Matt's Earliest Memories

An entry from Matt about his earliest memories.

I remember when I was six years old (1991), I started kindergarten in North Carolina. I cried on the first day of school. I was scared because I didn’t know what to expect. I met this kid in my class - his name was Brandon, and we became friends. I got through the school year with him by my side.

That same year, I got my first kiss from a girl across the street from us at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina. Her name was Elana and we would hang out and play Super Mario Brothers at her house, and one time she kissed me on the cheek. We talked about getting married and moving to China because I wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force, and she wanted to marry me and that was our dream place to live. Unfortunately, her dad got really sick and they moved back to Texas and I have not heard from her since then.

The next school year I started first grade and I had a bit of a rough time because of me having autism. My first-grade teacher and second grade teacher didn’t want to help me much, so they made me just go through the day and made my classmates help me. I didn’t understand what was going on because they did not want to help me. I remember one day I had to go to my brother’s class because I was not allowed to go on a field trip with my class for some reason, and that was a rough day for me. I had fits and was crying a lot. It was sad.

After that, they had a parent teacher conference with my parents, and my parents where trying to explain to them what Autism was and that I had it. It felt like the teachers didn’t want to hear about what my parents said. They just wanted to send me away from their school. I became very afraid of going to school there because I didn’t know what was going to happen to me.

My dad retired from the Air Force and we moved to Clifton Forge, Virginia where my mom is from and then things got better even though I got bullied in 5th grade by a few kids. I did develop a weight issue because of the medications I took. I did play little league baseball and basketball because there was no Special Olympics in our area that we knew of yet. Since then, I have grown up to become a respectful and respected young man and I am better off because of this experience in my life.

I would tell parents of children with autism, not give up and help find ways for their kids to be successful in life. If anyone needs any advice, I am here to give it! Feel free to comment on my story.