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.

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 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!

Kylie as Dani - Halloween

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 stranger. I often force myself to look strangers in the eyes when I talk to them, especially in a professional situation (such as a job interview), unless I’m actively searching my mind for an answer.

These issues, however, have not been enough to hinder me from living a mostly normal life and achieving independence and personal happiness. After obtaining my master’s degree in immunology, I was able to land a job at Covance Laboratories as a research associate in a cellular immunology lab, and I have now worked for the company for over seven years. My current team has been wonderful to work with, and most of them now know about my autism and have been very understanding and accommodating!

I am also happily married to a fellow nerd, Justin, the only human being I’ve ever met who could best me in movie quotes — which is saying a lot. He is a social studies teacher and quite the history buff, so between his love of history and my love of science, we learn a lot from each other. And in addition to our intellect, we are bonded by our faith. We met at church, are very active in our church community, and study the Bible together in our spare time. We have a female brown tabby cat named Pippin and a female sesame red Shiba Inu named Tauriel — well, I adopted them, and my husband inherited them — and last summer, we welcomed our first child, Desmond. He has been our ray of sunshine in the otherwise gloomy, COVIDridden world. As challenging as it has been at times to juggle the responsibilities of my job, my marriage, and parenthood over the past 3 ½ years, I could not feel more blessed. I have my loving family, my supportive coworkers, my amazing therapist, and my Almighty God to thank for it.

Kylie and Des

With both the challenges and the triumphs that I have faced as an adult on the spectrum, I have been inspired to help others on the spectrum however I can. I was recently granted such an opportunity by joining a global, virtual resource group through my company for employees with disabilities. In this group, I have taken on a leadership role in the Invisible Disabilities Team, where I am helping colleagues across the globe raise autism awareness and providing support for others on the spectrum or with loved ones on the spectrum. This group has fostered some amazing connections that I never would have otherwise made through my job, so I am extremely grateful for it. My sincere hope is that my story will provide some comfort or inspiration to others who are also living their lives, or raising children, on the spectrum!

If you would like to share your personal or family story or to nominate someone else to be in an upcoming issue of Special Needs Living, email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com