Living a Full Life with Autism with Martin Slyngstad
Living a Full Life with Autism with Martin Slyngstad
All Autism Talk
Martin Slyngstad a Behavior Specialist, and currently in school to become a Speech Pathologist, joins us to discuss his multitude of interests and accomplishments as a young autistic adult. Martin is the author of Chatter Box: My Life with Autism A Mother and Sons Perspective, founder Spire Autism, and Special Olympics gold medal winner. Martin’s warmth and sincerity are contagious as he shares his passionate belief that everyone should celebrate their authentic life.
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Announcer
Welcome to All Autism Talk, connecting the autism community one podcast at a time. Our podcast offers friendly conversations with inspiring individuals in the autism community. All Autism Talk is brought to by Learn Behavioral and the Learn Provider Network. Now here's your host.
Richie Ploesch
Hey everybody. Welcome to this week's episode. As we've said before, a priority for us is to hear all voices from the autism community. That includes caregivers, researchers and autistic individuals. This week I was delighted to have an opportunity to sit down with Martin. Martin Slyngstad is an autistic individual who is currently in school pursuing his speech pathology degree and resides in San Jose, California. He is also an author of the book Chatterbox, his life with autism, which includes his perspective and his mother's. He shared with us also that he is the co-founder of Spire Autism and in his free time he attends sporting events, takes photos and competes in the Special Olympics. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Martin.
Richie
Martin, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here.
Martin Slyngstad
Thank you for having me on. I'm honored to be here.
Richie
I want to get into you're doing a whole bunch of things and I want to get into all of them. But first, I want to get to know you as a person. Tell us a little bit about you and your backstory and kind of how you came to this moment in time.
Martin
Definitely. So I was diagnosed with autism in the early 90s, about age five. And my journey with this has definitely been like the Rubicon here in California, like super rocky, lots of ups and downs. And there's just so much that has gone on. I started a business. am a book author. I am a music producer and I'm also a special Olympic athlete.
Richie
There's so much there. want to, I want to talk a little bit. I want to back up. So you said you were diagnosed at the age of five, right? Can you walk us through your experience, what therapies you had, if you had any kind of what that looked like in your childhood years and how that shaped you as an adult?
Martin
Definitely. Before I was diagnosed with autism, I was actually nonverbal until the age of three, if I remember right. So from age three till I believe middle school I did occupational therapy and speech therapy because back in the day ABA wasn't a thing. And so yeah, here I am.
Richie
So you had, mean, that's amazing, right? You had speech therapy, occupational therapy until middle school. And then those kind of faded away and you went to high school and ultimately to college, correct?
Martin
Correct, correct. Fun fact, I actually still keep in touch with my speech therapist to this day.
Richie
Really? That's so great. That's great. So tell me a little bit about your time in college. I want to hear about what that looked like for you.
Martin
college was an interesting journey. I still am in college. I'm over at San Jose State University getting my degree in speech pathology. And looking back from when I first started, there was a lot more support that I received as a student. And I, there's still some of me that struggles with reaching out to other classmates if I have trouble because I don't know how to approach others, but the support I've received from the support programs and the instructors has been incredible. And I have actually started seeing an improvement in my studies as well.
Richie
So because of the support that you're getting in college, you're a better student and that's why you're getting your degree in speech pathology.
Martin
Yep. And the main reason for that is because I was nonverbal until an early age, I want to give back what I received as a child.
Richie
I love that. So you so is your goal ultimately to go into speech pathology or to be able to do some at least some therapy?
Martin
Definitely. Definitely speech pathology and add that into my company as well.
Richie
That's so great. mean, I'm I'm I'm envisioning this as you're describing it, right? You really grew up during the time that so much of the field has been shaped, right? when, I mean, you said it when there was very little ABA services available and before they were funded by medical insurance and before it was kind of the common practice that it is, more common practice that it is today. I guess you see both sides of that timeline, right?
Martin
Yep, definitely. Back then I didn't know it was a thing and because autism wasn't really as understood back then. It's like now that the autism rate is rising and there's more awareness about it, it's almost like we're coming to a paradigm shift of more people getting the support that they need. I mean, it's still, there's still some ways to go because not a whole lot of people understand it. And then that's where I come in with this company to really help train or help others understand what autism is and even help the autistic community accept themselves. Cause there's still that self acceptance that is hard to come by. And, know, if my struggle of self acceptance, I'm here to really help others achieve that.
