My name is Chris Carter. I am 17, and I am autistic. This is a story of my life, and what life is like from my view of the world.




My parents call me the "animal whisperer", because all animals seem to like me. Maybe its because I like them so much too. I hold my cats for hours sometimes, and they have never scratched me. Wild squirrels will walk right up to me outside, and I have petted many dogs that people told me to stay away from because they were dangerous.




Most of my day I spend in my room, on my computer. I love astronomy as much as I love animals, and I search the web for cool pictures of planets and funny animal pictures. I sometimes play Sims2 Pets, because I like to create weird animals. I don't play with the people sims though. People don't interest me much. I like them, and I love my family, but I would rather learn things than talk. I talk about the weather a lot, because thunder really hurts my ears. I have very sensitive hearing, and I can hear cars and planes and dogs barking VERY far away. So regular loud noises are very painful for me. So is touch. If someone just lightly touches me, it feels kind of like burning my skin.




I spend a lot of time daydreaming, sometimes it takes me hours to get my chores done, because I am always imagining funny things, like Jar Jar Binks swimming in my pond out back. That always makes me smile. Sometimes I get into trouble for not paying attention, but I like the stories and stuff in my head, it entertains me. I usually only listen if someone yells my name and looks at me to get my attention, because I'm so focused on my own thoughts.



I have a few things that I do over and over again, like flicking lights on and touching the light switches until I just feel like I'm finished. Sometimes 3 times, sometimes 10. I never had these OCD's until I was a teenager and we moved out of our house. Autistic people like everything to be the same, I won't even change my chair at the dinner table, and I pretty much wear the same clothes every day. (My Mom washes them every night for me) She makes me change for church and stuff though. But as soon as I get home I change again.



Another thing I do repeatedly is flush the toilet, and touch the toilet handle. I can't tell you why I do it, it's not fun or anything, I just feel like it's something I have to do. I have a nightly ritual of touching lights and handles before I can go to sleep. It takes a couple of hours, but I'm getting better. The longer we live in our new house the easier it gets for me. Change in my routine is hard for me to handle.



My mom homeschools me, and science is one of my favorite subjects, of course. Most often I end up teaching my mother, I know a lot more about planets than she does! I hate math and language arts, and I don't really like history either. But she makes me do it anyway. I'm learning Spanish too, and that's funner than math!



Next to science, art is my favorite subject. I paint a lot, mostly planets and pictures of Star War creatures for my brothers. I am really good at making figures out of clay, I make dinosaurs, monsters, aliens, planets, Jar Jar Binks and Chewbacca. I can make a little one about 2 inches high in about 5 minutes, and my mom sells them online to other people for $5 each. I've been making detailed clay dinosaurs since I was about 2. When I like something, I learn alot about it, kind of like a photographic memory. I remember a lot about things I'm interested in, just like any other kid.



Well, I'll go back to the beginning. When I was a baby. My parents were young and married young. My Dad was in the US Army, stationed in Germany. My mom went to Germany too, and a year later I came along. Mom says I was a fussy baby, later she found out I was allergic to a lot of things, but not in the way most people are allergic. I was very sensitive to sounds, and I only stopped crying when I was being carried around or was in a baby swing. Or the car. Anything that was moving or made a "white noise", I would sleep also as a way of defending myself from all the stimulation going on in the world. But my parents didn't know that then...



When I was a year old, I could say 5 or 6 words, like "mama", "dada", "kitty". But by a year and a half I couldn't say any words anymore.



I often just sat without playing with any toys, I preferred my own company to anyone elses. I don't remember much about being two any more than anyone else does. I remember visiting castles in Europe, and following my cats around, but thats about it.



My mom became concerned because I was acting so quiet, and wouldn't use my words anymore, so they took me to the military doctor, who diagnosed me very early. I started speech therapy right away, but the military could only pay for me to go once a month, and it was a 2 hour drive, so my mom started giving me play therapy at home. I wouldn't look anyone in the eyes, or answer questions or acknowledge them at all. I went into my own little world, and my parents wanted to get me out.



The therapist taught my parents how to do my therapy at home, and they learned all about autism and different ways that could help me. My mom stayed at home with me and we worked together for 6-8 hours a day. Sometimes I got very mad and cried, I just wanted to play.



One day all my therapists had a meeting, and they called my parents in. They said I would never speak, I was probably mentally retarded, and that my family should consider finding me a good home for autistic problem children.



They said they could visit me any time they wanted. But my parents said "No way!" They were very upset, but it made them want to help me even more.



My Mom knew I needed to be back in the U.S. with our family, so she went over everyones head and went straight to the General to get my Dad an early release from the military. The military wanted her to take me home, and have my Dad follow in a year or so. But my Mom researched autism a lot, and she said I needed a stable environment, and that leaving my Dad would be traumatizing for me.



