If I ever do get to give a speech about Autism, I came up with an analogy to open with. What do you guys think?
I’d like you all to imagine that you’re in a crowded room full of people you respect and care about.
Now, I’d like you to imagine that they’re all speaking a language you’ve never heard before. Maybe it’s a kind of Slovak language and you’re thinking “Oh goodness, why did I take Spanish I?”
There might be some Latin-rooted words scattered around in there that you can dissect, but in the end, you feel alone. People are making jokes and laughing and you don’t know why. You don’t understand it. But you try to fake it. You laugh when other people laugh, smile when other people smile, maybe toss around a couple words you learned through observation.
But you still feel like you’re on the outside and it’s unfair. It’s frustrating, and you want to fit in.
That is what Autism feels like for me.
