About My Autistic Life

Hello everybody. As I’m sure you’ve already figured out by finding this blog, my name is Phil Evans and I’ve got autism.

Well, Asperger’s Syndrome if we’re going to be extremely precise on this one!

You may read this and think that it’s quite easy for me to tell the world such a statement but you’d be mistaken.

I’m Phil, and I’m tired. I’ve had a long journey which still isn’t over!

I’m not exactly a person that would blurt these facts out at every opportunity though I’ve come to a decision where I’d love to let people know that being autistic isn’t something shockingly awful. It can be rewarding in the sense that chances come about regularly to challenge systems and prove those of a medically trained profession wrong.

What an info burst there…I’ll slow down a little for you and run through things piece by piece!

From birth it was clear something wasn’t right as I had a very high pitch cry apparently, something which I have no recollection of personally, though I’m told by my mother that my stunning use of tiny vocal chords which gave specialists an idea that there was something abnormal about me.

Time on a special baby care unit followed just 24 hours into my young life but this wasn’t to be for long, these tests being merely standard with any slight birth abnormality such as the noises I made which therefore meant I’d never return again.

Following this I’d taken my time learning how to walk as my muscles were very floppy and I wasn’t developing to the pace which a normal toddler would, meaning that frequent trips to an assessment unit were in order to establish just what my issues were.

It was around this time when my parents were told the words that nobody would want to hear about their child:

“I’m sorry, your son may not be able to walk, talk or do many basic functions.”

Of course I don’t remember the exact sentence word for word but that was pretty much how my problems were explained on a bit of a surprising day!

Those people have been proved wrong ever since and it is for these reasons that I’ve decided to create this insight which will hopefully inspire and interest in equal measure.

There have been pitfalls along the way including getting bullied in both primary and secondary school but life has had many positives too, getting into university being number one on that list but these ups and downs will be written about in future updates.

As for other bonuses, let me end this particular post with those as I’m over the moon about them all right now.

Diagnosis came at nine years of age. By this time my primary education was well underway at Pelsall Village JMI School and I’d being coping well with everything but once confirmation of my disorder came, help was laid on to get me through studies which proved to be very helpful.

A move to St Chad’s Primary School followed at the start of Year Six with relocation to a new family home, though nothing really changed with my needs until I hit a torrid time at high school.

Netherstowe High School were not very good at all to be honest, my learning skills and behaviour always got complimented but any help I got was awful.

This shortfall came from a terrible special needs department which did more harm than good in some ways, something I’ve never forgotten as issues with it pretty much encased my teenage years meaning that I’d left the schooling system taking little faith with me.

Things were soon to change however as further education came over the horizon with college and later university.

South Staffordshire College was where I’d begin to find my feet as I completed a GNVQ Intermediate in ICT which would later help me in gaining a BTEC National Diploma in Media Studies, something that made me very happy in the years it taken to gain qualifications as I became a man and not the boy who had gone into the classroom as a 16-year-old on day one feeling frankly terrified!

From this, thoughts of university began to entertain my mind and it was whilst studying for my BTEC that I applied through UCAS for a place studying Sports Journalism wherever I’d be accepted.

After gaining the correct entry criteria my dream became reality as I got offered a place at Southampton Solent University.

Yes, it was a fair journey from my Midlands home but such a thing didn’t matter as I’d been accepted and had the chance to find some independance only found from living under your own steam.

Initially it was amazing, though naturally home sickness kicks in and then so does the work but this wasn’t a problem really at all for me.

Everything contained much promise and excitement which was made even better with the fact that I settled down very quickly, this making my fresher experience fly by very quickly which in some ways became a blessing and a curse.

Year two was nothing like what had preceded it, maybe I’d buckled down a little too much and not had enough fun while the option was there?

Months moved on and this theory was slowly proved right, the mental wall had been hit and boy did I feel it’s wrath.

Nevertheless, I returned in January 2011 after completing an eight-month deferral period which began in April 2010 and I haven’t looked back since.

I’m a graduate now, I’m a blogger and I have big plans for the future that will hopefully help other autistic people. I just need to work on them!