She got mad at the General, and the other military officials.



And they yelled at my Dad and sent him to the field for weeks at a time to punish him for letting his wife get out of line so badly.



My mom got doctors, therapists, and other specialists to sign papers recommending an early release with an honorary discharge for my Dad. So we went on a 24 hour trip on a military flight, and finally made it back to the U.S. together, as a family.



I had only met my Nana and Mimi once before, and I had never met my Aunt Kim at all, so we were all glad to see each other. Mom says I ran down to the other room to be alone, probably because the noise and stuff was so hard for me to handle. I always tune out real life when it gets too loud.



My parents got me into a small special education preschool, and I had therapy every single day. Speech therapy to help me talk, and listen, and occupational therapy to help me write letters, make puzzles and play with blocks. After a while I had special music therapy, play therapy, and even brush therapy, where they would brush my skin all over with a surgical brush to help even out my nerves. My mom also gave me high doses of vitamin B, and she gave me therapy at home after school and on weekends. When my brother was born I was 5, and that summer I said my first words in 4 years. I said "where's Jake?", because I wanted him to play outside with me.




When I got out of preschool my parents took me to see a speech therapist who specialized in kids with autism and autism spectre disorders, her name is Lynda Mazolla. She played with me 3 times a week, and made me work hard at my speech, but she had fun toys so I tried to do good for her. She started Facillitated Communication with me, which is talking by using a typewriter or letter board, or even a machine that speaks for you. The first thing I told her was that my Mimi would never let me have blueberry yogurt because she didn't think I would eat it, but I REALLY wanted some! Mom was so excited she bought tons of it, and I was happy!



Sometimes I had a terrible temper, I would throw Lynda's computer, and smash her toys. Once I pulled out a therapists earrings, bit one on the arm, and gave one a bloody nose with my head. They used to give me holding therapy, and they wouldn't let me up for 30 minutes. I had to sit in their lap and they would wrap their arms around me. I would get sooo mad, but when I could get up again I would be calm. Once I learned how to talk by typing or pointing at letters I was happier, because I could express myself, and tell them things, like how I wanted a softer toilet seat for my bathroom!




When I went to public school, I had a lot of aides. One for the bus, one for my classroom, and my own private therapists at school too. The school district gave my parents everything they asked for, but I just wasn't learning. I hated school, but I liked my friends. I didn't talk to them much, but I liked to go to their houses and see their toys. I always kind of ignored people and went straight to their stuff. Toys, food or pets. I still do that now, even though I can talk a lot better, I don't bother to do it much.



My Mom went to the Board of Directors and asked the Special Ed community to back her up in her decision to homeschool me. The teachers argued and said I should stay in school, but Mom got her way and kept me home. We got to use all the schools equipment and supplies, but now my Mom gets her own. I was 8 when I started homeschooling.



Little by little I started to talk, and my mom taught me all of my school subjects, and how to talk to other people. She even used to reward me with a candy or piece of gum everytime I looked at her in the eyes, or when I answered a question. It took months before I would look at people, I still only look at them if I ask them a question, I usually close my eyes when they're talking to me. I worked very hard, and now I can talk pretty normally, I just don't usually bother to unless I want to know something. I don't like conversations, or answering too many questions.



Well, this is my family today. I have four brothers, and my mom homeschools all of us. We go to church on Sundays, visit family and friends, and basically everything other families do. I like to stay home in my room, but my Mom makes me go everywhere the family goes.



So, thats the end of my story. I'm a pretty normal kid, I'm very glad my Mom and Dad didn't give up on me and put me in a home. I like to do things my own way, but I have learned that I have to adjust since I have such a big family. A perfect day for me would be one with no homeschooling, hours of internet planet searches, playing with my pets, pizza for dinner, lots of clay to mold things with, and good weather so I can stay outside. I might find an autistic friend to chat with online, but I don't really like to chat, so I don't know how much we would talk. I'm a little different, but a lot like other kids too. Inside my head it's very different, but I've worked hard to ignore that. I hope you liked my story. 


**Moms notes:  I have to say, I had a wave of nostalgia roll over me rereading this story.  He doesn't have those same OCD's anymore, nowadays he slams the toilet lid shut instead of wiggling the handle, which is really fun in the middle of the night!!  He is actually more social this year than ever before, and is always asking us to take him to visit family and friends.  He is 18 now and has finished homeschooling, he's working on his art work that he still sells on ebay.  He really loves being a "paid artist" LOL, but he doesn't even make enough to buy more supplies yet, let alone postage.  :)  But he likes doing it, so that's all that matters.  Also, he's a moody artist, and won't make something just because I want him to, he only creates when the mood strikes, LOL.  He is actually currently all sold out on ebay right now, so I have been nagging at him to get some stuff made.  :)  Thanks for reading!