As we near the halfway mark of Autism Awareness Month (which seems to fizzle out halfway through, at least for me) I wanted to bring up an important topic: the myth that people with autism can't lead normal lives. Quite the contrary. Many of us do, and even I do (although I do struggle at times). We date, we cry, we hold hands, we love, we hang out with friends.
We even get married. There's a ton of stories about auties getting married. "This guy in math class" eventually turned into one lady's husband and father of her child. And sure, we start off as awkward as anything, but give us time to warm up and some of us are social creatures. Or maybe this young lady is more accepting than the rest of us. Regardless, many of us struggle to gain acceptance.
We even go to college. Haley Moss wrote a brilliant piece for Her Campus, a college topics oriented website for women. I've been in her shoes before, from the guy's perspective. Regardless, I believe men on the spectrum have it much harder than women on the spectrum, and that rings true for the collegiate world. Haley's words ring so true: I am not less of a person, just different. And that's something I should embrace.
And tomorrow I set off for Philadelphia in the morning to do just that: figure out how I can perform at my best and how I can better help myself.
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