My Real Gift

Technically speaking, I am profoundly gifted. My IQ is several standard deviations, not just above the norm, but beyond the “gifted” cut-off as well. I am also autistic, falling under the category of high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome and including anxiety and sensory sensitivities. Together, these diagnoses make me twice-exceptional – gifted and learning “disabled.” I was completely lacking theory of mind. I turned to violence to express myself. I had an abusive biological father who turned my brother and I against each other and left us with PTSD. These factors all made me a very challenging child.

I was homeschooled from age five onwards. We had a very extensive homeschool “curriculum” consisting of many outside classes and visits to educational locations. But I struggled personally with depression, coming to terms with my biological parents’ separation and my own differences. When I started college, my then-best friend asked me, “why don’t you…