MEDIA ALERT - JESSE SAPERSTEIN LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
D. Plump Consulting
Email: PR@DPlump.com

Autistic Man Free Falls to End Bullying,

14,000 Feet Above Ground

Best-selling author, autism advocate and motivational speaker Jesse A. Saperstein is spreading an Anti-Bullying movement across America with his “Free-Falling to End Bullying in 2012” YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/jessesaperstein), hoping to put an end to torment in and out of the classroom.

29-year-old best-selling author, autism advocate and motivational speaker Jesse A. Saperstein has launched the “Free-Falling to End Bullying in 2012" (www.youtube.com/jessesaperstein) campaign as part of his zero tolerance, nationwide Anti-Bullying movement. Saperstein, who has a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome (AS), has suffered bullying from peers starting at an early age in school. The “Free-Falling to End Bullying in 2012" video shows Jesse jumping from an airplane 14,000 feet above the face of the earth, featuring the vocals of Grammy-winning artist Taylor Swift and her Grammy-winning song, “Mean.” It is the first video to feature an extreme sport and children with autism sharing their personal experiences.

“For a long time, my peers led me to believe that my abuse was self-inflicted," says Saperstein. "Now, I know better and want to bring awareness to the tragedies of bullying and make sure others no longer have to suffer and endure the fight alone."

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDP), 1 in every 110 children in America is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making autism more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, childhood cancer, and pediatric AIDS combined. ASD is a range of complex neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication challenges, and restricted, repetitive, or stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autistic disorder is the most severe form of ASD, while other conditions along the spectrum include milder forms known as Asperger's syndrome (AS), Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) and Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) reports bullying is a common experience for many children and adolescents. Surveys indicate that as many as half of all children are bullied at some time during their school years, and the Bully Police of Minnesota states that 94% of children with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome faced peer victimization including emotional bullying (75%) and gang attacks (15%). Children who are bullied experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance. Some victims of bullying have even chosen suicide rather than continuing to endure such harassment and torture.

"Nobody should have to jump out of a perfectly safe airplane to see better days. Let this be the first generation to enjoy acceptance while having something to fight for. It cannot get better someday. It will become better TODAY," says Saperstein.

Saperstein says he's not suggesting that everyone jumps out of a plane. Instead, he urges the public - children and adults - to find their own unique way to become heroic. "It's time to advocate for those who deserve a friend. Or give somebody a voice that has been silenced by abuse and ignorance. The person you fight for today could be the life you're saving tonight."

"Jesse changed my life," says 10-year-old Todd Weaver of Hyde Park, New York. "I see my Asperger's like my super power now. Jesse really made a difference in my life, and now I want to help other kids like me in the same way."

Saperstein visits schools on a regular basis and has been successful with stomping out bullying or at least dramatically alleviating it with every presentation. He is currently working on initiatives to pioneer a middle/high school class in New York State that will be similar to health, but shall focus on educating young people about misunderstood disabilities as well as the psychological and legal consequences of bullying.

For more information about Jesse A. Saperstein visit www.jessesaperstein.com.

For speaking inquiries and press interviews, contact D. Plump Consulting at pr@dplump.com.

About Jesse A. Saperstein:

Jesse A. Saperstein is a best-selling author, autism advocate and motivational speaker. He is considered one of the most respected leaders in the Anti-Bullying movement of his generation. Jesse has a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome (AS). Individuals with Asperger’s are impaired by a profound lack of social skills, common sense, and resistance to change in routine.

After graduating from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2004 with a BA degree in English, Saperstein set out to conquer the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail to benefit the Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation. He began hiking from Georgia to Maine on March 9, 2005 and successfully completed the journey on October 18, 2005, raising more than $19,000 for children to attend summer camp who had contracted HIV/AIDS through prenatal transmission. Shortly after his hike ended, Saperstein was exposed to some of the cruel realities of living as an adult on the autism spectrum and was treated as a social pariah by members of the community who did not understand. His decision to write a book was an opportunity to escape these realities and advocate for his peers who are not always granted a voice.

Saperstein’s story, “Atypical: Life with Asperger’s in 20 1/3 Chapters,” was published by Penguin Group (USA) in April 2010 and became a popular memoir due to its practical advice and outrageous humor. He chronicles his misadventures and extremes to improve his social skills. The book quickly rose to the top of Amazon.com and placed Saperstein as a dynamic media personality, motivational speaker and most important, an advocate for people with disabilities. After receiving a grant from Anderson Center for Autism (ACA) in Staatsburg, New York, Saperstein completed his first skydiving jump in front of his community in an effort to eradicate bullying. “Free-Falling to End Bullying in 2012" is currently a popular video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/jessesaperstein). Saperstein resides in Pleasant Valley, New York.

For more information about Jesse A. Saperstein, visit www.jessesaperstein.com.

