At the age of three, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome—high-functioning autism. Growing up, I was raised by a single mother who went to extremes to support me despite my social disorder, which was something I never understood or learned about until I was 13 years old. Having Asperger’s syndrome resulted in many flaws: isolation from peers, inability to communicate properly, severe anxiety, and an obsession with just one thing.
I took an obsession with music growing up; I found myself collecting CDs from many of my favorite artists, and keeping them organized in one place. In a way, music was, and still is, something that makes me who I am today. When my mother realized that I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, doctors and peers convinced her that I needed to take part in an IEP (Individualized Education Program) because of my disability. She refused, and in a way, made clear that she didn’t want me to face being treated differently from the other students.
When middle school approached, I realized that my class included a mixture of smart kids and others who faced academic challenges. In sixth grade, those with academic and social issues were taken out of our home classroom everyday to be taught a different curriculum in math, reading and writing. In sum, academics was never a problem for me.
In fact, according to Autism Society, high-functioning autism differs from other forms of autism because of intellectual abilities and intelligence. Basically, children with Asperger’s syndrome are able to succeed academically; we’re just not used to many social cues and other forms of communication.
I was afraid to speak up in front of peers in my class. Honestly, I still hate it. However, aside from music, writing has been a passion of mine since middle school. In sixth grade, a poem I wrote was published in a book. This, in general, motivated me to write more. I used to succeed in all of my composition classes, write essays and other stories. But, in high school, I chose to take action and create my school’s first newspaper, “The Knightly News.”
It was a platform that I used to get into Penn State University, a school that my mom didn’t really imagine me attending. I was inspired to go into digital and print journalism in Penn State’s College of Communications, because I realized that with my disorder, I could achieve anything without anyone telling me otherwise.
In my senior year of high school, I got accepted into Penn State University and I courageously decided to admit to many of my school friends (many whom I’ve known since childhood), that I was autistic. I didn’t want to tell people when I found out because I was embarrassed and I didn’t want others to use my disability against me. I was also anxious of what they thought of me.
When I told one of my friends, they replied in shock: “Really? You don’t seem like you have it!” Exactly. It doesn’t, and I don’t think that it should matter. I can say that I’m just a shy, passionate introvert that enjoys extroverted things. I love being around people sometimes, I love taking big challenges that, as a kid, I hated to do because I was too shy and too isolated from reality.
The one important thing that my Asperger’s syndrome did for me is break me out of my shell. I stepped out of my comfort zone and at times it felt good. Now, I’m in my senior year of Penn State, I’m the Outreach Marketing Chair for the Student Programming Association and freelance writer for the Odyssey Online, and all that matters is communication.
I dream to use my interests in music and writing to become a music journalist and critic.
This I believe… I believe in breaking out of your comfort zone and thanks to my social disability, that’s what I did and will continue to do.