Science is life.

My teacher asked me to create a spark, so I did. Literally. I built a Tesla Coil with my Pop. A Tesla Coil is a device that generates high voltage electricity and converts it into static electricity that travels through the air. It SHOULD be pretty safe, but if not, that would be a shocking result.

I love Science because it makes sense to me in ways that other things don’t. Reading and writing make me feel like flipping a table. Don’t get me started on spelling, it literally hurts my head. Dyslexia, which means ‘bad with words’, makes the letters jumble and jump around the page or screen. I think words hate me!

“If you’ve met one kid with autism, you’ve met one kid with autism.” – Dr Stephen Shore.

In the past, school hasn’t always been a good fit for me. It works for a lot of people, but not everyone. I like school, but I don’t love it. Some of the things I struggle with include noise, worksheets, relief teachers, and worst of all, personal topics. There is nothing funny about awkward puberty health lessons!

Autism sometimes stops me from doing certain jobs. I can’t help Mum with the dishes because I don’t like some wet surfaces. Temperature control is a challenge, I feel hot temperatures really quickly, but I don’t feel the cold. Certain smells, like candles, are to me as a rotting carcass would be to you. My nose is as sensitive as a sleeping baby, if you upset it, beware!

My diagnosis has made it difficult for my mum to work in the past because she has always needed to be there for me. She has sacrificed her job in childcare, which she loves, for me. My mum is caring, patient, and affectionate towards me. She understands when I have a bad day, she listens, she tries to help. Without my mum’s support, I’d be lost.

For my next experiment, I think I’m going to try and duplicate my mum. It shouldn’t be too hard to clone an exact genetic organism. Then my mum can finally take a little break from me, she never stops working!

-William