###

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - MONDAY, MARCH 19

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW (March 19, 2012)!!! 

Stay tuned to "Atypical" for the announcement. 

You won't want to miss it. 

Until then, check out and "like" 

http://www.jessesaperstein.blogspot.com/2012/03/update-about-my-escape-to-glorious.html

 

 

An Update about my Escape to the Glorious Florida Peninsula

I have now entered the third week of my Florida Working Vacation.  I arrived here on Tuesday, February 28^th, 2012 and am leaving here on Tuesday, March 20^th, 2012.  It is weird and incredible at the same time.  But mostly incredible.  This is the longest I have ever been anywhere nice unless you count my semester studying abroad in Bath, England.  Vacations are always gone in the REM blink of an eye.  Just a taste of paradise and nothing more.

Over the years I have not been able to take many vacations.  The ones that I did take were only a week long and often ruined by work-related responsibilities.  It is not fair, but the adult world often shows little mercy.  This is just the way things are and the consequences for “taking a break” can be absolutely devastating.  Yes.  I know there are plenty of others who have far worse realities, but this is not the point.

Therefore, my only solution was to loaf down here for three solid weeks and bring my work with me.  It is quite an experience and I would like to believe the time is being utilized consistently.  Every single day something important is completed in an environment where spring is as it should be.  The flowers are actually in bloom in seventy-plus degree weather and rain is consistent, but not relentless.  It never lasts very long and the sun soon comes out to gloss over any remnants of nature’s fury.

                                                                       

This is unlike any vacation in a hair under thirty years of life.  Paradise is prolonged without the constant pressure to seize every second of a given day.  Rush, rush, rush, and need to take another vacation to make up for the one you just “enjoyed.”  If one or two days are squandered in laziness then it is not the end of the world because there are multiple opportunities to overcompensate later on in the week.  Right now, I am helping my publicist, Daphne Plump create the new web page, by giving her this blog as well as all the past ones.  Much of my time is spent helping her initiate the publicity campaign, which should give me a fresh start.  Perhaps this is why I am here.  To give myself a fresh start while shaving three weeks off winter.

My time in the Land of Florida has also been spent trying to lose weight.  I am now inching my way down to the 190 pound mark and hope to reach the 180 region by the time I leave.  The consequences of sitting on my butt answering too many e-mails have finally taken their toll.  Ringing Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus actually called last week to ask whether they could pay me $50.00 per day to serve as their “World’s Fattest Man.”  Alright!  Maybe this did not actually happen, but if I keep it up then this could very well be my future.

Most important, I have a great deal of time to spend with my grandmother who is 83 years young.  I serve as her chauffeur during nighttime driving and try to take breaks from the computer once in a while to join her watching television.  Tonight we just saw the movie, “My Week with Marilyn.”  For three weeks, I have shed my self-martyr complex and am trying to just enjoy my time in the Veritable Garden of Eden.  And these three weeks are actually going very fast!

At least once in a person’s life, it is important to make compromises and do something for yourself.  This is finally my time.  I am going to take my working vacation and return stronger than before.  I know everyone will be waiting with big smiles on your faces in just a week’s time!

A Pragmatic Change in Scenery

It took me a while to learn that the magical land of Florida has more than Disney World; lukewarm, outdoor swimming pools in December; and beautiful grandparents to spoil me and my sister to death.  It also took a while to understand that there were kids who lived in the Kingdom year-round and went to school like myself.  Yes!  It took a while to understand there was something beyond the luxurious, gated community.  And the vacations were always so fleeting…so short.  Sometimes they were even contaminated by homework imposed upon me by my teachers.  The fleeting nature of my vacations and the “homework” feeling has grown worse in adulthood.  The last three trips to Florida were polluted by a funeral, deadlines, consistent e-mails, and other factors that stole precious vacation time.  It is difficult to not remain bitter and want to do something about it.  I cannot get away from work and I cannot have a real vacation.  Therefore, give me the chance to smooth over any negative energy with a compromise.

I have made the adult decision to visit Delray Beach, Florida for three, consecutive weeks while staying with my maternal grandmother in her Peninsula of Paradise.  Some of my duties will include food shopping, chauffeuring my grandmother to her various appointments, doing the food shopping, and continuing my anti-bullying work using the modern innovations of e-mail and Priority Mail.  A brief tour of Washington State will also be included in the trip when I depart via plane to perform speeches.  Most important, nearly a solid month will be shaved off this miserable winter.  The winter has been fairly mild compared to last year, but I do not discriminate.  All winters are completely miserable regardless of the aggregate snowfall.

But please spare any feelings of jealousy.  I intend to get valuable work completed and the change of scenery will also give me an infusion of energy to start my next book proposal.  I’ll also do everything in my power to keep it from becoming a vacation.  Three weeks can go pretty fast like the fine granules of an hourglass.  The blink of an eye is enough to see it pass.

