One 9-year old boy’s message to classmates about his life with autism

Watch the ABC Night line video here.

“Hi everybody. My name is George. I didn’t speak until I was almost three years old. In fact, my parents weren’t sure if I would ever speak at all. Most of the time, I can make eye contact with you when you speak to me. That wasn’t always the case. Like a lot of other kids with autism, I might not have been looking, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t listening. Speaking of listening, I can hear and see a lot of things and sounds all at the same time, which sometimes makes it hard to focus on any one sound or thought. That’s why it may take a little more time to answer you when you ask me a question…I also tend to take what people say literally. That means if you say ‘take a seat’,you might find one less chair in your classroom. I sometimes get frustrated when I get interrupted, or when something doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I get more upset than most people would, for longer than most people should! I might get too loud, or I might scream!…Don’t be afraid to come ask me about it.”