At 22, Tommy continues to be in a burst of language development. His language gains have always, always been supported by the written word, and his daily, extensive facebook chats with friends are a rich source of learning.

Even as I type, I overhear Tommy asking Peter “What does fur coat mean?” To which Peter replies “A coat made of fur” and Tommy replies “A coat made of fur.” Confirming he is taking it all in. I remember the moment he first asked “What does ____ mean?” Unlike Tommy, whose memory of dates is impeccable, I can’t tell you right now the exact date he first asked us that question. But I do recall clearly how life changing it was. It was a turning point, filled with hope and excitement!

So, earlier today, something happened. These things happen almost daily, but I chose to share this one with all of you. It went like this:

Tommy said to me “I was thinking of….”

Which is how he has begun many, many sentences for a really long time now. But then, he paused. And started his sentence again, with a new phrase I have never heard him use, ever. He said “That reminds me of…”

Honestly, to some people this might seem small, even insignificant. But to me, each and every single moment this kind of thing happens feels like a small miracle.

And so Tommy’s language moves forward, inch by inch, towards greater happiness on his part, because his desire to share, communicate, and connect is great. And as his communication skills improve, his ease with the social world changes as well.

Learning is lifelong. My greatest joy is hearing from the many, many families who find hope in Tommy’s story. And from everyone who finds inspiration in Tommy’s perserverance and successes, despite his challenges.

Perhaps today you are feeling like things are just too hard. In this world, that is understandable. Life is overwhelming. But one step at a time, day by day, you will make the gains you need to be successful. You really will.

Thanks to each and every person who has supported Tommy. And to each of you who need support, please know that inside of you is the courage you need to move forward, inch by inch, step by step, to thrive and find joy!

Tommy was interviewed by Kathleen Kelly of specialmouse.com

Here is the podcast of the interview!

Autism Means Friendship with Tommy Des Brisay! 031

Posted by admin on March 30, 2014

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

Elite Paralympic Athlete and YouTube sensation, Tommy Des Brisay (and his mom) join Kathy to kick off Autism Awareness Month on the Special Mouse podcast. We discuss Tommy’s autism and his lifelong love of Disney, his service dog, Adele, and his Disney’s Frozen meet ‘n greet video that got over one million views on YouTube!

Tommy is an accomplished athlete with Autism from Ottawa, Canada. He has an Autism Assistance Dog guide, Adel. He trains with the Ottawa Lions. Tommy’s Personal Bests are: 1500m 4:23 3000m 9:21 5k- 16:32 10k- 33:54 Half Marathon 1:14:56. A T-20 (Intellectual Disability) Para-Athlete, he’s training towards competing at the Paralympic and World level. Tommy’s also a Nordic skier, kayaker, rock climber, sailor, horserider, swimmer, canoeist and mountain biker. He loves Disney, YouTube, and Facebook. Tommy could read/type words before he began to speak at about age seven. The subtitles of Disney movies helped him develop language. Tommy inspires through his determination and enthusiasm! The YouTube channel lookyus educates about Autism and allows viewers to appreciate all that a person with Autism has to share with others.

Here are the two videos mentioned during the podcast:

“Frozen” Characters Anna & Elsa meet Tommy in Norway
Olaf “In Summer” Parody: The First Fastest Runner

Thanks, Kathleen, for a great interview and story !

At 22, after a lifetime of really not getting the whole concept of misleading statements, for the sake of teasing, humour or April Fools gags, a breakthrough happened today! Tommy was suddenly on board with April Fool’s Day!

He spent much of the day making false, misleading statements of a harmless, trivial nature, and, once we reacted, then saying “April Fool’s!” And, when we teased with false statements, he got it, and replied with “April Fool’s” too!

Just to give you an idea of some of Tommy’s jokes, here you go:

Example #1:
Tommy: Look! (opening cupboard) Apple cookies!
Us: Where?
Tommy: April Fool’s!!!

Example #2:
Tommy: I cooked up some steaks for lunch today!
Us: Really?
Tommy: April Fools!

Example #3:
I slept in too late today!
Us: Really?
Tommy: April Fool’s!

