and it is a trait found in Autism. When the time is right, we will release the things that are troubling us. However, we might neglect to do so, leading to a "cloud", that lingers inside of us.
I ask people without a "disability" to help those who do have a "disability" feel included. This comes by talking with them and finding out what they like to do.
UP IN THE AIR: Matthew has juggled and played piano at the Annual HALO Benefit every year since 2012.
(I placed "disability" in quotes, because, as I tell everybody, a "disability" should be viewed as a "different ability" to live life.)
I view parents of "disabled" children as modern-day superheroes. The fact that they would be researching how to best raise their child, is a sign that they care. I encourage them to advocate for their child; continue to show them love and support. As they get older, I suggest teaching them life skills and how to advocate for themselves. My mother taught me cooking, balancing a checkbook, driving, and such. My high school R.S.P. was big on having us advocate for ourselves.
It always took longer for me to take tests. In my head, I usually knew the material, but my mind often distracted me. I was usually the last person to finish exams. I always had test-taking accommodations, such as extra time and a quieter space. Still, it was hard for various
reasons. One, I wanted to get every single problem correct. Oftentimes, the answer choices seemed very tricky. Two, my mind cannot stop blasting music or replaying shows that I watched. Other times, my mind is distracted over stressful situations in my life, even if they are long forgotten by then. (These are also some of the reasons why I cannot get to sleep for hours after going to bed nearly every night.) Three, taking an exam requires reading the questions and answers. Oftentimes, they are super long. Reading is hard for the reasons I described above.
In stark contrast to reading, writing has always been a catharsis. I always wrote books and scripts, since elementary school, but never published them. I continued writing all the way up to my senior year.
In my first semester of college, in 2013, I began a new writing project. However, I told myself that if I start this, I am going to finish it this time. After a few years of writing, revisions, rereading, editing, and more writing, I hired a literary agent. My book was about a person growing up with Autism in the rural 1950s and 60s. The agent advised me to write a nonfictional piece about myself first, before publishing a fictional piece.
The next year, I completed my manuscript, Juggling the Issues: Living with Asperger's Syndrome. At age 23, I became a royalty-published author.
Later getting a few Public Relations campaigns, I was able to encourage the
entire world. I appeared on the news, radio, websites, magazines, blogs (et cetera), including Newsweek Magazine, Spectrum News, ABC7, Scripps News, Bloomberg, Insider, and dozens more. At the same time, my social media accounts began to grow, with 80,000 subscribers
on YouTube and a million followers on Instagram.
"I WAS INSIDE A GROCERY MARKET AND TWO TEENS WERE MAKING FUN OF ME. I LATER INVITED THEM TO GO AHEAD OF ME IN LINE, TO WHICH THEIR COUNTENANCE EXPRESSED REMORSE FOR JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER."
I counted all of this as a tremendous victory for Autism Awareness and Acceptance. The reason why this is important to me is because my life has been quite a roller coaster. It was filled with love from family and friends, but it was also imbued with trials and tribulations. From 2014 to 2023, I had still experienced discrimination. I have been yelled at many times by people in vehicles. I have been cussed at, stared at, laughed at, ran away from, followed by a vehicle, and was nearly beaten by a name-calling individual with a skateboard in 2022.
In 2020, I overheard a parent telling his child not to communicate with me, even though I was a distance away.
In 2015, I overheard a father tell his son that I am a "weirdo" or something, just for nonchalantly walking past them. I turned around. He was looking at me, before veering off in a different direction with his family.
In 2017, a father expressed his annoyance with me just for walking in a public park. His young daughter got nervous because of what he did. Two days after that, I was inside a grocery market and two teenagers were snickering at me and making fun of me. However, I later invited them to go ahead of me in line, to which their countenance expressed remorse for judging a book by its cover.
Nevertheless, I never allowed these adversities to win!
I never allowed Autism to have the prerogative to tear me down!
I came to terms with my limitations, but never allowed the label of "Autism" to limit me, regarding continuing my education. I am currently working toward a Master's in Education and ultimately starting a career as a middle-school math teacher.
I tell everybody that if I could do all the things that I do – get a book published, earn a medal equivalent to the rank of Eagle Scout, get degrees in chemistry and biochemistry, earn a full-math credential, become a substitute teacher who often hears "best sub," become a social-media influencer, play the piano, juggle, memorize things that no human on earth has got to memorize without an eidetic or photographic memory, et cetera – then You Can Too, Plus More!