Richie
Martin, that's something I hadn't ever really considered is self-acceptance. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that for you and also for other autistic individuals, what that might feel like?
Martin
Definitely. And so this is something that I'm going to be talking about when I joined public speaking and self-acceptance can mean so many things to different people. Like for me, I didn't really accept my autism diagnosis until I started writing the book that I did because I really didn't want to accept that I was different from others. But after sharing my story and having others come up to me and say, know what, your bravery has helped me share my diagnosis with others and I'm no longer afraid and having parents come up to me and say, because of you, I'm not giving up and that I have hope that everything will be okay for my child. so it just, it's a great feeling and I'm excited to see what is to come.
Richie
I think self-importance is, or I'm sorry, not self-importance, excuse me, self-acceptance is so important, I think for every, for all of us, right? I think that's, we all have to navigate that pathway to understand who we are as individuals, but also accept who we are, accept our strengths, accept the areas where we have improvement, accept what we're good at and what we're not. And I think I'm hearing from you that that was a big challenge for you over the course of your lifetime and into your adulthood.
Martin
definitely, especially with all the bullying that I had to deal with and using that bullying as motivation to push me where I am today to show people that, you know, we can do anything. We just have to really believe in ourselves.
Richie
I'm writing that down for me. I feel like that's that's just good advice for all of us, but I'm writing that down just for me.So Martin, you spent some time, I wanna get to your company in just a minute, but before we get there, you spent some time as a behavior specialist, correct? Yes, I still am. You still are, great. Okay, great. My question for you is, how has your diagnosis helped you be a successful behavior specialist, and how has it helped you help families in different ways?
Martin
Definitely, what I've noticed, I mean, I'm coming on to my fifth year in the field and-
Richie
Congratulations, that's a big deal.
Martin
Thank you. I appreciate it. And what's great about it, and this kind of ties into where the whole self-acceptance comes in because as I worked with these kids, I'm able to connect with them a little easier because of my diagnosis, but also I was able to understand myself a little more as well because I saw some similarities with some of the clients. One thing I will say for any behavior specialist that's in the field doing this, it should be more play-based and less robotic. And for those who are new to the field, it is important to build that rapport, like not focus on the goals or anything to help this focus on the record building because you're going into these kids' house and they don't know you.
And it might take them a little bit to warm up to you and to really get that record build going, talk with the parent, like tell them, hey, what is something that your child likes to play with or what are some of their things that they like? And by doing that, that could really help with the record building and You know, if it doesn't work out, yeah, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. mean, it's totally okay. Yup. And one thing that I've done differently in the past is let's just say, for example, the client likes Dora the Explorer show. So what I would do is I'd incorporate Dora the Explorer so we can pretend like we're in an episode. And with the three different locations could be something leading up to what needs to be worked on the most. And that can be like either the end of session or at the end after they accomplish at least a trial or two, have a break in between.
And by incorporating that, I've noticed everything's been running smoothly and I know it won't work for everyone of course, but doing something like that can be really beneficial and make it more fun for this session and for the client.
Martin
So the goal of the organization, I kind of tied it in with my slogan, inspiring those who want to aspire change. And what I've been doing is training instructors how to teach the autistic students in the classroom and kind of give them tips and pointers. And I'm also working with first responders to train them how to calm the autistic child in an emergency. after there was one thing that I, that I've created, can't say too much yet, but after talking with the fire chief one day, they're like, we could have used this the other day after an emergency that happened. And there's just so much going on. And then I work with sports teams on promoting autism awareness and acceptance. And they also build sensory rooms for schools, churches, and even sports teams. I recently, last year, built a sensory room for the San Jose sharks temporarily. And a lot of people reached out and they're like, is the sensor room going to be a permanent addition? I'm going to be working hopefully with the sharks soon on building a permanent sensory room for them.
Richie
so, so Martin, I'm really interested in the sensory rooms that you created for the San Jose sharks. Can you tell us a little bit about why those are so important?
