黑料网

'It鈥檚 About Turning Your Obstacles Into Opportunities'

Timothy Mikes is a graduate student in 黑料网鈥檚 College of Public Health with a specialty in epidemiology. He鈥檚 also on the autism spectrum and using his perspective to enhance the university experience for other students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

When Timothy Mikes relates the story of how he went from studying nursing as an undergraduate to becoming a graduate student in the College of Public Health, it unfolds as a logical progression from step-to-step. His interest in health took him from nursing, to biology and then finally to public health. Mikes used his knowledge of his own strengths and weaknesses to guide him to a field of study that intrigued him and allowed him to use what he knew to help create positive outcomes for people鈥檚 health.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the funny thing about public health,鈥 Mikes explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a doctor, I鈥檓 not a nurse. I鈥檓 just a person that sees the bigger picture and has to implement different things.鈥 He sees public health professionals as the people who figure out the logistics and build systems to guide people using public health services.

 

Recognizing ASD as an Asset

Mikes was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 21. He remembers his own reaction and his family鈥檚. 鈥淓verybody kind of freaks out, right?鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou start to see that you don鈥檛 see the world the same way. But it was also enlightening because aspects of my life that didn鈥檛 make sense to myself and my family started to make sense.鈥

Seeing his attributes as an asset helped Mikes realize that his unique perspective could be useful in seeing 鈥渢he big picture鈥 in widespread public health issues. Mikes shared an explanation he had heard from a noted psychologist who specialized in working with people with ASD. 鈥淪he was saying,鈥 Mikes said, 鈥渢hat people (with ASD) don鈥檛 look at things large picture. It鈥檚 like a mosaic; one little piece at a time. Then, they get the big picture.鈥

This ability, Mikes believes, makes the unique perspective of people with ASD an asset in collaborations. 鈥淧eople on the spectrum need neurotypicals as much as neurotypicals need people on the spectrum,鈥 he said.

Bringing Together University Resources

As an undergraduate at Kent State, Mikes joined the Autism Task Force. He is also a founding member of Kent State鈥檚 Autism Connects 鈥 a student organization dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable social support network for students on the autism spectrum. The group also strives to educate non-autistic people about autism, promote autism acceptance and provide resources for pre-professionals on the spectrum.

Working on Kent State鈥檚 Autism Task Force, Mikes found that the university had many good resources for people with ASD existing in different parts of the university without knowing about each other鈥檚 work. The Task Force helped to bring everyone together. 鈥淕etting people in the same room collaboratively was very beneficial,鈥 Mikes said. 鈥淚t was very rewarding to see that shared knowledge.鈥

The result of getting everyone actually and figuratively in the same room was that people saw how everything interconnected and how it could benefit mental health throughout the university, especially in people with ASD. 鈥淭he real-world application helped improve the health of students here at the university,鈥 said Mikes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that continuous, collaborative effort that鈥檚 important. Recognizing that there are resources here on campus is important.鈥

Creating Services for Students

Mikes continued, 鈥淚 think that 黑料网 does an excellent job of getting people to see the potential in their obstacles.鈥

One of the people on campus who offers assistance for students with ASD is Lisa Audet, Ph.D., assistant professor in speech pathology and audiology. She runs a clinic to help people with social pragmatics and speech pragmatics. Gina Campana, assistant director, diversity assessment and research in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion uses her extensive knowledge about ASD to assist students on the spectrum as well.

One of the jobs that Mikes helped create through the Autism Task Force is in Student Accessibility Services. Zachary Stricker, M.Ed., serves as the university鈥檚 neurodiversity coordinator. He administers several programs on campus, including the PALS (Partnering for Achievement and Learning Success) mentorship program, Autism Advocates and Getting Off the Struggle Bus. In addition, Stricker helps students with ASD with the everyday parts of campus life. 鈥淚 help all students who are neurodiverse with things such as picking a major, rough drafts on papers, cover letters and resumes,鈥 Stricker said. 鈥淲e talk about social anxiety, testing anxiety, time management and many other things that come up.鈥

There is also a psychologist here on campus who helps people with ASD who are college-degree seeking,鈥 Mikes added. 鈥淚 actually helped create that job, too.鈥

Working to Save Lives

As autism awareness grew across campus, the Autism Task Force helped different departments learn how to best assist people with ASD. Mikes worked with Audet and Dean Tondiglia, director of Public Safety and chief of Kent State Police, to train the university police force in how to respond with someone with ASD. Mikes explained, 鈥淪omeone on the spectrum might actually act a certain way, but you have to be very cognizant: If you scare this person, they鈥檙e just as scared as you are.鈥

There are special procedures that a police force will want to have in place. Mikes gave an example: 鈥淭he first thing you notice about interaction with police is that the sirens come on. If a person is having a sensory integration issue, a siren is probably the last thing you want to have involved.鈥

Mikes said that the university police were very receptive and he notes that helping to put this sort of training, and systems of training, in place is within his field of study in public health. 鈥淏ecause sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don鈥檛,鈥 he said.

Looking Toward the Future

After he graduates, Mikes would like to work in Nationwide Children鈥檚 Hospital, a facility in Columbus, Ohio, which specializes in people with ASD and their health outcomes. He admires their work and wants to add his contribution as a public health professional with personal experience living on the spectrum who has also worked to help others with ASD.

A desire to help is at the core of Mikes鈥 motivation, which goes against what he says is a common misconception -- that people on the spectrum are antisocial or that they are not empathetic. 鈥淚 find that really, really disconcerting,鈥 Mikes said. 鈥淔or example: myself in public health. I do what I do for other people. You don鈥檛 do research for yourself. You do it because someone is in pain and the current things that are going on are not working.

"That鈥檚 how you change the world.

鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 kind of like turning your obstacles into opportunities,鈥 Mikes said. He encourages people to realize that there can always be great potential in things that don鈥檛 initially appear to have potential. 鈥淢any different people on the spectrum have a lot to offer,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 just about people on the spectrum; I think it鈥檚 about all different kinds of people. Everybody has an asset.

鈥淟earning more about autism and trying to take it as an attribute is important,鈥 Mikes said. "Because if you take it as what I can鈥檛 do, compared to what I can do, you start to change the perception within yourself of what you鈥檙e capable of.

"It鈥檚 part of who I am. It鈥檚 not the entirety of who I am.鈥

POSTED: Monday, April 27, 2020 11:09 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 07:54 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Phil B. Soencksen