'Autism is not a disability, it’s a superpower' - Jacob's Story
- Blog
September 3, 2025
Marketing and Communications Apprentice Jacob shares his experience about being autistic.
My Journey
My name is Jacob Soons, I am an autistic adult and this is the story of me.
When I was in school I used to get picked on just because I am different. The way I acted in certain situations, the way I was always quiet, the way I didn't like to do talks infront of class, when I'm nervous or how I'm sensitive to certain sounds. To other people, that's strange and they don't want to interact with 'strange' people.
In certain situations, I felt like I wasn't involved, I felt like I couldn't talk to my friends, no matter how hard I tried to talk to them and see if we could do things, it was always like, no.
As I spent 7 years in primary school. I felt out of place and felt no one understood the situation I was in. If it got too much and I told someone, they just brushed it off. I was relieved when I left that horrible place.
When I got to sixth form and college, I felt so much better, I learnt a lot about myself and thought, 'I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am, I should enjoy the things that make me happy.'
When I was undergoing my sixth form courses, Level 3 Technical Diploma in IT and Art Graphics, I tried to make everything I wrote a part of me and within my interests as it felt like I could express a lot about my creativity.
I am 20 now and I am much happier than I was, I discovered Autism East Midlands during my search for an apprenticeship and do make people's dreams come true.
So, that is my story, just remember
'Autism isn't a disability, it is a superpower'
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Would you like to find out more about autism?
Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people.
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