Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  Benjamin Tarasewicz greeted Nederland Community Library guests with a welcoming smile and invited them into the meeting room, opening the door and showing them the way. He is a tall, fit, blonde, blue-eyed young man who exudes confidence and character. He is also autistic and his goal for the evening was to share with his story with the people who came to learn more about this disease that afflicts so many people with varying degrees of symptoms.

After Benjamin was diagnosed with autism at the age of three his mom Malva set out to learn as much as she could and to help her son adapt his disabilities to living a full, engaged, productive life. Benjamin learned how to interact and to be social. He also found he was talented in music and drama and during his middle high school years found a niche on the stage, performing. That talent has morphed into becoming an advocate for educating the public about autism; and he uses he hard worked for speaking skills to convey his experiences and wisdom.

He began his talk with a joke, knowing that getting the audience to laugh would open them up to him and help him relax. His mom says that it is important to identify the strengths of an autistic person and then build on those strengths.

Benjamin said he loves birds and nature in general and now has a parrot.

“I have autism,” he announced. “And I am working to get beyond the barriers and help people know about people with special needs. I am different but I am not less. Education helps break down barriers and compassion leads to understanding.”

He said he struggles with memory issues, and then beamed his bright smile and asked what a golfer and a library have in common. He waited and when answer was forthcoming, he said, “Book clubs.” Sometimes his jokes take a while but they always seem to involve double meanings.

Benjamin explained that repetition helps him compensate for what’s missing in his brain connections. One child in every 68 has some form of autism and the gender ratio is five males to one female.

No one has come up with a definitive cause for autism, but research has revealed that many autistic people have more than average math, computer, engineering and musical abilities.

When Benjamin was three and underwent many tests for his autism, it was revealed that he toxins stored in his body that might have been caused when the family home had new carpet installed. When he was five he tested for excessive mercury levels.

“I had my vaccine on schedule and then at six months I began to show odd behavior, stimulated by spinning objects. By the time I was one, I rocked a lot, but some of my first words were in German. I had twirly hands and words began to fade away.”

Benjamin explained that he learned sign language when words eluded him, he learned eye contact through behavioral therapy and learned to imitate appropriate responses. He says his parrot learned to talk by imitating, and practicing kept his brain developing. He remembers he couldn’t stand the feel of play-do or finger painting but he loved knitting.

Over the years, with trial and error, he has learned he can have no gluten or casein proteins and needed specific nutritional supplements. He also learned he had too much mercury, about five times the normal amount and had to undergo chelation therapy in which a solution is injected into the bloodstream to remove toxic metals from body. It took three years to rid his body of the heavy metal.

When Benjamin was young he had perfect pitch and could identify bird calls and frog sounds, but playing was hard work for him. He was also into puppet theater. He said sometimes it is hard for him to keep talking. “It is like a faulty CD that gets stuck. I try not to hop when I am excited and I have to focus all the time on what I am doing. But I have friends who are  supportive and that is the most important thing.”

He suggested that people, when talking to a person with autism, should always say they mean and mean what they say, that he doesn’t subtexts or irony, that if someone doesn’t mean what they say, it confuses him. Like, “See you later.” He says he understands concrete language, firm and direct.

Over all, says Benjamin, his autism leads to loneliness and he asks people to take a chance and reach out. If you don’t get immediate response, don’t be discouraged, sometimes several occurrences or adjustments have to take place.

When Benjamin was through speaking, her performed Poi swinging to music. He then answered questions from the audience. He was eager and forthright in his answers and said that he had sometimes had to search for the right way to start, but if he was patient, it would come to him.

Benjamin graduated from high school this year and is in immersed in community involvement volunteering at the humane society and working in gardens. He is looking for more opportunities to speak to groups and build communication and understanding about living with autism.