The responsibilities of adulthood can become overwhelming regardless of whether or not someone has an autism spectrum disorder.  Then again, adulthood can also become liberating when you have the power to make your own decisions while weighing both the benefits and consequences.  In this case, there are far more benefits than consequences.

There is another incentive for my trip to Delray Beach.  Last week, Barnum and Bailey Circus called and asked me to be part of their Freak Show as the “World’s Fattest Man.”  They pleaded to pay me one hundred dollars per day to just stand inside a glass case and have the public stare at me.  Alright.  Fine!  Maybe this did not actually happen, but I am gaining more weight than I know what to do with these days.  Answering e-mails at the computer all day long has really taken its toll as I have graduated to the 200-pound milestone.  It is time to take executive action without any further delay!  Watch me and wait for my return as a thinner person.

In the future, I will create a company that sends its employees on extravagant vacations under the condition they must complete a certain workload in this tropical environment.  It would increase productivity, worker morale, and let them know they are a valuable component of the workplace.  I believe sometimes a change in setting is needed for something profound to flourish.  Not short enough that the person is desperately craving more.  But not long enough so the person becomes restless and yearns for the grass back on that former side.

On a final note, I thank all of my friends and Facebook fans for believing in me and keep watching my posts.  I’ll try to write more blog entries filled with the misery of my constant work so you will not feel so jealous that I have chosen to leave you behind in your frigid environment! 

I am leaving on February 28^th, 2012 and will be returning on March 20^th, 2012

Excessive List of New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

Wow!  I am off to a good start with regards to my New Year’s Resolutions!  I say this with absolute and utter sarcasm because this list of New Year’s Resolutions was supposed to have been posted on New Year’s Day.  It is now Friday, January 13^th, 2012! 

Therefore, I am already failing at the first item on my list that states, “Will Complete Tasks in a More Diligent Fashion as Though it were a Mental Hot Potato.

Here is my list and hopefully you will keep your Resolutions especially if you also live with the challenges created by the autism spectrum.  But everybody…with or without autism…can always benefit from self-improvement!

1.    WILL COMPLETE TASKS IN A MORE DILIGENT FASHION AS THOUGH IT WERE A MENTAL HOT POTATO.

2.    WILL SHRED OLD CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS IMMEDIATELY INSTEAD OF LETTING THE CLUTTER PILE UP IN THE FAMILY DEN.

3.    I INTEND TO START MY SEQUEL FOR “ATYPICAL: LIFE WITH ASPERGER’S IN 20 1/3 CHAPTERS” THIS MONTH (JANUARY) AND WILL DEVOTE ALL OF 2012 TOWARD ITS COMPLETION.  ITS TENTATIVE TITLE IS “TRANSITIONING TO SUCCESS.”

4.  I WILL TRY TO GIVE FANS OF MY BOOK THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE BY WRITING THEM BACK AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THEIR LETTER LANGUISHES ON THE PROVERBIAL, TO-DO PILE.

5.    AS THE ADDAMS FAMILY WOULD SAY, “WEIRD IS RELATIVE.”  I’LL CONTINUE TO EXAGGERATE MY FLAMBOYANT ECCENTRICITIES, BUT FIND BETTER WAYS TO JUSTIFY IT BY PERFORMING MORE ODD, BUT BENEVOLENT, TASKS LIKE MAILING OUT BIRTHDAY CARDS TO OBSCURE ACQUAINTANCES OR RETURNING EMPTY GARBAGE CANS TO THE FRONT OF HOUSES ON GARBAGE DAY!

6.    FOR THE SAKE OF MY HEALTH, I NEED TO UTILIZE THAT GYM MEMBERSHIP AND STOP STAYING UP ALL NIGHT TO WRITE E-MAILS AND EATING ALL NIGHT LONG, TOO.  AND WATCHING TV ALL NIGHT LONG WHILE WRITING E-MAILS TO JUSTIFY THE EXCESSIVE TIME IN FRONT OF THE BOOB TUBE.

7.    I AM GOING TO BE THIRTY YEARS OLD IN THREE SHORT MONTHS AND IT IS TIME TO BEGIN APARTMENT HUNTING AS WELL AS FINDING SOME WAY TO EARN MONEY TO SUPPORT AN INDEPENDENT LIFESTYLE.

8.    WILL STOP FLATULATING IN PUBLIC IN HOPES THAT NOBODY WILL NOTICE OR IT WILL BE SILENT AND NOT DEADLY.

9.    THE ASPERGER’S POPULATION IS NOT GOING TO SURVIVE UNLESS SOCIETY STARTS TO MEET THEM HALFWAY.  I MUST WORK HARDER TO GIVE MY INCREDIBLE PEERS SOMETHING PROFOUND TO FIGHT FOR IN LIFE.  IF THEY START TO MAKE MORE OF AN EFFORT TO CURTAIL THEIR EXTREMELY INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, I WILL FIND SOME WAY FOR THE WORLD TO TAKE NOTICE AND GIVE THEM THE BREAK THEY DESERVE.