Example #4:
Tommy: I just want my old classmate Neil Atkins from Ottawa Technical Secondary School to start running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running today!
Us: You do?
Tommy: Yes.
Us: OK
Tommy: He eats so many pieces of pumpkin pie after running today!
Us: He does?
Tommy: Yes. I just want Neil Atkins to get his cake, pie, and dill pickles and ice cream made from wheat, barley and rye flour called gluten, and cow’s milk, after running and so many pieces of pumpkin pie at midnight.
Us: Really?
Tommy: April Fools!!!!

Ok, just to be clear, Tommy came along while I typed this, read what I had so far, and dictated that last one to me 

Short on April Fool’s ideas? It doesn’t have to be elaborate! Any old false statement will pretty much do 

PS This reminded me of a time, a few years ago, when Tommy was accusing others of lying at times when they were being sarcastic (sarcasm involves basically saying the opposite of the truth, for humour’s sake. Hard to grasp for someone with Autism.) When I wrote him a definition of sarcasm, he was intrigued, but still couldn’t really “get it”. But he did suggest that perhaps the Autism Unit, where he went to school, could be turned into a “Sarcasm Unit”. I wondered- would that mean that everyone there would always speak only in sarcasm at all times? (sign me up.) or that it would be a place where people were taught how to be sarcastic? Questions left unanswered, to this day.

January 24, 2014

I was eating dinner last night, a huge wonderful salad Tommy made, along with Tommy and Peter, and I received a text message.

Now before you jump to the conclusion that it’s rude to text during dinner, please remember that Tommy is much more at ease, and converses much better, in writing than in speech. Which is why he loves Facebook chats, texting, and all things written. And why we write him stories, called Social Stories, to help him process all the things that are happening, will happen, or have happened. So for Tommy, the iPhone is an Assistive Communication Device. It is also a safety device with its GPS. And his google to look up the many words he hears all day long, to find out what they mean, now that he is seeking the definition of all the words he doesn’t yet know. And it is his note taking place for the long, detailed diary he writes all day long, chronicling every minute thing that happens to him. And his note pad for copying the Power Point notes at the University of Ottawa class he is auditing. It is so many amazing things! You get my point.

Anyhow, back to my original story.

The text was from Tommy. And it said: “Eat up. You want to grow big and strong like me, don’t you?”

Oh, Tommy! If only a big salad could make me as strong as you  Would I also have to spend 4-5 hours a day working out? Cause that just might not happen!! lol 

January 21, 2014

Cat in the Hat hats. Best worn daily, all the time, for biggest impact.

That’s what Tommy did, for a few years, as a preschooler. There was no convincing him otherwise. And, also, no good reason to try to convince him otherwise. Especially since that crazy hat made spotting him as he ran away in crowds, etc, much easier. Before he got his first guide dog, that hat was a life saver sometimes! Not to mention a terrific fashion statement.

And so, when we got to Dr. Seuss Land, and Tommy saw on in the gift shop, we took a little trip down memory lane. 

Like= I think that, like Tommy, I’ll wear that hat too. It certainly looks like a fun thing to do. I’ll wear a big hat and I’ll say things that rhyme. And people will smile with me all of the time.

http://youtu.be/yvAuPTV1FFI

February, 2014

Since November, Tommy’s big brother Paul, and his adorable little girlfriend (fiancee) Laura have worked for Ottawa’s Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, doing travelling zoo shows all over Eastern Canada, returning to Ottawa on days off. Their comings and goings have been frequent and unpredictable, as their schedule is quite varied.

