Stories of Hope

Autism Love

It began in January of 2012 at a museum center in Cincinnati Ohio. I am in a Autism group and we have Teen Night Out once a month. I walked in and seen my former group leader Amanda standing there. It was my first group outing and I was super nervous. I seen this guy standing with the group and I was like he is cute. He said hello to me and I just giggled a lot. I finally said hello to him as well. Our tour of the museum finally started and we got to sit in a train and he who's name is Zac sat next to me. It was awesome although I was super nervous. Then went to the theater there to see a film and he asked me to sit next to him. We were flirting all day and it was amazing! After the film our group went to the ice cream shop and Zac sat next to me. We exchanged phone numbers and said our goodbyes. Over the next few days we found out how much we have in common. He finally asked me to be his girlfriend days later!!! We have been together ever since which will be two years next month (: There is a little age difference but it doesn't matter to us. We work on accepting having autism together and we don't let it stop us. If it weren't for having autism we may have never found each other. Having autism is quite difficult but he and I couldn't be happier with who we are! We want to tell others with autism to never ever give up no matter what!

Molly
Trenton, OH

The SUPERPOWERED Life of Living with Autism

My name is Christopher Macuto Gebel. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (Autism), Depression, ADHD, and Anxiety Disorder at the late age of 17 (I'm now 21). For the longest time, I never knew I had autism. I was really showing signs as young as 2 when I refused to wear a costume for Halloween. I never went trick-or-treating properly, either, because just walking up to other people's houses and say, "Trick or treat!" was really nerve-wracking for me -- and I never knew why for so long... My elementary school friends practically begged on their knees to get me to wear SOMETHING, but I felt so strongly about it that I just couldn't do it. I talked about it with my therapist, Yolanda, recently and found that I perceived Halloween as a strange holiday. It was then I realized I could've remedied this feeling buy wear a Power Rangers costume.

You see, I'm a huge Power Rangers fan. Ever since I saw Justin Stewart morph into the Blue Turbo Ranger for the first time back in '98, I was sold. The fact that Justin was a 10-year-old child prodigy who was so smart he got into high school early was the main reason I became a Power Rangers fan in the first place, because I'm a smart guy, too. Who else can say they've aced the First Grade Spelling Bee or read proficiently before Pre-school? However, even as a kid, I rejected wearing a Power Rangers costume, too, because I thought I wasn't worthy. Back then, I didn't think I could be a superhero because I thought I wasn't good enough. When I transferred to another elementary school in 4th Grade, this feeling worsened because my new friends perceived me as strange. In fact, it got to the point that I was being bullied and didn't realize it. All of these feelings caught up to me in 2010 when I got so sick I went to rehab not once but TWICE.
With the support of family and friends, I now spend my days as a YouTube personality and musician.

Christopher Macuto Gebel
West Chester, PA

EVAN MAKES MUSIC

I am a music therapist and special educator. I have been giving piano lessons for 5 years to a young autistic man for the past 5 years. He is 19 years old now. His sister was getting married several years ago and she asked him to choose a song to play while she walked down the aisle. It waa a religious Jewish wedding. We practiced and rehearsed for weeks playing it while I sat with him. When it came time to the wedding I was not able to sit with him under the Chuppah. He and I were both nervous but I instructed the band how to accompany him and I told him I would sit right near him as close as I could. He kept looking for me and I was nervous as I knew any changes to his routine could disrupt his need for sameness. The band followed him according to my directions and he played flawlessly. Not a dry eye in the hall (especially mine) and he achieved this great accomplishment which has carried over to other aspects of his life.