10.   I’M GOING TO STOP POURING ALL MY TIME AND MONEY IN CRACKPOT STUNTS LIKE SKYDIVING UNTIL I START WRITING MY SECOND BOOK AND FIND A WAY TO SUPPORT MYSELF FINANCIALLY WITHOUT CONSTANTLY RELYING ON MY PARENTAL SLUNITS.  I MEAN…UNITS!

11.  THE SMALL CAT NAMED, JIMMY, NEEDS A LOT MORE ATTENTION OTHER THAN THE TIMES I YELL AT HIM FOR EATING MY PAPERS ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE.

12.  I HAVE TO LEARN TO RELY ON NATURAL SLEEP TO MAINTAIN MY ENERGY INSTEAD OF REB BULLS, COFFEE, AND MORE COFFEE.  I THINK IT WAS THOMAS EDISON WHO NEVER SLEPT BECAUSE HE SAW THIS PHYSIOLOGICAL NECESSESSITY AS “A WASTE OF TIME.”  BUT PERHAPS THIS IS SILLY EVEN IF EDISON WAS A GENIUS.

13. I AM GOING TO START MY CHRISTMAS CARDS IN MAY AT THE ABSOLUTE LATEST TO GIVE MYSELF MORE OF A CHANCE THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF NURSING THE REGRETS OF ONLY REACHING A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE LIKE LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT!

14.  I WILL CHECK FOR TYPOS IN ALL BLOG ENTRIES AND E-MAILS MORE DILIGENTLY.  OR I WILL PUT MYSELF AT THE UTTER MERCY OF THE DEDICATED PUBLIC TO IDENTIFY ROGUE TYPOS (A.K.A. COCKROACHES) AND BRING THEM TO MY ATTENTION.

15.  I SHALL CLEAN THE CAT’S LITTER BOX MORE DILIGENTLY AND CHANGE HIS STAGNANT WATER WHEN IT GETS TO THAT SPECIFIC LEVEL OF SHALLOWNESS.

16.  I WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE “TO-DO LISTS” BUT WILL FOCUS ON AT LEAST SOME OF THE PRIORITIES INSTEAD OF THE BUSY WORK THAT GIVES ME THE ILLUSION OF GETTING THINGS DONE DURING THE DAY.  (LIKE OPERATING THE PAPER SHREDDER AND TAPING UP BOXES WITH THE SHREDDINGS.)

17.  I DO NOT BELIEVE IN “LETTING GO” AND WILL HOLD ONTO DEAR LIFE TO EVERYTHING.  BUT I WILL LEARN TO LET GO WHEN THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER AND ALL OTHER OPTIONS HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED.  BUT NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE TIME, I WILL ALWAYS PURSUE COMPROMISE, INCREMENTAL “BACKING OFF,” AND PUTTING SOMETHING ON A BACKBURNER.

18.  NOTHING FILLS ME WITH EXCITEMENT MORE THAN BLACKJACK.  ON THE OTHER HAND, I WILL NOT RELINGUISH CASH TO THE GAMBLING MECCAS UNTIL I ACTUALLY HAVE DISPOSABLE INCOME TO LOSE.  OR I WILL ONLY GAMBLE TWICE A YEAR.  ALRIGHT.  I WILL ALWAYS STOP AFTER LOSING ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS AT THE FIVE DOLLAR-A-HAND TABLE.

19.  SOMETIMES IT IS NECESSARY TO TAKE A SMALL STEP BACKWARDS BEFORE HAVING THE STRENGTH TO TAKE A MUCH LARGER STEP FORWARDS.  WITH THIS IN MIND, I INTEND TO TRY AND RETURN TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT FIRED ME FROM SUBSTITUTE TEACHING IN 2006.  I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY THEM GIVING ME A SECOND CHANCE AND OVERCOME THEIR DISCOMFORT ABOUT THE ASPERGER’S SYNDROME.  AFTER SIX YEARS, I HAVE BEEN PUTTING IT ON A BACKBURNER LONG ENOUGH.  I COULD ALSO USE THE EXTRA CASH FOR MY DOOMED ONLINE DATES. 

20.  WILL WORK FIVE TIMES AS HARD THROUGHOUT ALL OF 2012 TO LET SOCIETY KNOW THERE ARE PROFOUND GIFTS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND THEY MAY ONLY FLOURISH WITH A FIGHTING CHANCE!

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND ANY TYPOS SO I MAY CORRECT THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!  I AM VERY LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH DEDICATED SUPPORT AND FANS OF MY EFFORTS!  LET’S ALL TRY TO DO BETTER IN 2012!