Looking back at one of my first-ever articles for Odyssey, I noticed that it has racked up 1515 views in just five months. It is by far my most popular article, and while it has been followed by several other articles about my struggle with autism, including a four-part autobiography, I feel like there needs to be an adequate follow-up to the piece that started it all- a sequel, as it were. So, without further ado, here are the seven things only autistic people can relate to. Each one corresponds to a point in “7 Gross Misconceptions About Autism."

1. Are we really as smart as you say we are?

Many times, I and many other autistic people I know or have heard of are extensively complimented for our immense knowledge, memory, creativity, prowess—there are many words that NTs (neurotypicals, or non-autistic individuals) use to describe those of us known as “savants.” We get hooked on one or several things and doggedly pursue them until we know there is everything there is to know about them. Our memories generally serve us well, and we develop a general love of learning. Nonetheless, there have been times that, in academic competitions such as spelling bees and geography bees when I seemed to always be beaten by NTs (I know autistic people when I see them), I have questioned how smart I was, really. Don’t get me wrong, I always knew I had an above average intelligence. I just questioned whether I was the insane genius people seemed to think I was. Today, I have come to terms with the fact that I don’t have to be the smartest to be the best I can be. I just hope other autistic individuals come to realize the same.

2. Hey, I’m not dumb!

First, let me say that memes like this exist because people don’t understand us at all sometimes. I find this meme offensive and decided to put it here to demonstrate how many NTs tend to see us. While bathroom buddies weren’t in place at my old school, I often represented Squidward in the above meme when I listened to lower-functioning kids read, or when I tried to converse with them, or really, interact with them in general. Even though they were my friends, I could not see myself forming a real relationship with them simply because our social and intellectual skills were so disparate. Sometimes I would complain about how slow they were reading, how they would mispronounce words, how they tried to force interests on me like trains and Legos that were not necessarily my cup of tea, but each time I wasted my breath and eventually gave up. By the time I left, I began to make an important realization: what these kids lacked in intelligence, the more than made up for in riding ability, golfing prowess, dexterity and, most of all, love towards me and the higher-functioning kids—really, towards everyone they met. They were among the most loving and accepting people I’ve ever met. They were quick to forgive, and I realized towards the end of my career at that school that they had something to teach me, so I decided to learn. In the end, I started returning the favor. It hasn’t gone perfectly with everyone, but it’s getting there soon. I write because any autistic person, to the uneducated outsider, could be perceived as being “stupid.” I mean, if a random person who knew little or nothing about autism were to just show up and see how I behave sometimes or caught me while I am self-stimulating (or “stimming”—I guess for NTs, it’s called “over-fidgeting”), they might jump to that conclusion because that’s just their culture. That’s why education and awareness are the most important step right now—we need to get John Q. Public educated so that autism can finally begin to become the new normal.

3. How do I do this conversation thing again?! HELP!!!!

Yep, despite insane individual improvements in this area in the past six months, this remains in many ways a difficult skill for me, and I’m sure for an overwhelming majority of those on the spectrum as well. Well, okay, here’s the truth: I enjoy meeting new people and seeing new faces, it just so happens that finding the right way to break the ice is a massive gamble. In other words, initiating a conversation is the hardest part of having the conversation; once the other party and I get into a comfortable pattern, we can talk for an hour or more. But I’m sure many people on the autism spectrum ask, “How can I make that easier to do?” I recommend, in situations like that, just going with the gut. It’s actually very helpful, and I think every time I’ve ever spoken with another autistic person, it’s generally worked for them, too. And you don’t always have to sound smart, either—just monosyllabically reiterate something that has just been said, and 99 percent of the time, you will get the conversation to progress. It will feel weird at first, but it’s almost failsafe.

