The most important thing people did for me was to expose me to new things.
I don’t want my thoughts to die with me, I want to have done something. I’m not interested in power, or piles of money. I want to leave something behind. I want to make a positive contribution – know that my life has meaning.
People talk about curing autism. But if you got rid of all those traits, who’s going to make the next computer?
My mind works like Google for images. You put in a key word; it brings up pictures.
In special education, there’s too much emphasis placed on the deficit and not enough on the strength.
If I could snap my fingers and be nonautistic, I would not. Autism is part of what I am.
One of the things I want to do is be a decent role model. I’ve got a lot of emails and stuff from children. They look up to me. Kids get different labels and things like that and I want those kids to succeed.
Nature is cruel but we don’t have to be.
You can’t punish a child who is acting out because of sensory overload.
I had people in my life who didn’t give up on me: my mother, my aunt, my science teacher. I had one-on-one speech therapy. I had a nanny who spent all day playing turn-taking games with me.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good teacher.
You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune out.
I’m a visual thinker, not a language-based thinker. My brain is like Google Images.
Half of Silicon Valley’s got a little bit of autism.
A treatment method or an educational method that will work for one child may not work for another child. The one common denominator for all of the young children is that early intervention does work, and it seems to improve the prognosis.
If you start using a medication in a person with autism, you should see an obvious improvement in behavior in a short period of time. If you do not see an obvious improvement, they probably should not be taking the stuff. It is that simple.
Animals make us Human.
I use my mind to solve problems and invent things.
Autism is part of who I am.
I get satisfaction out of seeing stuff that makes real change in the real world. We need a lot more of that and a lot less abstract stuff.