Terry Watson
Brooklyn, ny, NY

Being Artistic & Autistic: A Journey Into My Asperger's & My Artistic Skills

My name is Jacob R. Crosby-English, and I'm a 15-year experienced artist, with Asperger's Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism. I discovered I had autism when I was only four (in '98), the same time I discovered my artistic talent. Throughout years my artistic skills were developing and improving. Many people doubted that I'd finish school and go to college. From 3rd up to 10th grade, I was ridiculed and ignored a lot because of my autism, my art was criticized. I have used art as my expressive tool to describe me. Art is the language to my Autism. Art is my body, heart, soul and spirit. It is what keeps me strong and what keeps the spirit of Being Artistic & Autistic to continue. Throughout 11th grade up to now, I have been lucky to have inspiration and motivation from teachers that understand and accept me. I want to thank Mr. Barner, Ms. Professor Coco, Ms. Emord, Mr. Martin, Mr. McCabe, Ms. O'Brien, Ms. Richards, Ms. Professor White and more that I will meet soon at MassART. I'm going to MassART by 2014 or 2015, it was my dream school. Luckily, with the power of my artistic and autistic skills, I was able to be accepted into MassART. I told myself what was once a dream, became a reality. My Autism has not only been a diagnosis, it has been a gift as well as my art, these two elements are what make me, and make many others out there who are artistic and autistic. The drawing you see is my award-winning piece, one out of seventeen pieces in my portfolio, that got me accepted to MassART. My Dad, Mom, Nana and my brothers and sister are there for me, as I am for them. My Mom deserves another thank you from me because she's the reason why I am who I am, to why I stand where I stand, and built me up to be artistic and autistic. Love your parents, love your family, love your skills, talents, hobbies and love you, no matter what you have.

Stay Groovy,
Jacob R. Crosby-English

Jacob R. Crosby-English
Brockton, MA

My life.

I'm 22, last year I was finally diagnosed with aspergers. My life has never been an easy one, but to finally put a name onto something is good. All my life I've been wondering why I'm " different ", " weird ". Growing up was hard, I never fitted in, I was bullied, I was painfully shy. I learnt to not care what people think of me, it takes a lot to offend me. I'm more likely to offend you, not on purpose, just things just pop in my head and I don't think before I speak. I lack empathy, for example " someone dies " my reaction to that is " they will get over it ". I hate loud noises, if you see me in a club you'd kno that every time I have to touch my ears to try get used to the sound. Detail.. If you have something on your face or odd socks on etc, I have to point it out. Sight.. I'm sensitive to things, things that " normal people don't usual see " which also causes me to hear them too. Touch.. I have to touch everything, if I'm in a clothes shop, the first thing I do is touch the material and if I don't like the feel of it I won't but it. Smell.. My nose is pretty good. See the thing is, as to an extent I like having autism but sometimes it's my worst nightmare, everyday is a struggle, I have a son Logan, and I feel he is missing out on a lot because my autism holds me back. I can't go out on public without an " adult " because I'm scared. Another thing I can't do is eye contact, the only person I can give full contact to is my son. I love to make poems, poems that make you think " hold on I don't understand this " , I always look at it at every perspective. It's difficult being " different ", no one to talk to, no one who understands.

Cassie
Suffolk, United Kingdom

Once Upon a Time...

Keith was born a healthy, bouncing 8-pound baby boy at S. W. M. C. in Washington. There were no apparent problems those early months. I was free of drug and alcohol use before and/or after his birth. I was a nursing mother who cared for his every need. His father shared in his care. Keith was well loved and all his needs were met.

By the time Keith was several months old progress seemed to slow considerably. He was not meeting his milestones as did his older brother and sister had. His pediatrician was cautiously watching but made no recommendations for further referrals or testing. As painful as it was to admit, our family of aunts, uncles, cousins all knew there was something wrong with baby Keith. At this point we were still in the "watchful waiting" period hoping to see some progress. Progress was slow and coming.

In 1994, Autism and Asperger's syndrome were just being recognized by all states as a behavioral classification for schoolchildren. The teachers in the area where he went to school were not equipped to understand Keith's disability as was also his pediatrician. It seemed as if because Keith didn't "look" partial to being disabled and/or wasn't performing actions of one who was mentally handicapped, i.e. "banging his head against a wall," he was considered to be of the "norm" and was given harsh ramifications for his behaviors within the school setting beginning as early as Kindergarten.

