Hello there! My name is Taylor Crowe. I’m twenty-eight years old. I am autistic, which in many ways makes learning harder for me than most other people. It makes it hard for me to interact with people because I don’t know what to say or do in many situations. In addition, it’s very easy to misunderstand things. Autism is a very difficult disability to have. The doctor who diagnosed me said that I would “never” be able to do this or that in my lifetime, but my father felt this wasn’t true, and my mom had doubts about it also. My family always had faith in me: they thought that if I had occupational therapy, language therapy and other treatments for autism, I’d someday become my own man! My family worked hard to get me help, and it paid off!
The way I see it, the only way I’m really different from other people is that it sometimes takes me longer to learn things. For instance, a four year-old cannot drive a car, but (s)he will probably learn how to do it in a little over a decade when (s)he is older. I believe that this proves that in the future, I’ll learn even more about independence than I know right now. It’s just a matter of time: it just takes a little longer for me. I have to work hard at things that come easily to other people. By the way, I actually have my driver’s license!
Change is difficult for somebody with autism. My parents got a divorce when I was only eight years old. Thus, my parents’ love for me outlasted that for each other. Because of this, I had to go back and forth between their houses, which got annoying and tiring, especially because sometimes I forgot something I needed to bring to other house, but I had to learn to be responsible. Because of my autism, divorce was probably harder for me than it was for my non-autistic younger brother, but I adapted. I eventually learned to find the good things in my situation. Adapting and working hard are two things I’ve had to do a lot in my life.
As I was growing up, my family helped children my age learn how to be friends with me. Having friends throughout my school years was a wonderful thing and made a big difference in my life. Friendships are important to me. I have lots of friends, and I never stop working to make new ones.
When I was young, my family discovered that I was really interested in art, and they worked hard to help me develop my skills. They really encouraged me! I went to special art classes, summer schools and sometimes even had art tutors. All this eventually led me to the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California, where I majored in Character Animation.
I did very well, and graduated from CalArts in 2007. Because of my experiences in college, I know that I can be successful in my career, continue to develop more independence, and eventually live completely on my own.
Lots of people ask me about what it was like to go to college, and how I was able to do it. First, I had to work really hard to get accepted. CalArts was a tough school to get into, and I had to create a lot of artwork for a portfolio that was part of my application. But it was what I really wanted to do, so it was very important to me.
In April, 2003, I got a letter from CalArts announcing that I’d been accepted and would be starting school in the fall. There was one huge problem, though: where would I live? The dormitory didn’t seem like a good idea because I’d been to some seminars about autism and learned that kids with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome often have trouble in dormitory situations because, in one way or another, they might be taken advantage of (people with autism seem to be very trusting). I needed to live in a more predictable, safer situation. It turns out that I was able to live with a family from my hometown only a few blocks from school. This itself was an interesting challenge because they had two daughters younger than me. I’d never had any sisters, so there were lots of new things for me to get used to when I went off to college!
Was it hard being away from home? Nope! I was studying what I’d always wanted to study. Was my lack of homesickness because of my autism or because I was really doing what I wanted to do?
The animation program kept me really busy. I was in school from morning until night most of the time, and sometimes even well into the evenings. I typically ate lunch at the school cafeteria.
Did my autism cause problems for me in school? Sometimes, because I’d occasionally forget that other people besides me also needed to ask the instructor a question, or at other times I’d say whatever was on my mind at the moment (a common situation with someone who has autism), and what I said might not have been very appropriate. But everyone got to know me, and pretty much everyone helped me when I needed it. I made lots of friends.
Kids with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome are going to college more and more these days. Some colleges and universities are even coming up with special programs and ways to support these kids when they’re on campus and in class, which I think is great. The dorm situation presents a particularly difficult challenge, but things are being worked on! I wonder if there are families (like the one I lived with) who might be willing to have autistic kids live with them while they’re in college?
Things aren’t always easy for me. In particular, social situations remain hard to figure out. Sometimes I still misunderstand things and get confused, but I’m still working hard and adapting. I’m having a good time. Life is great! I’m doing the things in life that I want to do.
What am I doing these days? Keep reading! Also, click on My Speeches and My Art to learn even more!
Recently, a friend and I wrote and illustrated the manuscript for a children’s book about autism. We hope to get it published soon. It’s about a little boy with autism on the first day of school. Here’s an illustration from the story:
Remember the part where I mentioned art classes and summer school? It’s particularly important for kids with autism to have structure in their lives, and when school is out for the summer and there’s no daily routine to follow, this can sometimes become a problem. My family always worked to give me a schedule and keep me involved with things over school breaks. One example is that when I was thirteen I had a summer painting class with a local art teacher. What’s particularly interesting about this story is that these days, now that I’ve graduated from CalArts and moved home, I occasionally go to her high school art class and teach her students how to draw famous cartoon characters!
I'm still doing animation. Click here to see a short animated cartoon I made for a meeting of radiologists.
It features Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, the scientist who figured out x-rays.
It’s set in the city of Wurzburg, Germany, where Roentgen did his work.
I’m traveling a lot these days, sharing my stories about life with autism with as many people as I can. I want parents, teachers, therapists and other individuals who work with those who have autism to know that they should never give up. There’s always hope!
My advice: find what works, and concentrate on that!
About Me
I did very well, and graduated from CalArts in 2007. Because of my experiences in college, I know that I can be successful in my career, continue to develop more independence, and eventually live completely on my own. 
Kids with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome are going to college more and more these days. Some colleges and universities are even coming up with special programs and ways to support these kids when they’re on campus and in class, which I think is great. The dorm situation presents a particularly difficult challenge, but things are being worked on! I wonder if there are families (like the one I lived with) who might be willing to have autistic kids live with them while they’re in college? 
