Here’s a picture of Joyce in a historical costume. She has red hair and is smiling. Joyce talks about feeling different from others and having trouble making friends. She also struggled with sensory issues. She read about brain tumor symptoms and felt scared. Despite her fears, she didn’t tell her parents. Eventually, she moved to the UK for university and learned about autism. She realized that the symptoms described her. In China, there’s stigma around autism, so she didn’t consider it at first. But in the UK, she sought a diagnosis and got support from her tutor. She finally received her diagnosis and feels more confident. She wishes she could reassure her younger self that being different is okay. She encourages others to seek help if they relate to her story.
