My name is Frank George. There is a picture, taken of me about 10 years ago, on my main web site. (Frank does not currently have a website..it was previously hosted through AOL Hometown, which is no longer available.) I am married, with a wife, four children and two grandchildren. I graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in math. I have been employed as a file clerk for the past nine years.

I have written between four and five hundred articles and poems relative to autism, all of it unpublished. Some of it has probably been lost over the years. But I still have a record of most of it. About 10 years ago, I was “retired” for two or three years. I wrote most of it, and also established my web sites, during that time.

I have spent much of my life studying science and mathematics. I have found the unpredictable nature of autism to be a profound tool in solving certain problems of mathematics. For example, while theoretical mathematicians were finding logical solutions relative to tetrahedrons, I was essentially using the unpredictability of autism to discover similar solutions intuitively.

Putting it another way, I have found the chaos of abnormal autism to be a means of greatly expanding my powers of imagination. This enables me to move far beyond the so-called “obvious” and see the universe in a manner that logic could never perceive. It has helped me immensely not only in math and science, but also in composing music and writing prose and poetry.

One of the difficulties involved with autism is pin pointing it into one nutshell. No matter how finite we attempt to cap it into a single bottle, autism is constantly expanding in its scope and diversity. The autistic arena is a mystical mixture of the real and the unreal, truth and fantasy, and the sublime with the absurd.

Autism is a filthy swamp of noxious weeds, hornets nests, and voracious alligators, threatening any feeling whatsoever for others with never-ending rack and ruin. Your mind is virtually nonexistent. You ramble on through each and every day, with practically no consciousness of the world around you.

Picture a universe wherein “reality” can be viewed from afar, but never actually lived in completely. This is autism. Like the donkey chasing the carrot hung from a pole fastened to the donkey, one never quite “reaches” reality. It is always just beyond your grasp, as an oasis mirage in the distant autistic desert.

So what does all this have to do with 60 years of autism? It is that although the time and experience of 60 years have taught me a great deal in terms of how to live with autism, nevertheless autism is still largely unpredictable and hence a constant source of aggravation and difficulty.

Be that as it may, I can perhaps offer some suggestions for those of us within the spectral spectrum of autism.

(1) Remember that autism, in spite of any thoughts to the contrary, is physical. It is not a demented mind, or a sinful soul. It is a real physical thing. Hence the first thing that you can get rid of is the assumption that you are bad and depraved. It just simply is not true.

(2) Patience. If autism has taught me anything, it is that no matter how many wild and crazy things you may fall prey to today, the sun always shines again tomorrow.

(3) Tools, skills, and gifts. Many autistic people are blessed with special gifts and insights that are not commonly found within the general population. Use them. Keep learning new things.

(4) Keep busy. I would rather have too much to do, than not enough to do.

(5) Social balance. I know how it is. Frequently we autistic people just have to get away from other people to preserve our sanity. But being with others is healthy and necessary.

(6) Escape. I don’t recommend running away from everything. But there are some situations that autistic people should simply not be involved in. If at all possible, know your limits. Be especially careful where major life decisions are involved, such as with your career, marriage, and money.

(7) Time. One of my greatest assets is time. Whether I use it for introspective reflection, changing the course of human events, or just plain having fun, time is a wonderful thing. And on those days when I do something really dumb and stupid, I set aside a few days to let it all sit on the back burner. Most such “boo boos” go away by themselves and weren’t worth worrying about anyway.

My life, since I was born, has been non-stop loss of connection with the world, life, and people around me. Most of the time, I have been barely there, as far as reality is concerned, just enough to drift through required existence and that’s about it. I am constantly at odds with anything and everything. Just walking down the street, making my way through the neighborhood, is a social nightmare. Sixty-odd years has been as though I have lived through thousands of years of pain and suffering. I could write an encyclopedia on what all I have been through!

I am a fan of science fiction. So, as Spock or Data (of Star Trek) would say, “autism is interesting”. Not to mention mind-boggling! There is never a dull moment with autism. Day or night, your mind is a turbo charged blender. If nothing else, it infinitely expands your sense of humor. What a life. Wow!