Aliens, Art, and Asperger's Syndrome (a narrative I wrote for school)

            Women are from Venus and men are from Mars… and Aspies are from a totally different galaxy. Most people on the autism spectrum are male, so as a female with autism, I’m on a different planet than most people with Asperger’s Syndrome. Autism has affected my way of thinking and my behavior, for better or for worse.

I’d like to say that I came to Earth in peace, but I didn’t. When I was in elementary school, getting in trouble was normal. I bet that the most defiant person you know isn’t even nearly as unmanageable as I was. I was so quick to use violence to solve my problems. In the fourth grade, it was especially horrible. Although I had accommodations in school, this year I had a long-term substitute in the SCC, and she had no experience with Special Ed. I was being sent to the principal’s office practically every day.

            Whenever it was time to write stories or draw pictures, though, it was as if I was a different person. I wrote short stories and poems that had messages; some were practical lessons, such as “eat your vegetables,” and others had prevalent themes in life, such as “money can’t buy happiness.” I drew beautiful pictures of fairy princesses and Corpse Bride characters (who says you can’t like both?).

Still, conflicts with my teacher worsened and I was being sent to the principal’s office more and more. It got so horrible that I had to be sent to a school for children with behavior issues. The staff and students in my SCC wrote cards to say goodbye to me. Even though they didn’t always understand me or approve of my behavior, they said that they missed me.

It was a difficult thing to do, but when I changed schools, my life changed. I was more in control of myself and I was less likely to act out violently. I don’t know where I would be without them because they did so much to help me. They genuinely wanted to help me, and they let me express myself through art (one project that I remember was designing a “thank you” card for the staff to send out). I was well liked when I was there and some people wondered why I was even there in the first place.

            I believe that the staff at the school encouraging me to express myself may have helped me. I had more chances to talk about my problems and more chances to do art projects. I also think that my artistic talent may have been one of the reasons that they were willing to help me. I’ve been told that they were unsure if they could work with me at first, but they accepted me because they enjoyed my art so much.

Right now, I am a sophomore in high school. I still need to be in the SCC, and I’m still working on improving my behavior in some way. I have changed, though, as I am not as likely to be violent as I once was. I’m still an artist, and art still helps me to calm down. I’m still not perfect, and I may not have come to this planet in peace, but I am trying to make things right.