“I Was Getting Bullied By More Staff Than Students.” Man Uses His Book To Shine Light On How Autism Is Misunderstood.

This story was submitted to InspireMore by Bobby Latheron.

Like many others who are autistic, Bobby Latheron has known for most of his life that there was something that made him different from his peers. As a child, he often preferred spending time with adults. But as he got older, he’d get bullied for his autism — not just by kids, but the very adults who were meant to protect him.

“I felt like I was getting bullied by more staff than students and I used to come home crying,” Bobby tells InspireMore.

Throughout school, Bobby struggled. He suffered from panic attacks that would cause him to run out of the room crying. Rather than having empathy, teachers labeled him a “naughty child.” Then, at around 13 years old, he was officially diagnosed with autism. But because autism is still so misunderstood, this didn’t improve his situation by much.

Still, Bobby persevered and made it to university. But after a while, he struggled academically here, too. Things were looking up when he switched to art, design, and photography, but he simply couldn’t do it. That’s when a kind teacher changed his life for the better.

“I was telling one of the music teachers about my life with autism — my relationships and my struggles,” Bobby tells InspireMore. “So she said, ‘Why don’t you write a book about your life?’ So I did.”

This is how My World in my Words by Bobby Latheron came to be. When writing this book, Bobby remained incredibly focused. In fact, he kept it a secret until it was ready.

“Two years later, without telling anyone, my book was out in Waterstones in Middlesbrough and online as well at Amazon and eBay,” Bobby shares with InspireMore.

Finding the inspiration to write his first book has changed Bobby’s life in so many ways. He’s met others who are like himself, plus, he’s even managed to secure a job he loves. He’s a support worker for an autism charity called MAIN.

My World in my Words is an autobiography that contains Bobby’s real-life experiences, song lyrics, scripts, and more. With it, he aims to help others understand what life is actually like with autism.

Writing this book has opened up so many doors for Bobby. He’s even given multiple interviews for various news and radio stations.

Best of all, this new direction in life has given Bobby the opportunity to help others like him to feel less alone and, in doing so, he’s proven to himself that he’s far more capable than he once believed.

“I’m not here to say it’s always been perfect and that I haven’t made mistakes,” Bobby tells InspireMore, “but you have to learn in life.”

You can find the sources of this story’s featured image here and here!