Young man’s debut book explores living with autism
Autism is not something you can see. Many people who live with autism look just like any other ordinary person, but in their mind, the world seems different.
Tyrone Swartz (26) has Asperger’s, a unique form of autism. With his mother, Heather Swartz’s encouragement, his first book about living with autism, more specifically the first 10 years of his life, was just published. Titled My Life as an Aspie, this book tells the story of a boy who was allowed to develop at his own pace. There were many obstacles to overcome to figure out the neurotypical world he found himself in.
“Tyrone was in a regular school till grade three, after which he was homeschooled. Children did not understand Tyrone and made life at school very difficult for him. He was diagnosed at seven with autism and his young brother, Dylan, at five. Dylan (24) has non-verbal autism. I remember Tyrone would walk up to strangers in a shopping centre and say ‘You are not supposed to smoke near children. Those were the days public smoking was still permitted. It is always very interesting to see the public’s reaction when Tyrone goes into a self-soothing mode. He will start to tap his legs, wring his hands and tap on his head. People just start staring. Dylan will start rocking,” said Heather.
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SA. “My greatest wish is to create autism awareness and help people like me. I want to inspire them to write their own stories on how they view the world. During my teenage years, I realised life can’t be compartmentalised in boxes; you should be open to change. But change is the most difficult thing to accept for people with autism,” said Tyrone. Nothing has stopped him to dream big and be the best version of himself. He is in awe of people like Elon Musk and of what he has achieved. A personal hero of his is the late actor and comedian, Robin Williams. Tyrone is an inspiration to the people he meets and his approach to life is to cross one bridge or obstacle at a time, in his own time. His life motto is “different, never less” and it epitomises a young man from whom the world can learn.
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