Tommy is always happy to see them, but it’s hard to say goodbye. Lately, he expresses these feelings by saying, frequently, loudly, and somewhat angrily, “I told Paul and Laura to pack up their stuff and leave for their travelling zoo show!!!” He was saying this over and over tonight, and Peter asked him to stop saying it. To which Tommy replied “SILENCE, you old fool!” (Knowing this had to be a movie quote, I googled it, and found it is from Frollo, Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Later, after he went to bed, he texted me asking when they would be here next. I texted back that they might be back on March 10 or 11. To which he texted “March 10th, 2014! I’m running this place, and if Paul and Laura think they’re gonna fiddle with my schedule, they’d better pack up their stuff and be gone!”
followed shortly afterwards by another text: “What do I mean “I’m running this place, and if Paul and Laura think they’re gonna fiddle with my schedule, they’d better pack up their stuff and be gone!”? (again- movie quote, googled it, and found Sword in the Stone: Merlin: I have come to educate the Wart.
Sir Ector: Oh, no, you don’t. I’m running this place, and if you think you’re gonna fiddle with my schedule, you’d better pack up your bag of tricks and be gone!
[Merlin promptly disappears]
Sir Ector: What? Well, by Jove! Hey, he’s gone.
Kay: Hm? Good riddance.
Merlin: [disembodied voice] I’m gone, but then, I’m not gone. Heh-heh-heh. So if I do leave, you can never be sure that I am gone, can you?
Sir Ector: Well, uh… heh-heh-heh-heh… Well, I must say, you… got me there, Marvin. Uh, heh. Yes, well, you win. You’re welcome to stay if you like.
Merlin: [appearing suddenly] Thank you. You’re very kind. Very generous, I must say.

Tommy’s unique way of expressing things led to another interesting moment a few weeks ago, when Laura arrived at the house, back from a zoo trip a few hours before Paul, since they rode in separate zoo vehicles that day. They usually get home together.

Tommy was outside, getting ready to leave for the track with his dad, when Laura arrived. He always gives Laura a huge hug when he sees her, but this time, when she greeted him, he said, quite matter of factly,

“I don’t have time.”

Laura and I asked him “You don’t have time for what?”

Tommy replied “I don’t have time for Field Zoologists.”

(I will save you the googling…it’s Shere Khan: I can’t be bothered with that, I have no time for that nonesense.)

Ottawa’s own ‘first fastest runner’

Tommy Des Brisay isn’t letting autism get in the way of athletic accomplishments

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The hand-drawn stick figures stencilled on the white and black T-shirt are so revealing. In an instant, you’re introduced to the happy, achieving side of Tommy Des Brisay, a charming yet complex character trapped by autism, but temporarily set free by his athleticism.

The nine drawings reflect the interests of the handsome 21-year-old, a longtime social media addict and lover of all things Disney, especially the movies, which have helped him with speech development and his interactive skills.

The rudimentary creations on Tommy’s T-shirt show him running, paddling, skiing, biking, hugging his third guide dog, Adel, riding, singing, dancing and cheering. Anchored on the bottom of the shirt is his website address: autismmeansfriendship.com.

Three years ago, Tommy asked his mother, MaryAnn Given: “What is autism?” He was curious, having heard the word used so much in conversation. She deflected the question and asked for his definition. He thought and said: “Autism is friendship.” In his case, he makes a good case for that definition.

Technically, autism is a complex disorder of brain development, affecting communication skills and interaction with others. As a result, Tommy has difficulty speaking and understanding, recognizing faces and alerting people about injuries. He can be unpredictable, frustrated, anxious and needs one-on-one attention all the time. However, judging by Tommy’s more than 1,000 Facebook friends, Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club teammates who embrace him as one of them on and off the track, and thousands of people he has run with in road races, there’s a lot to be said for autism means friendship.

No wonder stick-figure Tommy is smiling and happy in every one of the characters he drew for his T-shirt, especially the first one.

It shows him running. For someone who needs constant attention, has been known to require long, unscheduled marathon walks late at night and calls himself the First Fastest Runner in the World, can he ever run quickly and successfully.

During six years on the Ottawa road-racing scene, Des Brisay has been a regular medallist. In the past three years, he has developed into an overall race champion not once, but seven times. He’s also a national champion in paddling and a world champion in dragon boat racing.

Ever since his introduction to running on a trail in Kanata at age 14 with his father, Peter, a national cross-country ski team member in the 1980s, the then 190-pound Tommy has dedicated himself to training and running, making it part of his obsessive compulsive disorder routine.

When the start gun sounds to begin a race, he goes and goes and goes. Noted for his square-shouldered and arm pumping running style, he follows a fast, consistent and never-tiring pace. There’s a happy look on his face as he conquers each kilometre. At the end, he’s looks as refreshed as when he started. What he doesn’t fully understand is strategy: when to increase speed, how long to stay with other runners or to sprint.

