Hi, I’m Vinnie
Age: 18
A bit about me
I like doing a lot of things with my hands, I play a lot of games, enjoy wood tech and my whole room is full of Lego sets. I make pillows sometimes, my teacher even has one I made in her office. If I am having a slow day I organise or clean my room. I try to have a healthy lifestyle by going for walks and getting in my 10,000 steps. I try to help my mum by popping to the shops and picking up bits and pieces. I’m generally in a nice mood and I try to be nice to others.
What do you love about being autistic?
I do like how my brain works differently, I can figure out a problem and solve them in ways other people might not. I can find solutions that some people didn’t think of even if sometimes it takes me a while. In social situations I don’t really care about age, looks, gender which means I aim to talk to anyone who is nice. I judge people on their actions and character.
What have been some challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?
There was a time I had a problem with one of my neighbours. After my granddad passed, my mum went up to Scotland to visit some relatives leaving me home alone. One time my nan was over the neighbour complained to her. She thought because of my autism I would do something stupid like mess with the buttons on the oven or maybe break something by accident. Instead of saying ‘autistic’, the neighbour shouted out that ‘I’m crippled’. It stung in a certain way and I just felt angry. After that my mum made a complaint to the police and we haven’t had a problem but the neighbour still gives me weird stares like I shouldn’t be anywhere without supervision. People sometimes underestimate me so I try not to worry about them, I am working to prove that I can be independent.
If you could give one bit of advice to someone who just learnt they were autistic what would it be?
All I would say is don’t change who you are. As long as you wish to do something stay determined to your goals and never give up. A few years ago I couldn’t read and write but when I’m determined to do something I’ll see it through to the end. I try and read text in games and force my brain to look at subtitles so now with my dedication and help from school I’m reading and writing better that I ever thought I would. For me I am mostly absorbing information, It might take a while before I remember it fully but after a few times I’ll remember it.
My final thoughts
I think it is important to not dwell on mistakes of the past, more you should think of mistakes as a tool to help you get to where you need to be. If you get things right the first time sometimes you don’t learn. Try not to be bothered by what other people say there are many reasons people would bully or pick on you mostly just to make themselves feel better. As I have got older it is easier I know more about the world and the more I study, the more I’ve researched, the more I learned the better off I am.
