It was always easier to work out what a cat was feeling, or understand R2D2 in Star Wars, than to try to read the complex language that is human social interaction.

比起試圖讀懂人類社會交往的複雜語言，弄清一隻貓的感受，或者理解《星球大戰》中的R2D2，總是更容易。

I could calm down a nervous horse, but I couldn't even realize that another human being was nervous, or angry.

我可以讓一匹緊張的馬冷靜下來，但我卻無法意識到另一個人的緊張，或者憤怒。

It should be no surprise that I had no real friends as a kid.

我小時候沒有真正的朋友，這並不奇怪。

The friendly acquaintances I did have, kids of my mom's friends, refused to admit they even knew me anywhere near any public group.

我的那些友好的熟人，我媽媽的朋友的孩子，拒絕承認他們甚至在任何公共團體附近認識我。

They were aliens to me, with a foreign psychic language that I just didn't understand.

他們對我來說是外星人，用的是外國的靈異語言，我就是聽不懂。

I knew the definition of the words that came out of their mouths, but never understood the actual meaning of what they were saying.

我知道他們口中所說的定義，但從來沒有理解他們所說的實際意義。

I knew there were hidden meanings there because they always got angry when I never caught on.

我知道那裡有隱藏的意思，因為他們總是在我一直沒有發現的時候生氣。

Other kids called me stupid.

其他孩子都說我笨。

After years of that, I started to agree.

年後，我開始同意。

At home, life was hard, too.

在家裡，生活也很艱難。

Being simply told to do something would paralyze me, and it wouldn't get done.

單純的叫我做一件事，會讓我麻痺大意，做不到。

My mother sometimes asked what was wrong with me, although we knew what was wrong.

母親有時會問我怎麼了，雖然我們知道是怎麼回事。

I have Asperger's Syndrome.

我有阿斯伯格綜合症。

I need linear directions, and things spelled out for me that to most would be obvious.

我需要的是線性的方向，以及對大多數人來說顯而易見的事情為我闡明。

School is something I should have excelled at.

學校是我應該擅長的地方。

But I didn't.

但我沒有。

I had to work around people who refused to work with me, teachers who would yell at me for things I didn't understand and wouldn't explain anything, and kids who taunted me mercilessly until I got suspended for fighting for the rest of the year.

我不得不和那些拒絕和我合作的人一起工作，老師會因為我不明白的事情對我大吼大叫，什麼都不解釋，還有那些孩子無情地嘲笑我，直到我因為打架被停學一年。

I was being threatened with juvenile delinquent schools, in second grade, just for having meltdowns or not understanding what was expected of me, and eventually becoming angry and depressed enough to lash out.

我在二年級的時候，就被少年犯學校威脅過，只是因為我的情緒崩潰，或者不理解學校對我的期望，最後憤怒和鬱悶到要發火。

This all changed when I met one teacher in third grade.

當我在三年級遇到一位老師時，這一切都改變了。

The first adult who really understood.

第一個真正理解的成年人。

He pulled me out of the other classes I was in and taught me everything himself.

他把我從我所在的其他班級中拉出來，親自教我一切。

He related all topics back to my interests: geology, animals, past and present, machinery.

他把所有的話題都和我的興趣聯繫起來：地質學、動物、過去和現在、機械。

I wrote book reports on fantasy books instead of books based on everyday fiction, and was reading at a level far beyond expected.

我寫的讀書報告是以幻想類書籍為主，而不是以日常小說為主的書籍，閱讀水準遠超預期。

I had math problems that involved bones found on dig sites, and for once, was inspired to do them.

我的數學題涉及到挖掘現場發現的骨頭，這一次，我有了做題的靈感。

He told me that there was nothing wrong with me.

他告訴我，我沒有什麼問題。

It was more like others were expecting I was a car, but instead, I'm a plane.

這更像是別人在期待我是一輛汽車，但我卻是一架飛機。

I can't function like a car will, but I can do some things a car never could.

我不能像汽車那樣運作，但我可以做一些汽車永遠做不到的事情。

Because of him, I didn't give up.

因為他，我沒有放棄。

Because of him, I saw a reason to learn how to try to talk to other people.

因為他，我看到了一個理由，學會了如何嘗試與別人交談。

He taught me the basics of how to interact.

他教會了我如何互動的基本知識。

In sixth grade, I found someone else who was like me, who I really understood.

六年級的時候，我找到了一個和我一樣的人，我真正理解他。

For the first time in my life,

這是我人生中第一次。

I found someone who I could understand,

我找到了一個我可以理解的人。

On the same kind of intuitive psychic wavelength that others seemed to be on.

在別人看來的那種直覺靈異的波長上。

The school wasn't sympathetic.

學校並不同情。

They made a rule we could not acknowledge each other on Tuesday or Thursday.

他們規定我們不能在週二或週四互相承認。

We spent that time miserable, hounded by kids who would taunt us.

