I was born with Cerebral Palsy. All my life, I felt a bit on edge but I didn’t really know I was on edge. I used to bite my hand and tense up my body but people said this was my CP (Cerebral Palsy). When I was a baby I didn’t like flashy toys. 

I was jealous of my sister because she had more friends than me and if they would come round to tea, I would lash out. 

We started going to CAMHS when I was 5 but I don’t know what came of this.

At primary school, I thought everyone that talked to me was my best friend, even if they just said hi.  I think I scared people off.

My dad was always a stay at home dad but went back to work when we were at primary school so we would go to after school club and a child minder.

When I was a teenager, things got harder with hormones and being stroppy. 

All my life, I would say I didn’t feel very well and when I got the day off school, I would be right as rain by 10 o’clock.  I would do this more and more to the point that I would say I had a headache or sore tummy so I didn’t have to go to school.

On the days I did get to school, I was fine once I was there.  Due to the CP, I had 100% support so I was always with someone I knew and we had a strong relationship. 

I made friends at secondary school and there was a lovely group of us in year 7 and year 8 but from year 9, things went downhill.  Within the group, two of them would play fight but it would get out of hand.  This led to the group fizzling out and people taking sides.

In the end there were three of us but because I was the slowest eater, they would leave the canteen without me and walk around school for the rest of the break.  So, the support workers became like my friends.

The support worker that specialised in autism and the SEN Coordinator had a conversation about whether they thought I had autism but they decided I didn’t.

Years later, at the age of 18 I was diagnosed with autism. I felt relieved. My family weren’t shocked at the news.

The same support worker apologised to me and we have remained friends.