I'm Max and I have autism and that's ok! (video)

How do I feel about having autism?

.This is all I know, I’ve never not been on the spectrum so this is just normal to me.

I wish that people could see the good side of autism instead of just the bad, and instead of thinking about autism “oh, you have autism, that’s so sad. That means you can’t do this and that” we could say “oh, ok you have autism.

You know, that’s fine, that’s part of who you are. Let’s look at what you can do, you know. Let’s build you up instead of, you know, breaking you down.”

I don’t see myself as, you know, being unfortunate or being broken or anything, I just see myself as, I’m Max and I have autism and that’s ok.

It was just nice to be able to, you know, put a name to this mysterious difference that I noticed between me and most other people since I was in primary school.

It’s like anything in life I guess, there’s the ups and the downs, the pros and the cons, you know there’s some anxiety and some challenges involved but you know it also it gives me this really intense focus and this attention to detail that I otherwise wouldn’t have.

I’ve gained a great deal of self confidence mainly because I’ve, you know, been lucky enough to be around some really great people who’ve really believed in me a lot more than I’ve believed in myself and who’s really shown me that I can do more than I thought that I could.

I am a writer and a mentor with the “I can” network which is an autism advocacy agency.

I think what’s really important to keep in mind with people on the spectrum is that they may seem high maintenance but you’ve also got to look at the positive side and see that you’ve also very often got these incredibly focused, dedicated, and highly intelligent people.

I feel incredibly blessed and incredibly fortunate to be where I am and who I am.