Autisms?

I am sitting here today in Judy’s office and with me is my friend of twenty-eight years, Max. Max is also my housemate. Max and I met at school when we were little. The school was ABA based, and it was terrible for me. ABA didn’t work for me as my issues are purely motor based. But I couldn’t talk and Max could because his issues are different from mine. So he decided that we were friends, and undertook speaking for me. Knowing now about nonspeaking people doesn’t mean much to him because of his issues. He just sees me as Brett, his friend. I am ok with that because I understand that he cannot understand this. 


What gets on my every last nerve is the term low-functioning being applied to me as if I can’t understand things just because I can’t speak. I am not low-functioning, and I am sick of that terminology. 

Getting to the point:  all of us are diagnosed with autism and that is a problem. They call it a spectrum to get away with it. But I cry bullshit. My issues in no way resemble Max’s…and I am tired of being misunderstood. He is my friend and always will be. But what we have, in terms of disabilities, is in no way the same. The world needs to understand that.