My name is Natalie Griffiths, I'm currently 24 years of age and was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at the age of 18 months.
Prior to this, I was hospitalized with a brain infection called encephalitis which luckily I survived and left me only with some minor brain damage and a slight hand tremor. I also had epilepsy following this up until December 98 when my seizures just seemed to stop completely. It was only during assessments following my encephalitis that I was diagnosed with my condition.
I started my education within a special needs assessment centre and school as I had quite a developmental delay and also because at around 1994 there was nowhere else for people like me to go. As the years progressed , I entered a mainstream primary school at the age of 9 but my lessons remained within a specialist unit within the school. I then later on progressed to high school where I attended mainstream lessons full time. Unfortunately at this time me and my close friend were subject to quite a bit of bullying from our peers which really knocked our confidence and self esteem. However, I didn't let it get to us and I came out of high school with reasonable passes in my GCSEs. When I turned 16, it was thought I was not ready emotionally to enter mainstream further education, so I spent 3 years within the special needs department at Northop College (Coleg Cambria- Northop) During this time, I developed quite a bit socially and my confidence grew. During my last year, I won an award for making the most progress out of everyone within the department. I am now in my last year of mainstream Further Education completing a BTEC Level 3 in IT and have achieved Distinctions in all modules so far. I also volunteer in an Office in Wrexham once a week and thoroughly enjoy it.
I now hold a offer for Glyndwr University, I'm in a successful relationship with a man who I love to bits and I'm far more social than I used to be.
Wrexham, United Kingdom
