I couldn’t believe it, could I? Me, autism, no way! I had no clue how autism would change my life. Would I still have the same classes? Would people still be my friend? I was terrified what people would say behind my back. Would they pretend to be my friend and make fun of me behind my back, or would they be my true friends who love me unconditionally? So many questions popped into my head at one moment. What would I do about it?

Last Spring my parents told me I had Asperger’s syndrome and that was why my brain worked differently than other people’s brains. How would this affect my academic life? What about my social life? Would it make it harder for me to go places with people? Asperger’s makes it harder to go to places that have loud noises or flashing lights. Would it continue to get worse or would it get better? I like to stick out but I still want to have friends that are nice to me and invite me to things without it feeling awkward.

I realize now that my friends don’t judge me for anything, especially things that I can’t control. Sure some people who are not my friends still make fun of me, but I try to ignore what they say. My real friends don’t make fun of me and help me when I am in a sticky situation. When I get overwhelmed and cover my ears to bloke out the noise, my friends understand and leave me alone to calm down. Even though I haven’t told most of my friends they still seem to know that something is different. Sometimes my way of thought is helpful and sometimes it is annoying. Either way my true friends stay with me the whole way through this long journey called life.