Martin
Definitely. For sensory rooms, is super important because one, it can bring more people out, but it could also help the autistic people who go to the games de-stress after having to deal with, you know, the loud noise, the strobe lights, the pyro and everything like that. It's super important to have these sensory rooms to help bring more acceptance to the community because there really isn't a whole lot of options for people to de-stress or unwind from dealing with a loud noise most of the time. And I actually was invited to Portland to help unveil their sensory room that they just built for their arena over for the trail blazers and a lot of sports teams are stunned to reach out because they really want to help bring more people out but also help make these sports games more accommodating. And I think just accessible to everyone in the community.
Richie
love that. I I think I went to a game at Petco Park recently. live in San Diego and It was loud. was chaotic. There were a lot of people there. had, you know, the music happening and it was a great environment. But at the end of it, I felt sensory exhaustion, right? It just was tired. just, wanted to go home and just sit on the couch for a little bit. And I can imagine for an autistic individual that that is really overwhelming.
Martin
Yeah, definitely man.Now I really hope to connect with other sports teams to help them at least design it or something and to really help make these places more accessible because we don't want to feel left out in these things.
Richie
Well, I can tell you what, if, if you're starting to put rooms in where for the San Jose sharks and the Portland trailblazers, then I'm instantly a fan of those organizations because that means that they're really paying attention to the community as a whole and, and making sure that all the needs are addressed.
Martin
Definitely.
Richie
you mentioned also that you were doing some training for first responders, right? I'm just curious, what, what does that look like? What does that include?
Martin
So it will be starting soon. I started off training teachers first, but what the training will be for first responders, how I'm going to be incorporating it is recording scenarios on the right way and the wrong way, but also set up nodes or even PowerPoint slides to show them like, Hey, when approaching an autistic, some of us are sensitive to lights and sounds.So having the lights and sirens off can be very important because they're heightened from the emergency that happened. And by having these, these lights and sirens, it could amplify the stress, could cause them to lash out, even though we don't mean it, but because our brain has a tough time knowing how to convey what we're feeling, there just needs to be some way to show the first responders, hey, this is the right way and to show up calmly.
Cause if you're going in like aggressive or in a rush, that's just going to make things a whole lot worse. It's like what happened, I believe it was San Bernardino. I don't know if you've heard about that in San Bernardino, I believe where the police came on to a scene and autistic kid was having a meltdown, but because he had something in his hand, he was kind of running towards them and they kind of, They pulled the trigger on them. I'll just, I'm just trying to say it without.
Richie
Yeah. Yeah. I hear you.
Martin
Being Triggering. But so after that happened, there just needs to be a whole lot of training on how to respond. And another example I can give when I told about the, when the police chief told me.They could have used this. They, there was an unfortunate car accident. The kid was freaking out and they were trying to transport them onto the hospital. kept Tim strapped in because they didn't know how to calm him down. So they had to call the father to bring him or to come get him. And it's like that there's, they didn't know how to calm him down. by training them, showing them the different resources, it could be definitely beneficial so we don't have to hear about these things happening.
Richie
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm envisioning this just as you're describing it and I'm imagining, you know, somebody coming in and they think they're trying to help and they're coming in with the sirens going and they're coming in loud and maybe they're coming in quickly and they're rushing to the scene because that's what they've been taught to do.
Martin
Right.
Richie
That may be what part of the population needs but right for the autistic individual they need something different and so you let-
Martin
right no lights or sounds because their Anxiety is already through the roof and by for those who are sensitive to those things and just Makes it a whole lot worse
Richie
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, I so appreciate that that you're starting that I think Just as a whole, think first responders are dealt, they get a lot of things thrown in their direction, right? so the more support and training that we can provide to them, the better equipped they'll be to handle each individual situation. So I appreciate that you're doing that.
Martin
Thank you.
Richie
So Martin, you snuck something into me before we even got on the call today. Like you just, as we were about to record, you snuck in that you're an athlete in addition to all this, in addition to what you're, what you're doing. Tell me a little, I'm just curious. Like I, I'm a sports guy. love watching sports. I grew up playing sports, but I want to hear about your, your athletic career.
