My Journey Living with Autism

Hey everybody! My name is Liz. I’m 26 years old and I have autism.

Imagine being trapped in a maze, mouth duct taped and unable to talk.

Each step in your life feels like you are living in a video game and you have to pass levels to eventually find your voice. 

This has been my experience since I was diagnosed with autism at age two.

Many of my developmental skills were delayed. 

I didn’t speak until I was six and I wasn’t potty trained until age eight. 

At birth I had craniosynostosis and a major reconstructive surgery was performed to create the soft spots in my head that most newborn babies are born with. 

As a result of this surgery, I have metal plates and screws in my head.

I also had major kidney surgeries during my infancy and surgery to adjust my eye sockets. 

My first three months were spent in the hospital enduring these surgeries and recovering.  

As I grew, my family noticed that I wasn’t doing the normal activities that other children my age were doing.

I didn’t interact or socialize with my peers or play with toys. 

Activities I did enjoy were climbing on counters and lining up toys or objects like hairspray bottles.

I liked to rock back and forth and I did not make eye contact.

Since my diagnosis at two, I have had ten different types of therapy to help with my autism.

I have persevered through many challenges. 

I attended public school, but was placed in Special Education classes since I learned differently than my peers.

School was difficult for me socially and emotionally. 

I wasn’t invited to sleepovers or birthday parties. I sat alone at lunch and was the victim of bullying.

I was pushed down stairs, had books and pencils thrown at me, and called names. 

One student called me “dead battery” and “retarded robot” because I repeated myself often.

School was like a prison to me and I was so angry, I wanted to drop out.

If life wasn’t hard enough, during my senior year, my mother, who was my best friend,  died very unexpectedly.

Students were much more sympathetic about the death of my mother, yet they still didn’t understand my autism.

Through my high school years I did have some moments of success.

I was able to pass a driver’s permit, even though it took 8 tries and a driver’s license test.

Completing these goals, helped me to keep going and to become more independent.

Today, I still have struggles. 

People don’t understand autism and make fun of my sensory toys.

These toys help me when I am overwhelmed, or in large crowds. 

The toys keep me from stemming or shaking. They keep me from becoming upset or scared.

Making conversation with people is difficult, because I often ask, “Are you mad at me?”, “Did I do something wrong?”, “Are you ok?”

Often, I repeat myself.

My goal is to educate people about autism. 

I want people to know we are like everyone else, yet unique in our own ways. We are people too. 

People with autism use their five senses, but autism affects the way we use them, therefore, we use sensory toys to help. 

We are also visual thinkers and learners and see the world through pictures, not words.

Loud noises are more intense and can be overwhelming. 

My brain works overtime and I am continually asking myself multiple questions, which affects my conversation skills.

Living with autism can be compared to living in two different worlds: the “disability world” and the “real world”. 

In my disability world, I feel safe because I am with people who understand me.

In the real world, that sense of comfort is gone. 

I now live in my own apartment and drive my own car pay my own bills.

I have freedom and love being independent.

I have made it my mission to help other children and adults with autism.

I visit fifty families in their homes lending a hand or giving advice. 

I attend a day program called “Greater Heights” which allows me to be around and help others with disabilities.

I was appointed by the Governor to be on the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council Board, which writes and passes laws. 

I have competed in many beauty pageants and won several titles, including Missouri Miss Amazing Pageant.

This event was one of the best times of my life where I was given the opportunity to meet new friends.

Activities I have promoted include, providing sensory toys and products to people who can’t afford them, presenting motivational and educational presentations for autism awareness at schools, colleges, conferences and conventions and I have created my own business with my business partner, Leslie Asher.

Our business, Ipads for Autism, was created to provide ipads to children and adults living with nonverbal autism and other nonverbal disabilities.

With the ipad, we provide a $250 Proloquo2 app which helps nonverbal people.

Through the use of this app, we are giving those without a voice, a means to be heard through technology.

We have raised over $20,000 for people with disabilities and given away 13 ipads.

We now working on our 14th give away.

My story has been featured on the Love What Matters Facebook page and I am actively trying to be a guest on the Ellen Show. 

Like Ellen, I would love to have a talk show where I could raise awareness about autism and help educate the public.

My business partner Leslie Briese Asher and I are going to be on Fox 2 News this Saturday, on January 25th Live at 6:40am talking about our iPad’s for autism. 

My advice to people with autism is you can do anything you set your mind to.

Don’t give up or let people stop you.

You may have to work 10 times harder, but you can do it if you set your mind to it.

God made all of us, even those with disabilities, and he has a plan for each of us whether we are verbal or not. 

In addition to losing my mother, my father passed away before I was 20.

Most recently, I also lost my brother. 

These losses have helped me become a stronger and more independent person and have allowed me to learn to deal with my autism more effectively. 

I have many friends and family that have never given up on me and have helped to make me the person I am today.

I am thankful to those who have helped me, who have treated me like family and included me in many activities.

I feel accepted and I learn new things daily.  I love each of you.

If anyone would like to donate to iPads for Autism, Liz Galt, you may make a donation at First State Bank, 201 E. Columbia Street, Farmington, Missouri 63640.

If anybody is interested in a iPad For Autism please message me on Facebook messenger at Liz’s iPads for Autism.

Written by, Liz Galt

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