My
AUTISM Story By Kylie Kuhn
My name is Kylie Kuhn. I’m 32 years old. When I was diagnosed with autism at age 3, my situation was bleak by most people’s standards. It was very obvious that I wasn’t interacting or developing like a typical child. I was incapacitated by certain loud noises or just the slightest change in my daily routine, and the only time I talked was when I repeated what others said to me. My mom was told upon my diagnosis that I would not likely be able to communicate, attend regular school, or even live a somewhat normal life as I grew older.
school. My interest in the arts, namely drawing, crafts, and music, inspired my favorite hobbies and stress-relievers, while my passion for biology — more specifically, immunology — became my primary focus in college and graduate school, which led me to my current career in translational drug development research. My success in these particular areas, plus my naturally cheerful social demeanor, gained more positive attention from my peers, so I often found it easy to make friends, especially as I better grasped the concept of a two-way conversation — something that I know most people on the spectrum struggle with. It’s still more difficult when I try to talk to someone about something I’m not particularly interested or knowledgeable in, because I don’t always know what questions to ask or how to process what they’re telling me without a visual example. But people often tell me that even neurotypicals struggle with that sometimes, so I guess I’m doing okay! While many people today are very surprised when I tell them I have autism, I still have some autism-related challenges that become more evident to others the longer I’m around them. The most noticeable issues I face are my bouts of anxiety (which can escalate into a full meltdown) and my lack of eye contact. If, for instance, something unexpected happens at work, or if I find myself trying to juggle too much at once, and I can’t find an immediate solution to my problem, I start to panic. This results in me possibly snapping at others or temporarily “shutting down” and not being able to do anything until I can gather my thoughts or someone steps in to help me. As for eye contact, I find it very distracting when I’m trying to talk to someone, especially a
But my mom’s strong faith and determination inspired her to strive for more than that for me. She created different ways to help me better communicate, such as using picture boards to explain my daily routines and help me better understand social cues. For the first couple of years after my diagnosis, I attended a special needs preschool and then transitioned into public school using speech therapy and IEPs. Around the third grade, my condition noticeably improved as I began taking a daily combination of magnesium and vitamin B6. Taking these supplements calmed me down and helped me focus more clearly on my social surroundings, rather than just my internal thoughts. I also felt less of a need to pace and flap my hands, which had previously been my calming mechanisms. As I grew older and the social complexity of life increased and became more difficult to navigate, I found that immersing myself in social situations based on my specific areas of interest helped me gain the experiences and confidence I needed to become a more successful and independent adult. For example, my interest in academics, particularly fine arts and science, contributed to my success in school, from elementary school all the way up to graduate
34 Special Needs Living • July 2021
Kylie Kuhn
Kylie as Dani – Halloween
Kylie and Des
