When I was five years old, my teachers and family noticed that I was behaving “differently” from everyone else in my age group, particularly noting how I was not playing on the playground with other kids, had trouble following directions and would fixate on things that were not presently happening. Trying to piece together why I was displaying these behaviors, my mom took me to a psychologist, where I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain that affect how individuals interact with others, communicate, learn and behave.
Generally, individuals with autism have trouble communicating effectively both verbally and nonverbally, have difficulties understanding social cues and are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
