My name’s Kayley. For the most part, I’m a typical teen girl. I’m slowly getting addicted to iced coffee, I’m a high schooler, and I stay up past my bedtime watching YouTube and getting into social media drama. So, I’m just like you! Except I’m autistic… here’s my story.
My mom says she remembers me as an independent and calm toddler, but also a withdrawn one. My early motor skills such as sitting up, crawling, and walking developed later than most other children. My early language skills such as, first words, asking simple questions, and talking in sentences also developed later than most other children. I didn’t really say anything until I was the age of 5! I didn’t attend kindergarten for very long. I seem to learn things later, or with more difficulty than other children did. I had a harder time with social skills. Also, I was hyperactive and hypersensitive. My mom said that when I was little it was very difficult to manage my behavior. She also believes I might have a form of a learning disability on top of my autism diagnosis. When I was in kindergarten I’d hit or kick other children and would tell them “payback from way back” as a way to get payback from a past situation. This was one of the many reasons I didn’t stay in kindergarten for long. Because of all the problems I was having during that school year, it was recommended to my parents to pull me out and hold me back for a year. My parents decided to screw that & homeschooled me. I began going back to school after a while since my mom got a job and could no longer teach me. I’ve been homeschooled again ever since 2017. One of the reasons I didn’t go to public school is because I lost all my services the year before. I was expected to stay in high school for 6-8 years and I was dealing with anxiety due to moving to a new state. I absolutely would have loved experiencing my high school years if none of these things were holding me back. I also struggle with sensory overload. I am a very sensitive person. I am not okay with unexpected things (such as fire alarms or lots of noise in one room). I am not great with sarcasm either. I’m better at giving the joke to someone rather than receiving it. Also, some people may tell me or my other friends on the spectrum that “you don’t look/act autistic” or that girls and women can’t be autistic. Despite the fact I may face anxiety, sensory overload, and meltdowns at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything! In 5th grade, I asked both of my teachers’ if I could do a speech about autism during world autism awareness week. That was honestly the first time I really ever advocated for myself. I was nervous because only my close friends and family knew but I got a more positive response than I expected!
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayleydaniellle/
twitter: https://twitter.com/KayleyDaniellle
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgPXJW0bljz_baR8pOLQFKg?view_as=subscriber
