My Testimony

My junior year of high school, I decided to share the story of my struggle and how God transformed me throughout this challenge of my life.  Ever since then, I feel like a huge burden has been carried off my shoulders, and I believe that everyone deserves to feel this kind of freedom.  There is no other explanation for my transformation other than that God has stood by my side through it all.  I hope that you do not see this as a story of self-pity, but I hope that it encourages you to see that God does not set limits to what you can do, and He performs miracles every day.  I just so happened to be one of them.

When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.  This is the most common diagnosed form of autism and this means that social interaction and nonverbal communication is difficult for me to process.  In kindergarten I had a hard time making friends because I didn't know how to make friends.  From the time I was in kindergarten up until my freshman year, I was put on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) where my parents would meet with my social skills teachers once a year to further discuss my progress in school.  On top of Asperger syndrome, I was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Not only was it hard for me to understand social cues, but it's also difficult for me to concentrate in school and am constantly bouncing off the walls.  The doctors told my parents that I would not have had the ability to make friends, graduate from high school without an IEP, and drive a car.  I took social skills and speech classes all the way up until my freshman year to learn how to appropriately act around other people.

During my freshman year, my parents and my teachers made the decision to take me off of IEP because I was thriving on my own and they believed that I was capable of finishing my high school education on my own.  They were right.  I graduated from Maryville High School with a 3.7 GPA, with Honors AND Distinction.  I would also like to point out that I am a social butterfly, and that I have had my driver's license for almost four years now.  HA. Take that doctors. :-)

Because of God's grace and faithfulness, I am where I am today.  I am so incredibly blessed to have friends and family who see past my Asperger's and ADHD and continue to love and pour into me, and I am so undeserving of this unconditional love.  I'm not going to lie -- being someone from special needs isn't easy.  We don't want special treatment or for anyone to feel pity for us.  All we want is to feel normal.  And that's exactly what God did.  He allowed someone who never thought would feel normal... to feel normal.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God and He designed me uniquely and allowed me to go through this challenge so that I can proclaim his name throughout His kingdom and show others that it's okay to be different.  I AM NOT DEFINED BY ASPERGER SYNDROME.  I AM DEFINED AS A DAUGHTER OF THE ONE TRUE KING. Jesus loves each and every one of us and I hope that through my testimony you will see just how almighty our Savior is and how wonderfully He molds us to be more like Him.