Adam attends Aspire, an organisation supported by BBC Children in Need

Ever since I was little I’ve found that fitting in can be hard. For a long time I don’t think I was understood by a lot of the people around me. At school I was bullied for just being me. I was eventually diagnosed with autism and Tourette’s Syndrome. While it helped to know that I was neurodiverse, growing up still felt really complicated and challenging. My involuntary vocal tics sometimes offended people and my autism made the many social and learning situations at school difficult for me to deal with.

At times things got really bad for me. I found school difficult to take part in and at one point I was almost permanently excluded. I’d be angry as I felt anxious, isolated and not accepted by young people my own age. When I look back I remember tough times where I was depressed.

I could have easily got involved with the wrong people and continued making the wrong decisions. Thankfully I found a project called Aspire. It’s a community hub in Ryde on the Isle of Wight supported by Children in Need. Their funding helps young people like me through any challenges that they might be facing. Through working with them I discovered that I could be really creative and that I could find an outlet for my emotions through rap. Rap allows me to tell the world who I am and hopefully raise awareness of what it’s like to be autistic and have Tourette’s Syndrome. Aspire has enabled me to make some good friends and given me the courage to perform my music at gigs.

While I’m still finding ways to live with the anxiety that often comes with autism my life is much better now. I’m interested in what the future holds for me and I want to keep rapping and building up my music skills. I know that there are loads of young people out there who might be in a bad place with their mental health and their self -confidence. My advice would be to find a place like Aspire where you’ll be accepted for who you are and find your true skills and build up your confidence.”

*Adam’s name has been changed but the story and words and true.