht. Then addicted to periodic bouts of nomadic life, his graduate thesis had him living out of his car for five months, working odd jobs to pay for food and gas as he traveled across the United States in 1988. In 1989, he covered the Jamaican elections with friends that were notable photojournalists, discovering through a near tragedy how his own recklessness might one day be his undoing. And later, while a practicing playwright, director, and actor in New York City, Carley’s “stupid day job” as a United Nations representative was a path to many experiences in war-torn countries. 

Much of Carley’s early reputation, before people knew of his AS, was dependent on his talents. But it was also predicated on the flawed attitude toward alcohol consumption that still existed at the time. Born to an Irish-Catholic paternal side, alcoholism had run in the family, and Carley was a happy drunk. He drank through Eastern Europe, and visited over 300 bars in his five months across the U.S. But in 1990, he would self-destruct in South Carolina before his first wedding. And in 1991, immediately following the discovery of a painful truth regarding his father, he would take a trip to California with members of his father’s former helicopter squadron, where he witnessed them hash out the agonizing events surrounding the death of Carley’s father. After this, Carley decided he wanted no part of the legacy of alcohol anymore. 

In the last three trips, the Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis was first looming, then confirmed, then processed, but all in private while he navigated dramatic trips into Iraq for a relief endeavor, where he served as project director. At first, Carley wondered if a project designed to provide clean water to 81,000 people (in the Basra area) should be entrusted to him, as someone with a type of autism. He then learned that the project succeeded because of his differences—not despite them. 

Using twelve passages and stories as springboards into memory, we discover, to our surprise, that Asperger’s syndrome is only a small leitmotif running through Carley’s surprisingly funny life. The presentation is about trust and forgiveness as much as it is about the autism spectrum. 

Target Audience: Anyone who knows of Carley’s work. 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 2–5 hours with Q&A time. 

Disclosure: The Art, or Science, of Telling Other People That You Have Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism 
Telling someone that you have an autism spectrum diagnosis isn’t as easy as just telling them. Such exchanges are filled with land mines of anxiety if the disclosing individual is not aware of several factors, such as whether or not disclosing is a good idea in any given situation. 

In this presentation, Carley prefaces his strategies by going over the sociological history of the stigma associated with words such as “autism” and “Asperger’s syndrome.” He then breaks things down by going over who and who not to tell; when and when not to tell; how and how not to tell . . . etc., while also making sure that the individual thinks about why they are disclosing (answer: they want something). 

Last, Carley goes over the many meanings—some healthy, some not—associated with the word “self-advocacy.” 

Target Audience: Individuals, parents, and all educational and clinical professionals. 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 2–4 hours with Q&A time. 

The Hidden Disability—High Potential Employees with Asperger’s Syndrome  
Individuals with hidden disabilities are a growing segment of the workforce. With their strong intellectual capabilities and a supportive educational environment, individuals with Asperger’s syndrome are earning college and post-graduate degrees. Unemployment and retention rates for the individuals with AS, however, are significantly worse than those of the general population. 

The intellectual abilities of those with AS place them much higher in terms of workforce potential than arguably most other groups with hidden disabilities. Increased awareness of the high-functioning nature of individuals with AS, the growth in corporate social responsibility programs, and the push for workplace diversity all support the creation of meaningful employment opportunities for these individuals. 

By the end of this session, attendees will:

• Understand the positive work characteristics of individuals with Asperger’s syndrome and the jobs for which they are best suited
• Learn about the accommodations potentially needed when hiring individuals with Asperger’s syndrome
• Know how individuals with Asperger’s syndrome fall into the category of individuals with disabilities
• Understand the employer benefits—economic, diversity, marketing, social responsibility—of hiring individuals with Asperger’s syndrome
• Understand how to better identify and accommodate existing employees that may have Asperger’s but are unaware of their disability, or have chosen not to disclose their disability

In this session, Carley, a national speaker and author who himself has Asperger’s syndrome, will discuss the positive characteristics of individuals with AS that contribute to them being focused, loyal employees, as well as the accommodations that may be needed in order to create a successful workplace environment for these employees. He will discuss a model program for making the employment of individuals with Asperger’s syndrome a success. This session will provide information relevant to the areas of workforce management issues, recruiting, placement, and retention. 

Target Audience: Businesses (especially managers, diversity coordinators, and human resources personnel). 

Time: Can be tailored for anywhere between 1–3 hours with Q&A time.