Martin
Definitely. in special Olympics, because I'm not allowed to play in any context or due to my spine surgery that I had-back in 06. It was a little discouraging not being able to play sports and stay active. And then I looked up the Special Olympics and they showed know, track and field and stuff like that. My dad and my uncle ran tracks. kinda doing the same thing that they did. And after the doctor released me, I...
just jumped right in, very exciting. And when I played at the spring games at one of the local high schools, it was my first ever event and I ended up winning gold for the first time. And that was my first ever medal as well. it was just, yeah. And now I was invited to play in the summer games starting Friday over at Santa Clara university. And so it's, it's like 600 athletes from the state of California that will be descending upon Santa Clara university for this three day state championship.
Richie
I mean, congratulations. First of all, like that's amazing. Well, I can see the look on your face. You just look so excited and proud of yourself, which you should be both of those things. what events are you competing in?
Martin
I will be competing in the long jump, the 200 meter and the four by 100 meter relay.
Richie
I mean, if you haven't heard a good luck, my friend, I fingers crossed for you. got to keep us posted how it goes.
Martin
Definitely.
Richie
So in addition to being a behavior specialist, starting your own company, Spire Autism, being a state athlete, Right? And competing against six or seven hundred other people. You also wrote a book.
Martin
Yes.
Richie
Do you ever take a nap and sleep?
Martin
I try to, but with my with my brain, it's hard to stay still.
Richie
Yeah, I get it. I mean, OK, so you wrote a book called Chatterbox. Yeah. And you authored it with your mom, correct? Correct. Tell us about it. Tell us about Chatterbox.
Martin
Definitely. So. chatter inbox started off at first we didn't really we thought about keeping that it's just in journal entry but growing up, like it took about seven or eight years to write kids. started from the early years when I was diagnosed all the way to today. And a little fun fact, we never read each other's notes until the book was published because we didn't want to change anything of last minute. And it's unique because you get my perspective and then my mom's side and looking at different books about autism, you were, really isn't a whole lot from both perspectives. You had to hear it from one side or like from some, like a doctor or something like that. And after releasing the book, getting to that point of finally self accepting myself and accepting my diagnosis, I've had parents say…that they understand their child a lot more now because they heard it because they've, they've read both sides.
Richie
Yeah. Yeah. So the, the, the premise of the book is you growing up getting therapeutic support, getting support on, campus, and it's your perspective, but also your, your mom's perspective. Right. And I think that's so interesting that at the end you didn't compare notes until it was published.
Martin
Yeah.
Richie
Were there, were there things that were, that were different and that you didn't realize about her perspective or that she didn't realize about yours?
Martin
Not at the top of my head, but, you know, it was, it was kind of wonderful sharing the book because a lot of people have came up to me like from the autism community and said, you've kind of helped me understand myself a bit. And that's kind of like my goal is to help inspire those.
Richie
Yeah. Yeah, I hear that. I can definitely hear that. And I, and I think that's evident in all the work that you're doing, right? Is helping, helping the community understand and accept autism, but also helping each individual understand and accept their own autism.
Martin
Definitely. And I even do a YouTube channel. I can't believe I forgot to tell you that. I have a YouTube channel talking about the misconceptions of autism, masking, stimming. And then I have like a message of hope for parents and a message for autism. I mean, I just do so much. It's hard to keep track sometimes, but it's like, it's just very rewarding to know I'm able to help people, with these speaking engagements that I'm starting to do and really, really be there for the parents and know that everything will be okay.
Richie
You definitely, you definitely seem like a man on a mission, right? You seem like you've got things that you're doing and things that are coming. So what are some of your future goals? What's next?
Martin
My biggest future goal is after doing all these speaking engagements that I have applied to a few so I'm to hear back from them but my main goal over everything is to inspire someone for them to come to me and say, because of you, I have not given up. That is my biggest goal to really help people reach their potential and to help really, we're like for anybody who listens to really know that, you know, we should be our authentic selves and not have to worry about what other people think or to push through the anxieties that they deal with and know that they can do what they want to accomplish. And I know it just takes that little motivation or that little push to kind of get their first foot forward.
