When my brother was in first grade, his teacher called home to talk to my parents. She said to them that she felt he was developmentally behind his peers and he needed to be held back for a year. At the time, my brother was not already diagnosed on the spectrum, but his behaviors and thought processes were not neurotypical. And socially, he seemed to not have advanced the way his peers had. My parents were confused, as they recognized that the developmental delays were not from a lack of intellectual ability but rather a simple difference in how he learned and matured. Teachers continued to be so anxious for my brother, convinced he would not be able to keep up with his class. My parents did not hold him back. When he graduated high school, he was one of the first in his class. His "disability" was not really a disability at all--it was an ability to process and interact with life in a different way. What teachers once thought was holding him back actually propelled him forward. The school system still has a lot of work to do in terms of helping kids on the spectrum navigate their education, but that does not mean it's an impossible feat. Some things may prove more difficult, but with the right support and guidance, making it through school is possible and worthwhile.
~Anonymous Author
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