If I had to tell you the most significant bit of history about Keith and how far he's come and why I think he's grown considerably, it's due to his father and I staying committed! A parent's job is to take care of their babies, no matter what the significance may be - an absolute love without conditions! The journey has been incredibly difficult to say the least, but we have a strong and close relationship today that's built on that journey. We are our child's most important advocate, stay strong and they will too...embrace their challenges with love...and they will learn empathy~ Best Wishes

Christine Smith
Vancouver, WA

Ellis

Hi this is Monet and I am the proud mom of a Aspe boy. Since Ellis was born I have always knew something was different about him. But he was diagnosed at 3 with Aspergers along with OCD, Anxiety and sleep disorders. He is bright in school and I would not change him for anything. I just ask for prayer for me and all other parents with Autistic children

MOnet Malone-Mukes
Kingwood, TX

A Stronger Person

My name is Michael Precourt. I'm 20 years old and a senior at Florida Atlantic University. I did dual-enrollment in high school in Orlando and got my Associate's degree there. I currently work for the university as a desk assistant in a freshman residence hall, and review movies for the Autism Channel. My personal goal in life is to become a Hollywood film director on the same level of conversation as Steven Spielberg, and the one actress I want to work with the most is Jennifer Lawrence because she is such a sweetheart.

For most of my early life, my parents kept me in the dark about what Autism is, let alone the fact that I have it. Yes, I said "have", even though people have said that I'm "cured", the use of said word I find very offensive. Once I found out that I was on the Autism spectrum, specifically having what you would call "Aspergers", I began noticing it more in my friends Alberto, Drew, and Josh, who also have Aspergers, as well as examining others on the spectrum. I do not see us as disabled. We just communicate differently, often ranging from mild stuttering (like myself, though I usually speak very fluidly) to an inability to speak at all. I see elements of genius in every one of us, and I hope that one day the world will accept us for who we are. Most of my family does, but they don't fully understand because they don't live the experience the way I do.

Autism has made me stronger than most people. I'm often described as being ambitious, persistent, and blunt. I don't like to beat around the bush. I would much rather seize my goals without backing down. I am not weak. There's so much I could talk about, but the word count won't let me. I ramble a lot, even when I type. My closing thought on this story to everyone, on and off the spectrum, is set high goals and never back down. You have a voice, so let the whole world hear it!

Michael Precourt
Boca Raton, FL

My inspiration for self employment

My son Raven was born in June of 1999 and at first he seemed to be developing at a perfectly normal pace. There were NO signs whatsoever. At almost 2 he was walking, speaking several words and just beginning to potty train. At this point he began to regress quickly. He was losing words and wanted nothing to do with potty training. His mother and I were not together anymore and my current girlfriend started voicing her opinion. At age 3 everyday I would get my Son off the bus and finally one day I confronted his Mother with our suspicions. She was in serious denial. It took some time but he was finally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at almost 5. He now lives in a residential program. I opened RMK Painting Services in hopes of providing a future income for him. I now will be working to open A 4 Autism Painting Company to try and help the public get educated about Autism and raise money for research of Autism causes. I believe that early intervention is very important and I do hope that people can all work together to find a way to stop Autism from becoming even more of an epidemic that it is.

Mike Kieft
Grafton, MA

My Noah.

Noah was diagnosed at 2 years old with AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. We received intense ABA therapy services in our home for a year he now attends DDI Young Autism program . He was doing awesome with the home therapy. His teachers were awesome.
Now that he is in DDI we are seeing him become more social and he's very happy. He is still struggling with receptive and expressive language. He is making slow progress. But going in the right direction.
As a mom of a child with ASD I think the hardest part for me has been not being able to communicate with my boy. I don't know what he wants when he is frustrated and doesn't have words to express his needs.
Noah is a happy, sweet, affectionate little angel.
God gave him to me because he knew I would love him unconditionally, and fight for him and never stop.
My prayer this Christmas is for the gift of strength, patience, and the energy to help Noah reach all of his goals no matter how big or small.
Some parents want their child to excel in music or science or math and go to the best college. Noah might do all of those things. But all I want for him is happiness, inner peace, and for him to be able to feel accepted. For kids to want to be his friend. For him to find love.
My prayer is to hear his beautiful voice say " mommy" again.

Teresa
Long Island, NY