Richie
I think that's a great goal. And I think you're doing a lot of things to put that goal into action. Right. And I want to commend you for all that you've done and all that you continue to do. It seems like you've accomplished a lot and you've benefited a lot of people, but yourself is included in that. I just appreciate all the work that you've done and that you continue to do.
Martin
Appreciate it man. I always put others before me. That's kind of been something that I've done a lot, like helping others before taking a break or even taking time for myself, because it's rewarding to know that what I've done has been able to help others seeing and accepting themselves.
And it's just like, I'll give one example real quick. When I spoke in Dubai, boy, that was, that was something else. A lot of parents were very excited to finally meet me. I spoke with one of the royal family members that were there. But a lot of the autistic people over in Dubai, call it people of determination. That's what they call them there. And yeah. And so after sharing my story, was one autistic person who gets a little uncomfortable talking, but his only way of sharing his thoughts is by singing. When he sings, he's like totally comfortable. so after sharing my speech, he wanted to say something I could tell. And after giving them microphone,
Even the mother was like, you know, it's totally okay if you're not able to or don't want to. then out of nowhere, he breaks out into a song and he was singing about how he wishes that families and their autistic children can be closer together and how we should really start accepting us for who we are. And I wanted to record that, but everybody was so stunned and after hearing what I was talking about that gave him that encouragement to really share what he had to through song.
Richie
That's an incredible story, my friend.
Martin
That was, yeah, it's amazing. And I'm working on going back there for another speaking engagement. Yeah, I'm really hoping to see, see him again because it's just, just to see, it's, there's just so much that has, that was incredible out there. And it's like, I can't wait to be back.
Richie
Yeah. I can't wait to go back and follow up. Martin, I got to say, unfortunately we're running out of time and I know that you like to share some quotes before you go. Do you have any quotes that you can share with us and our audience before we part ways?
Martin
Definitely. do have, I'll make sure I talk a little quickly because I know we're running out of time, but this first one is for those who deal with anxiety. There's from a person named Kendall tool and it goes like this. Anxiety is not just going to ask you to do that once you're going to get knocked down again and again. And every time that mudstick you're coming out of and every time the voice is telling you, you can't get louder because it doesn't want to see you get to the top beyond its reach, beyond its control. So a great way to help fight being anxiety is training the brain by listening to your heart.
Richie
I like that. Is that something, is that something you've, you've had to overcome a lot you think?
Martin
I still do to this day. Yeah. So this last one for the autistic community, this is a sneak peek as like, this is the final part to my speaking engagement. So this is kind of a little sneak peek into, to what I have to say.Being on the spectrum is not a burden or weakness. It is a unique gift that allows us to see the world in a different light, to think outside the box, and to bring a fresh perspective to the table. We are not broken or in need of fixing.
We are beautifully different, wonderfully complex, and incredibly capable individuals. I want to remind each and every one of you that you are powerful beyond measure. You have the strength, the intelligence, and the resilience to overcome any obstacle that may come your way. Embrace your differences, celebrate your strengths, and never let anyone dim your light. Together we can break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and play or pave the way for more accepting society. We have the power to change the world one step at a time. So let us stand tall, speak our truth, and show the world what it truly means to be autistic. Powerful, unstoppable, and incredible.
Let us continue to empower each other, uplift one another, and create a future where every individual, regardless of their neurodiversity, is valued and respected. Together we are forced to be reckoned with. Let's show the world what we're made of.
Richie
I'm speechless. No better way to wrap up our show than that. I love that powerful, unstoppable, incredible. Martin, you're you're one of a kind, my friend. I appreciate having you on today and hearing hearing your story and all that you've done and all that you continue to do. And thank you for sharing your thoughts and those powerful words with us. We're better for it.
Martin
Thank you. And, you know, thank you for having me on as a subscriber. It's pretty awesome to finally be on our podcast that I subscribe to.
Richie
Well, hey, you nailed it, Come back again, okay? Definitely.
I really don't think there's a better way to end this week's episode than with Martin's last quote. That was beautiful and powerful and inspiring and I encourage all of you to back this episode up 15 seconds and listen to it again. I know I'm going to. As always you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Autism Therapies and if you have a show suggestion or other feedback please send us a message at our website allautismtalk.com and feel free to subscribe, rate, or review us at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, take care.
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