What people don’t know is that I have what is called autism, which affects 1 in 68 people. The definition of autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. It is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.

April 2nd is National Autism Awareness Day. To help spread the word about autism, PLEASE WEAR BLUE ON APRIL 2nd. One person can make a difference in someone’s life who has autism.

Growing up with autism was a struggle for me in elementary school all the way through high school. Not knowing how to make friends or how to keep a relationship or friendship and dealing with a lot of anxiety attacks was REALLY hard for me. It is still hard for me. I still don’t know what the future will be like for someone who has autism. Many times during the week, I get bullied on social media about "being a failure" and etc., things like that. To this day, it haunts me and gives me many anxiety attacks. I have no friends that I can hang out with that are my age. It is hard for me to ask girls out on a date.

To me, autism is something that I have to overcome and try to think that I am just a normal person. Many people don’t know what autism is, but all I know is that nothing is keeping me back from following my dreams. I know that this is hard for me to talk about. Many people say that people with autism are one of kind. But we get bullied a lot, and it’s time to make a change about how autism affects people and how to educate them.

Right now, I am trying to become a firefighter at Scottsville Vol. Fire Department and no one will keep me back from following my dreams that I've wanted since I was a kid. Listening to a scanner was my favorite thing to do when I was younger and I even had a birthday party at the station. Being what I am, I think I am an awesome person. I volunteer a lot in the community, and help out where the community needs me. I show that people with autism can do anything anyone else can do.