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Erika and Elle
Speaking about Life, Love and Autism
Elle Ricker and Erika Hammerschmidt are two people on the autism spectrum who live in California and New Mexico, and speak out about autism spectrum disorders. They have spoken at various colleges and universities, as well as public and private schools. They formerly lived in Minnesota, and in May 2005 they were featured speakers at the Annual Autism Society of Minnesota Conference.
Erika lived in Minneapolis, MN since her birth in 1981, before moving to Pennsylvania in 2018, and to California in 2021. She graduated from Augsburg College in 2004 with majors in German and Spanish and a minor in arts. She has also studied abroad in Germany, Austria, Mexico and Spain, among other countries.
She was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Tourette's Syndrome at the age of 11. Her interests include language and the ways that studying the written and spoken word can help deal with some of the obstacles related to autism spectrum disorders.
She has written a book about her life entitled Born on the Wrong Planet. As the book title suggests, Erika also likes to discuss the feeling of being a creature from another planet trapped in a human body -- not born with the instincts for human social interaction and having to study humans like a foreign culture before being able to fit in.
She also has a science fiction novel, Kea's Flight.
For more information about Erika, go to erikahammerschmidt.com .
Elle was born in Hawaii in 1982 and moved to Minnesota when she was 9 years old. She studied for 2 years each at Cornell College and Augsburg College. Her studies included physics, biology, computer science, philosophy and psychology. With Erika, she moved to Pennsylvania in 2018.
Until this time she had been living under her previous name. In 2020 she began to identify as a transgender woman and took her new name: first Esme, later changed to Elle.
Before Elle's diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 24, she was misdiagnosed multiple times. Specialists were unable to predict her performance and often found her not to fit their diagnosis. Tests showed that she was both disabled and very intelligent.
Elle has experienced being an anomaly in most people's view of the world. She consistently breaks generalizations that society places on the human mind. She enjoys showing others her unique perspective of the world through photography, graphic arts, speaking, humor and writing. Elle also enjoys working with parrots and frequently finds parallels between them and people with autism.
Their Speeches
They prefer a question and answer format for their speeches because it allows them to present the aspects of autism that concern the audience. This format allows the audience to learn about autism in a way that is both interactive and informative.
Speeches start with an introduction from Erika and Elle while note cards are passed out for the audience to write their questions on. After introductions, note cards are handed in and they answer the questions.
They Speak About:
Their childhood and education
Obstacles they faced
Conflicts they had with others
What helped them and what didn't
What it feels like to be on the autism spectrum
Sensory overload
Impulsive behavior
Savant skills and specific interests
Social challenges and trying to fit in
Their art and the effect it has had on their lives
Erika's writing, painting, drawing and photomontage
Elle's photography, graphic design, abstract drawing and writing
Their insights on the science of autism
Theory of mind
The IQ test
The autism spectrum and where it shades into the neurotypical spectrum
Their relationship
How they met
Challenges they faced in beginning a romance
How their autism spectrum disorders help them relate to each other
They live in the western United States but may be willing to travel for speeches. Currently, Erika is in Los Angeles, CA and Elle is in Albuquerque, NM, and both of them plan to do a lot of travel in the future, both together and individually.
Their typical speakers' fee is $300 per person for a speech without travel requirements (for example through an online service like Zoom). Further expenses will apply if the location requires travel, depending on where each speaker is at the time. Mileage will be calculated using the standard rate per mile. Additional expenses will be necessary if it's far enough away to require an airplane trip and/or lodging.
Email for more information about pricing and availability:
humanalien at gmail dot com
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