“He’s running blind, but he’s not blind,” Peter Des Brisay says about Tommy’s one-dimensional approach. Over time, Tommy has become a more complete runner, just as his communication skills have significantly improved. Three years ago, he was unable to answer a reporter’s questions, but now he can express himself during a more lucid interview. Tommy was diagnosed with autism at 2½ years of age and was non-verbal until seven, but he could read and type words before he could speak.

During Ottawa-area road races, he has been known to giggle as he passes tiring racers, not out of disrespect for them, but rather reflecting his own inner happiness. As he methodically motors along, he’ll tell his bicycle-riding father, who serves as his guide, that he’s creating Disney-type stories in his mind.

That’s natural. At home, he has dictated several hundred stories to his mother, written many and had them secured in numerous binders. Most, if not all, have a Disney character theme. Tommy fell in love with Disney and animation ever since his family’s first visit to Orlando, Florida, in 2009.

Tommy, who graduated from the Ottawa Technical Secondary School autism program in 2012 and now is observing and taking notes in a University of Ottawa physical geography class, plans to finish a productive road racing season by running the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon on Nov. 9, but there could be a problem. His father hasn’t been cleared to ride the course and serve as his guide. The search for a fast guide runner to shadow Tommy hasn’t been successful. Tommy set a personal-best half-marathon time of one hour 14 minutes 58.9 seconds on Sept. 22, when he placed fifth in the Canada Army Run. He also finished fifth in the 2010 Army Run in 1:18:04.9. In both cases, he won his age category, adding to an extensive collection of medals, ribbons and plaques.

On Thanksgiving Monday, Tommy won the Chelsea Challenge 10-kilometre race in 34:40. It was his third overall road-race victory of the season, the others being the Day Before Mother’s Day Half Marathon five-kilometre test and the Wakefield Covered Bridge Run 10-kilometre race. So why has Tommy been able to score at least seven career first-place finishes, three seconds, six thirds and three fourthor fifth-place results since Canada Day 2008? “Because I am energetic,” states Tommy, who this season also was second in the Glen Tay Block Race at Perth in 53:11 for 15 kilometres, and third in the Xerox 10-kilometre race through the Arboretum in 35:22.2. “I don’t seem to get tired. I’m fast and I’m getting faster. I enjoy all the training and I want to be the first fastest runner in the world. I give 1-0-0 (100 per cent).”

While Peter has served as Tommy’s competitive race guide, his mother has chronicled his active life, producing hundreds of You-Tube videos and writing a blog on his website. Tommy’s You Tube channel, which is youtube.com/user/lookyus, surpassed one million views in July. “Tommy is inspiring and breaking peoples’ misconceptions about what (autistic) people can and can’t do,” she says. “He works hard to be an athlete.”

“What’s perfect for him is anything athletic,” Peter says.

Tommy tried to qualify for the 2012 Paralympics in London in the T20 (intellectual disability) class, but he was unable to meet the fast qualifying time criteria for his category’s only race, the 1,500 metres. On the heels of winning the 1,500-metre T20 gold medal in this year’s Canadian track and field championships at Moncton, he hopes to represent Canada in the 2016 Paralympics at Rio de Janeiro.

Even if he can’t make the grade on the track, maybe he’ll reach the Games on the water, with canoe/kayak making its Paralympic debut at Rio in 2016. Tommy, who competes for the Rideau Canoe Club, won the men’s T20 open 200-metre kayak solo race gold medal in the 2011 and 2012 Canadian canoe and kayak championships and was second this season. Running and paddling are only two of his activities, though. He’s involved in therapeutic riding, rock climbing, swimming, tandem-bike cycling, cooking and cross-country skiing, even qualifying for the Ontario high school championships in that sport three times. “He’s driven by his own agenda,” Given says. “He loved to climb and he ran full tilt. He was born to be arunner.”

Martin Cleary’s High Achievers column appears bi-weekly on Wednesdays. If you know an athlete, coach, team or builder you consider a high achiever, contact Martin at martincleary51@gmail.com.