Older Autistic Adults In Their Own Words: The Lost Generation

by Wilma Wake

Why had I been teased and bullied? Why did I feel so alone growing up, despite having siblings and friends? Why did I spend so much time by myself, daydreaming, and reading? Why did people keep getting frustrated with me, as if there was something obvious about how I should act that I just didn’t understand? Why did people find my single-minded intensity so odd? Why was I such a picky eater, and bothered by so many smells? Because I’m autistic, that’s why!