Something different and personal to me, my autism. Talking about something personal can be difficult for everyone but after discussing this with my Foster Mom she came up with the idea, how about I interview you and ask you questions about your autism. So this is what happened.
When were you diagnosed with Autism.
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2015, I was 8 years old but obviously at that age I didn’t really understand what it meant. But I always knew I was different I had different interests to other kids, and I didn’t really seem to fit in anywhere.
When did you realise you were Autistic.
I was 9 years old on holiday with my foster parents and I asked why I was different to my friends, my foster mum explained it by using cutlery first she laid out the cutlery neatly and said that is how your friends brains could look, then she dropped it on the floor, it obviously landed jumbled up and she said that is how your brain could look and proceed to explain the only difference is your brain is wired differently and that makes you unique at the time that explanation was all I needed.
What is being autistic like for you.
I struggle to read facial expressions and body language and I sometimes struggle to interpretate instructions if they are not given precisely. I find it hard to deal with sudden changes or big decisions being thrown at me. My fine motor skill and core strength have got better over the years, but they were poor when I was younger. I have very sharp senses, busy and noisy places can sometimes be too much but I have learnt coping mechanisms to deal with this. I have a sharp sense of hearing which means some loud noises can be overwhelming, touch or someone standing to close to me can make me feel uncomfortable.
What challenges do you face in the world
Well I am out spoken and I tell the truth, I cannot lie, and this has led to problems because a lot of adults just don’t have patience with me. Some of my peers actively avoid me because I am different to everyone else, how does this make you feel. – it doesn’t upset me but it is annoying because the friends of those people avoid me as well, which I feel I could be good friends with but I have got my friends and I’m happy with that.
Everyone tells me being on the spectrum is a good positive thing and I suppose they are right in a way, some things in life are difficult for me and I sometimes feel I live in a world that is not designed for me. Being on the spectrum means I have to be brave and try harder if I didn’t try I wouldn’t get any where. Life doesn’t come easy for me but I love history and have been lucky enough to have some great conversations with a local author and historian, he has looked at some of my work and given an honest opinion.
If you could dispel a myth or understanding about autism what would it be.
There are lots of crazy things said about autism, like, is having autism like swimming underwater, are colours different for you, are you a maths genius, non of these things are true for me. But I would like to dispel the myth autistic people don’t have empathy, As an autistic person I have a deficiency of motor neurons which prevents me from emotionally trading places with people this can make empathy difficult but not impossible.
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