4. Will I be able to live on my own?

This is a little different because this has never been a large concern to me personally, but when I was younger, my parents lost sleep wondering if their son had a snowball’s chance to live on his own. For about the first ten years of my life, they were practically zero; while it was unlikely that I would be institutionalized, my erratic behaviors and near refusal to leave my explosive imagination certainly were not consistent with living alone period, perhaps ever. While I actively participated in therapies during this period, it was not until I was 10 or 11 years old, when I realized my previous behavior would get me nowhere in life, that I began changing myself alongside the preexisting therapies. These changes (and the massive network of people who held me accountable) are now all a part of who I am today, and my entire family agrees that, once I leave high school, I will be fit to live on my own. It is important to note that because autism is a spectral disorder, there are those who will be wildly successful in life, and there are those who will never see the outside of a psych ward. It is a question of mainly of parenting—when the meltdowns get to be too much, when your child seems to be resisting everything, will you just give up and let him never change, or will you work alongside your child to get him or her where he or she needs to be in life?

5. Will I have a career and/or a soulmate?

This goes together with the previous point, and yet is entirely different. It’s one thing to live by yourself, but making a living by yourself and finding a mate is a story unto itself. Career options and whether to find a mate can be extremely overwhelming, and, personally, I am always tempted to fall into holes of trying to solve these questions right now. Of course, I’m only in high school, but I guess the struggle I’m trying to illustrate here is the compulsive planning. Sometimes I realize that I’m doing too much, too early, but I always end up getting sucked back in. I’m trying to trust the Lord’s judgment and follow his plan, for, as Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” As God and I approach reconciliation on this issue, perhaps I’ll know more and be able to finally write a quality article about this great effort.

6. Oh…sorry…did I really do/say that? Wow.

This is one trait of my autism that I wish could disappear overnight. For better or for worse, all it seems to have done is changed. When I was younger, I was willing to physically fight people to have my way. Later, when I started losing those fights, I took a step back and asked myself just what was Plan B? Plan B soon became to quit fighting and to learn to use my voice as opposed to my body to get what I want. This worked for a while and I became a more peaceful person. However, quite disappointingly, the fighting spirit is still in me, and this has resulted in me becoming a very argumentative person. While there is true exhilaration in a fight, verbal or otherwise, I always try to think things through before making a final decision; sometimes I dismiss the other person’s point as illegitimate to advance my own. It sucks—it really does suck the happiness out of me. It makes me less believable, and it’s just counterproductive beyond words because even my own family gets tired of talking to me when this happens. This impulsivity may never go away, but day by day, I learn more and more how to manage it; I always try to trust my parents’ judgment, even if it runs counter to what I have in mind. What makes it hard for me is that arguing now is a knee-jerk reaction. I and all the other autistic individuals I've met are so good at speaking our minds and being honest when it is merited, yet this is the cost at which such a gift comes. If there is one struggle anyone with autism can relate to, this pretty much must be it.

7. What’s wrong with me?

No, I don’t want to hear any medical or psychobabble hogwash. Seriously, what is wrong with me? This is a question I have seen everyone I have ever tried to get to know with autism ask without even opening their mouths. I have seen young people with autism lie, break the law, and kill themselves, and whether they were consciously trying to answer this question or not is beside the point. The fact is, in their cases, something was up, something (or some things) that was not a part of me. In other words, the circumstantial evidence indicates that since the one thing they had in common was autism, it served at least as a secondary reason for their behaviors. While I have yet to question myself on the drastic level that these people did, it was this same question that led to the massive personal changes of recent years, and I am so thankful for the results it has produced in me. Eventually, I realized that, strictly speaking, nothing was “wrong”; I just had a few differences. Perhaps it was my parents who helped me the most here. They always thought of my autism not as a disability, but a gift, and this made life in general easier for me because they talked about my autism from a very young age to avoid the concept of something being off. I now know that God made me for a reason, and while I have yet to discover that reason, I can now confidently say that, for the moment, nothing is wrong.

When coupled with their corresponding fallacies from that first article, these become my new standard definition of autism. Each case, while entirely unique, pertains to these revelations. Autism is not just a neurological condition, it is a lifestyle, and this is but a glimpse into the world of autism that NTs will never exactly see. They will hopefully paint a new and beautiful picture the likes of which the world has never seen.