Ontario Adult Autism Research and Support Network - OAARSN

What’s It Like To Be Autistic?

To a detached observer, Autism may seem a doom-laden condition and someone severely affected as a pitiable object. But adults diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome or such less severe ASD in the past 30 years, who are clearly articulate, have often taken pride in their neurodiversity. Some have spoken up for others with more severe Autism. More remarkably, some adults with severe ASD and unable to speak with their voices have used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to express their thoughts and feelings about what it’s like to accept life with Autism. 

What it’s like to be me
(ajb3, 29 Jan 2003)

I’m a bundle of sensations
I get the urge
to touch and pick
and I must follow my urges.
Can you see my urges?
I can’t tell you
I just show you.
I’m a bundle of nerves
and a jumble of thoughts.
I’m in constant motion
and my mind’s always going.
I wonder what it’s like to be you.
Do you wonder what it’s like to be me?
I’m a time bomb waiting to explode
and a tear waiting to fall.

Autism is part of me but not all of me. I am accepting who I am. It is okay not to feel sorry for me. I have a good life. In grey stuck times, it is more difficult. Others help by being supportive and understanding. People with Autism are not all the same in their personalities. I am very sensitive and joyful and sympathetic and humorous. Energetic is one of the most important traits I have. I am just like everyone else [in essentials] even though I may say and do things differently. We are unique in our own ways, each and all of us.