那段時間我們過得很痛苦，被孩子們追趕，他們會嘲笑我們。

He would always snap eventually and I could do nothing to help.

他最終總是會崩潰，而我卻無能為力。

Apparently, it was some misguided attempt to try to help us branch out, but adults just didn't understand that if we could have, we would have.

顯然，這是一些錯誤的嘗試，試圖幫助我們分支，但成年人只是不明白，如果我們可以，我們會有。

Instead, we'd finally found someone who spoke our language.

相反，我們終於找到了一個會說我們語言的人。

So we were punished for it.

所以我們是以受到了懲罰。

I was told it was 'creepy' how we'd ignore everyone else.

有人告訴我，這是'令人毛骨悚然'的，我們怎麼會無視其他人。

I pointed out that we would accidentally ignore everyone anyway, because I can't understand when they're trying to talk to me.

我指出，反正我們一不小心就會忽略所有人，因為他們想和我說話的時候我聽不懂。

Nothing changed, except I learned the depths to which normal people would go just to ruin my life.

什麼都沒有改變，只是我知道了正常人為了毀掉我的生活，會達到什麼樣的程度。

Just to single me out, trip me up, and make me feel ashamed for existing.

就是為了單挑我，給我下絆子，讓我覺得自己的存在很羞恥。

My friend and I fell out of touch, thanks to them.

我和朋友失聯了，多虧了他們。

It shattered my first real friendship irreparably, and I thought I would never find others.

它粉碎了我第一次真正的友誼，無法挽回，我以為我再也找不到其他人了。

But I had learned some things, both from my old friend, and from my old teacher.

但我還是學到了一些東西，無論是從我的老朋友那裡，還是從我的老老師那裡。

By eighth grade, I had ended up being folded into a small social group of friends I talked to every day.

到了八年級，我終究還是被折騰成了一個小的社會群體，每天都會和朋友們哈拉。

We pranked teachers together.

我們一起惡搞老師。

We spent a lot of our time horsing around, in and out of class.

我們的很多時間都是在課內課外胡鬧。

We became known as the Terrible Trio, or the Fearsome Four, depending on how many of us were in a class at a time.

我們被稱為可怕的三人組，或可怕的四人組，這取決於我們一次在一個班級裡有多少人。

Not one of them was autistic like me, but it no longer mattered.

他們中沒有一個人像我一樣有自閉症，但這已經不重要了。

I had learned enough to be able to make friends on my own, all thanks to the one person who saw who I could be so long ago and gave me a chance.

我已經學到了足夠的知識，可以自己交朋友了，這一切都要感謝一個人，他在很久以前就看到了我可以成為誰，給了我一個機會。

Despite the fears of all the adults around me, I turned out just fine, and it was no thanks to them.

儘管周圍的大人都很害怕，但我結果卻很好，這也不能不感謝他們。

I'm now 30.

我現在30歲了。

I have a robust social life and I work in customer service, known for always being enthusiastic and genuine.

我有健全的社交生活，我從事的是客服工作，以永遠熱情、真誠著稱。

I've never forgotten the lessons my teacher taught me.

我從來沒有忘記老師對我的教導。

There is nothing wrong with me.

我沒有任何問題。

Being autistic is not a badge of shame.

自閉症不是恥辱的標誌。

It doesn't mean I can't understand emotions or the mental state of others.

這並不意味著我不能理解情緒和他人的心理狀態。

It means that once I learn how to interpret, I can do a better job at it than most, because I had to study people.

意思是說，我一旦學會了口譯，就可以比大多數人做得更好，因為我不得不研究人。

And all of that was thanks to one teacher, who really cared.

而這一切都要感謝一位老師，他是真正的關心。

Being different isn't broken.

與眾不同並不是壞事。

Being different is just different.

不一樣就是不一樣。

Our world is so vibrant and amazing, full of various stories and styles, because people are different.

我們的世界是如此的生機勃勃，充滿了各種故事和風格，因為人是不同的。

I wasn't broken, and to anyone out there who feels the same way I did, you're not broken either.

我沒有被打垮，對於和我有同樣感受的人，你也沒有被打垮。

You're just different, and maybe you need a little extra guidance on how to live with aliens.

你只是與眾不同，也許你需要一點額外的指導 如何與外星人相處。

Don't let anyone ever make you feel otherwise.

不要讓任何人讓你覺得不是。

Do you have a story of someone who has helped you become a better person?

你有一個人的故事，他幫助你成為一個更好的人嗎？

Or, are you a teacher who has an inspiring story on how to better engage your students?

或者，你是一位老師，你有一個勵志的故事，如何更好地吸引學生？

We love to make more videos to help improve education, so please submit your story via the link on the screen.

我們喜歡製作更多的視頻來幫助改善教育，所以請通過螢幕上的鏈接提交你的故事。