Jamie Owen working on what is working in his climbing, coaching and life stuff: From the spectrum....

Coaching for Autism , ASD, D.A.M.P
(Jay Owen)

Previous Challenges:

• Trying to listen to instructor on how he was trying to explain things to me and get things wrong all time 
• haveing diffitculty remembering the ways in group with out haveing one to one help i cant have a understanding on how they explain things to me evan though they said it countless of times i lack memory things promoted to me   about tieing knots it taken me long time i had to go evening classes to be taught how to tie the figure of eight . It took me 6 weeks before i managed to complete and tie knot on my own . i still struggle even now with tieing knot and i climb twice a week 
• Coordination with foot work i felt that use of my foot work was clumsy 
• In the begining with hands i found it hard   to read right & lefts when I am thinking with lots of other stuff in my head and makes me lose concentration  i move into certain angle not only with hands but feet as well , things dont come easy to me but i have so much determination and i am determined to overcome my challanges , i was  useing the palm of my hands fingers did not feel like they was connecting on the hold 
• I did not know anyone when i was bouldering at the wall i try gain social interaction but some peers would talk , some would not talk but i guess that's same for everyone am just chatty person and collective person that like's lot things to talk about with peers to meet them , my confidence is better than when i was little , people with autism would feel in lonely place i no how that feels from my background in schools , so i feel climbing helps in end with social interacton  with peers 
• The challenges i faced with having a  meeting on telling specific person on my back grounds with my Autism and not many people can be open about there autism and feelings because they find it hard to speak out explain things others cant. Every person with autism is different  , and that friends of mine that have autism dont feel very open , and it   wasnt very easy either but i was happy when i met my coach 

• I found clipping the rope into the karabiner  very hard extremely difficult. taking one hand off when my balance and coordination was not that good . it has  been better over the months  , but was not easy. this was  a similar problem to when i was little to useing a knife and fork and tieing my shoe laces . i found it easy to grab the quick draw with both hands because it was less frustrating to put the rope in the thumb would not open the clip. I also went to practice with my coach in the corner while standing on the ground to practice with quick draw and the rope . i also took a karabiner home to practice . 
• When i was route reading on my own i found it hard to read a problem and get right and lefts correct  when someone would say do it this way , i cant relate to the following because there saying it to quick for me to understand anything feels as if there saying it to quick draw for me to read the problem , i would use to much energy on every hold to find out if that was right or left hand. Now when i am bouldering i stick to tactics that my coach says to me in each session and act as if he is there at bottom shouting left right on the problem.  The way we made it work was with useing touch on the holds and on my hands or arm and also the coach would wave witch hand to use from a distance , while i was bouldering climbing to help me understand on were to put my feet and hands and trying to listen to what my coach says sometimes i got it right and sometimes i get frustrated with my self because am trying concentrate but when someone explains something to me its like my body there but mind floating away somewhere else so i find it hard to read people instructions 
• How we learned the coach kept   repeating by saying same things over and over so i grew to know some things not all things , still find it difficult but try my best to listen to what my coach says when am so high up i find it easyr he is  standing beside me or on the rope to call out cause am not sure if you got keep conversation going cause i dont understand when it goes silent  
• When i was bouldering i felt down hearted annoyed angry at home because why do things take so long for me be able to accomplish things and you see others that have not been climbing that long but get the things right maybe one side brain works and once you start understand what your body can do and your brain you can push your self to your limits  ashamed of taken so long to do problems. The solluation was for me is through repeatedly trying the boulder problem my body referred back to muscle memory i get a tick in my head when i no am trying my hardest , The reason the method works for me because i never give up. ill always keep battleing till the end 
• When i am training at home i get very frustrated and kick things in my room chuck things . my frustration whilst training at home seems to come from being angry at not getting things right .  because it dont seem as if am showing progress i have days were i feel am not doing things right it feels as if am back to sqauare one . I have fantastic session when being coached but when am on my own at home on the hangboard i cant seem get momentum so that causes angy frustrations . The problem with a written  training  programme for the home is i cant understand even though i want to , i forget things very easy that's why once i look at films or listen to music  they promt my memory. its like everything comes back from years ago but i cant say it out lould to express my self in conversation on certain topics of my intrests.  from the training programme to work at home it has to prompt my memory from exsperenices. 
• My improvement in climbing from 4C to leading 6C has come from doing it in small steps intensely  were we focused on particular things that were specificly a problem to me. 
• Climbing has had a massive impact on my life by helping me mentally and psphysicall with day to day life. Also meeting new people and having guidance from my coach and beleiveing in me that i can overcome my challenges. Having one to one with my coach as well has helped me a lot through my life with autism because having autism is not always happy smily days. It can be a very lonely place at times and not many people can understand what it is like to live with autism. When I am climbing, I am not thinking negitivaly about life and no one is judging me and it feels like a safe place. Its a great community scene with so many great people that have a good outlook on life its self. 

Thanks to V12 for equipment sponsorship. I will try my best!