Humbled

Weekend Challenge: November 6–7

It’s not easy being a kid on the autism spectrum.

They say if you’ve met one child or person with autism, you’ve met one child or person because while they may share several behavior traits, no two children on the autism spectrum are alike.

But there is one thing most kids with autism have in common: They are often excluded in school by their peers for being different. That’s why I felt a lump form in my throat at a Dav Pilkey book tour event when the Captain Underpants and Dog Man author said this:

“I want you to know that if you have ADHD, there is nothing wrong with you. You just have a brain that thinks different. The world needs people who think different. I wouldn’t be able to write the kind of books I do without ADHD and dyslexia.”

He had just finished saying how he views ADHD and dyslexia to be his superpowers, and as I jiggled inside like jello, I thought of a third superpower Pilkey has: the honesty to tell his story to encourage neurodiverse children.

I felt so grateful he was sharing his story.

I’d been looking forward to hearing Pilkey speak because I read he talks about his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia as a child. Like his favorite author, my son has ADHD and I wanted him to…