Autism: In their own words

At the end of the day, being autistic's just a part of me. I mean I don't  think about how I have brown hair or fingernails, they’re just there, they've always been there and I  don't think about it. I think being a parent of an autistic child the most important thing to  remember is to just take it one step at a time, one day at a time. I would describe it as a journey  that helped me to learn how to better advocate for people and better advocate for Christopher. Just  having the diagnosis ma

de a big difference. It explained a lot. A lot of questions were answered. Just getting that diagnosis was a big deal. I think being a parent of an autistic child is  sometimes a struggle but I mean, you have the same goals for your child, you  want your child to succeed and it's no different than having  quote unquote a normal child. I wish that everyone knew that autism is  fundamentally about a way that an individual interacts with the world, their environment,  differences in learning, dif

ferences in perception, and that you know these differences are what makes  human diversity interesting. I was diagnosed with ASD as an adult at the MIND Institute. What I found  with the diagnosis is that it was very empowering because it answered a lot of questions about how I was. I think the first thing I'd wish is that they have realized every individual is different and  they have their own individual unique struggles, so you have to accept who there are as an  individual, their own uniqu

e struggles. I just have this thing I like to call a social battery  like uh when I'm on the green everything's good I'm chilling, I'm having a good time. When it  starts getting lower and into the red like I get tired my brain feels fuzzy and it's tiring  to keep talking to people and I just don't, I don't interact with them. I mean my friends are pretty  understanding of it. What I wish people would know about autism, I think it should be celebrated. Yes  it's being different but every person

is different. My sister thought I had autism, or, um, it was Asperger’s syndrome at that time, and so she took me to the MIND Institute. And it was  news to me. I had no idea. But I consider it so disabling that it's a complete disability,  and I think that has to do with the fact that I had no help or support with it until I was in  my mid-50s and diagnosed at the MIND Institute. My advice to any adult who thinks they're on the  spectrum, go get diagnosed, because it it's very empowering. Lot

s of us don't really bring up being autistic in scenarios and everyone's autism hits different so uh you might have talked to at  least one person without knowing. Like I said people don't really mention it like eye color  or having fingernails, I don't really think about it and don't mention it in casual conversations.  I mean, I like being anti-social pretty often. A lot of my free time is spent sitting in my  room browsing Tumblr and not talking to anyone. I do get kind of uneasy if no one

else is in the  house though. Just because I don't talk to people most of the time doesn't mean I hate socializing  or anything. I have friends and it's fun being on the same wavelength as someone else, being able to  find common ground with a person and just both of you just word vomit at each other. As an autistic  person there's things I don't like eating you know, much like any other person, but I don't know how  many of those I don't know how many people don't like onions specifically bec

ause they crunch weird,  like onions have this weird way they crunch, kind of like apples except apples are  sweet so I don't hate apples. Hi can I get a cheeseburger with just the meat and cheese and  absolutely nothing else on it? Story of my life. You know with Christopher he learns to  appreciate the day. He's taught me through my life, through our journey together, is  just to appreciate the simple things in life, enjoying the good air or growing what's outside.  It's just he has a differe

nt view on the world. He sees things differently and I love seeing things  through his eyes. My child is extremely smart and extremely knowledgeable and he's wonderful to  talk to. He likes to talk about current events, he loves to game and all around he's just a joy  to be with every day. My son has a diagnosis of autism and ADHD and sometimes his impulses can  get in the way of his social interactions and it's very hard to be gentle with him and teach  him that it's okay that these impulses

happen but then have him work on them and understand them  and improve them for the next time. That's a very big challenge for me as a parent and him. If you  can just take it one step at a time and know that it's okay to start and stop it's okay to pivot  and not everything is going to be linear, than I think you'll give yourself a lot of grace  and a lot of understanding through the process and I cannot recommend practicing self-care and  mindfulness enough. It will truly change your life. I

always wonder, If everyone's different what's  the standard for being typical, you know?