In school, I struggled with speaking and making friends. I didn’t know when it was the right time to speak so I would stay quiet until I was called on. I stayed quiet during advisory, gym, English, and lunch. Even on the bus and train ride home, I stayed silent. The same applied to making friends - I gained friends only when other people spoke to me and I was interested in their conversation. For the longest time, I assumed I had intense social anxiety… until I learned that I had Autism.