My Autism Diagnosis: Commanding Life on the Autism Spectrum

My parents told me that being born in the Year 2000 was special. As a Gen Z-er, I had a happy childhood, with two older siblings and loving parents. 

While living in North Texas, I played basketball with Upward, recreational T-ball, was in cub scouts, and earned a spot on the JV tennis team. Besides sports, I also did a lot of volunteering … and still do today.

The early years were pretty good. I almost didn’t really notice that I had the extra challenge of being on the autism spectrum.

But others did, and so here is the story of my autism diagnosis.

While I had some traits early on that later pointed the way back to Autism, I wasn’t officially diagnosed with what was then referred to Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, until middle school.

My Autism Diagnosis Didn’t Come Until Almost A Teenager

For me, it took a pretty bad experience of an over-crowded classroom with noise so distracting that I acted out by covering my ears and closing my eyes to get diagnosed.

Although I had a lot of tests in elementary, these tests were more comprehensive.  I remember that my parents were relieved that there were some answers to help me get through the rest of my middle school years. 

For the most part, the help came in the form of accommodations like being in a quiet room while taking a test or being given extra time because I am thorough and don’t write fast.

Becoming a member of the tennis team was a good fit for me too and before I knew it, I was in high school. Tennis helped me to have a little social life.

I’ll zoom forward a few years. I did graduate from high school, although to be honest, I didn’t apply myself like I should.

I didn’t do much at high school socially but I did take some interesting classes and even got my driver’s license during this time. I commuted to a community college and earned a general associate degree after graduation.

However, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it, so decided to go back for a second associate degree to learn some more specific IT related skills.

Of course, Covid hit. That meant my initial plans went out the window and my autism story changed directions dramatically. I lost a job I had because work stopped, and all my classes shifted to online.

My teachers for the most part didn’t know how to teach remotely. We all learned together. I can practically Zoom, use Teams, and do Google classroom in my sleep.

In December 2020, I earned my AAS in Computer Technology. But finding a professional job that works with my needs has proven to be difficult. Identifying myself with a disability seems to be a no-go.

So, I do several part-time jobs while working on my skills to turn my “under-employed” status around.

My Autism Story is Currently Still Under Construction

I have always been interested in technology. I am fascinated by big tech entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk and found it amusing that Elon “outed” himself as having Asperger’s on Saturday Night Live. No surprise here. I think I could have told him that.

My interest is why I’ve been studying AI and its applications. I also am interested in fast cars, airplanes, and business. A dream job of mine would be to do anything in the field of artificial intelligence. So, if any of you innovative companies want to add to my autism story and help a guy pursue his passions, let me know! 

Until then, when not reading up on everything I can find about artificial intelligence and how it will become part of our society sooner than we all think, you might find me watching returns of Big Bang Theory, Friends, or Two and A Half Men. I’ve also just recently re-watched Game of Thrones, no small feat, in preparation for all the spin-offs.

Or I might be taking Amazon Flex deliveries and thinking about what I can tell about my autism story and how I can explain my young adult autistic world to you.

Finally, I may be traveling. After a successful trip to Iceland in late 2023, I’m planning two big trips solo this year, one of which is to the United Kingdom.

I hope you’ll stick with me and find out more about me and My Autism Mind. 

Finally, I’ve written numerous blogs (well over 125 at this point, with more being added almost every day) about various aspects of autism spectrum disorder, including challenges, behaviors, FAQs, stigmas and stereotypes, and what it’s like as an adult on the spectrum. I hope you’ll check them out! 

Read My Autism Mind blogs.