Hi, I’m Cieran
Age: 18
A bit about me
I live with my parents and my dog. He is an Irish border terrier who is abnormally large for his size, so we say he is more like a Great Dane. I have a sister who just had a baby so I’m now an uncle and I get to see my nephew when they come and visit. At the moment I am taking driving lessons and practicing for my theory test. I like to keep myself busy by doing things like drawing and sometimes going to the gym.
What do you love about being autistic?
It might sound like a barebones answer but it is being different to everyone else. I like to think I see things differently. Whenever I get the chance I try and wear colourful clothes so as not to be intimidating and also stand out. I focus on details like I will see a bleached advertisement on the wall that no one else noticed. I sometimes suck the fun out of movies because I notice things that are different from frame to frame. Lots of movies follow the same plot and I pick up on that. My autism also gives me my sense of honour, I often use it to break the ice by telling stories that are funny that I don’t find embarrassing.
What have been some challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?
I struggle with travel anxiety and recently I had to travel to Ireland for my gran’s funeral. We took a boat and the sea was really rough. I found that hard work. Then went I got to my aunt’s house I got food poisoning which lasted till I got back to school. This gave me a panic attack on a trip and I had to be sent home so I had to deal with that. I have been trying motion sickness bands and I’m hoping that will work. I don’t like shops like Ikea because I feel trapped and it is hard to find the way out. Before I was detrimentally anxious but I have been working to not be ruled by my anxiety. When I am taking a trip I want to know where we are going and understand some of the places that are there. My room is my safe space. It has all my games, a computer to talk to my friends and an old blanket that make me feel safe when moments feel bad.
If you could give one bit of advice to someone who just learnt they were autistic what would it be?
I found out I was autistic when I was about six so I didn’t really know what that meant. I only really got a grasp of it when I was 11 and I realised I can’t do things my friends do like sitting exams properly. I would break down because I couldn’t read the questions, I have found ways to learn for myself and be at the best point I can be. One tip I would give is to try to leave your comfort zone, not all the time but sometimes. Do it with someone your comfortable with, do a bit of research learn what is out there, be independent but have things with you to make yourself feel safe. I have worked really hard to get where I am before I struggling with conversations and now according to my parents I don’t stop talking. Recently I went to London where you see a lot of cool people with different fashions and interesting shops, I was proud with myself for doing it.
Quotes
One of my favourite people to listen to was Stan Lee, he was an amazing speaker and everything he said was quite inspirational. He designed his super hero characters with masks so every kid could identify themselves as them.
"What I like about the costume is that anybody reading Spider-Man in any part of the world can imagine that they themselves are under the costume. And that’s a good thing."
Stan Lee
