Autism Awareness

People diagnosed with autism are selfish, self-centered egotistical? Yes. But it’s not what you think.

On Wed. April 3rd, Spencer Kelly, Oakland University student with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, spoke to an inquisitive crowd about some of the unknown aspects of living with an autistic disorder.

The best part? His speech was held on campus on World Autism Awareness Day, this brought more of a powerful context to his platform and encouraged listeners to provide support and understanding.

Kelly explains that the prefix “aut” -at the beginning of the word autism- is derived from the Greek word “auto” meaning “self.” He said that people with autism are often “self-centric because of the way the brain functions.”

This makes it challenging for them to make friends and engage with the world around them. He talks about the many opportunities and resources OU’s career services center provides to students that need help building social skills and a network. Check out a snippet of his speech here!