I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of three in 1988, at a time when autism was almost unheard of. I did not talk, other than to echo what I had heard, until I was about five. I was in special education throughout pre-school and much of kindergarten until I was mainstreamed there. The teachers realized I would be bored if I were to stay in kindergarten another year, so I moved onto first grade in a "normal" school. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was somehow different, because I did not know how to behave with other kids and they would make fun of me for some of the things I did (such as talk to myself or say something inappropriate). So once I understood what my mother had meant when she said "you're autistic," I kept that part of me hidden. I told very few people that I have it, and tried to "fit in."
After I graduated from high school, I went to college to major in history, which has been my obsession since I was eight. It was the best thing I have ever done - I began to become less shy, I made lots of friends, I graduated magna cum laude and was a member of two honor societies, and I met the man who would eventually become my fiancé. After that, I got my masters degree in history.
Not too long ago, my older nephew, after having trouble behaving or listening in school, was also found to be on the spectrum. He too is extremely smart. I am telling my story because I don't ever want him, or anyone else, to be ashamed of having autism.
Now, I am working two jobs - one of them teaching history in college, which has been a big help in overcoming my shyness, am working on a book about women who worked in arsenals during the Civil War, and will be getting married next year.
Pittsburgh, PA