Dear Autism-

Despite what so many people say about you,

You’re really not that bad.

Through years of trial and error,

I’ve found ways to keep you grounded

With your fidgets and quirky habits.

I’ve managed to discover ways

That we can work with one another-

How we can walk side by side

Instead of with one of us running ahead,

Dragging the other behind them by the hand.

I’ve learned that when the world around us gets too overwhelming,

I can seek respite from it by drowning it all out with my earbuds.

When thoughts from you start to clog my mind

And drown everything else out with white noise,

I can filter it out through my pencil and onto paper.

I’ve learned to work past the fact that you make me socially awkward

With your inability to read social cues as well as you can read a book

Because despite that,

You still allow me to confidently open myself up  to a handful of people

So that I can always have someone to turn to if I need it.

I know now that those who won’t listen don’t matter

Because my pencil and paper always will.

Despite the years of feeling like nobody could ever truly understand me

Due to my quirks that I get from you,

I would be lying if I said that I wanted to be rid of you.

No matter what so many people may think,

I need understanding of my needs that I get from you,

Not to be cured of you.

You and everything that you bring with you,

From your non traditional social skills

To the fidgets that keep you grounded,

Are an integral part of me that I will carry with me for my whole life.

It’s taken me a lifetime to come to terms with that fact,

But now that I have,

I feel a greater sense of self awareness that no one can take from me

No matter how hard they try to convince me that you need to be cured.