Betsy Hicks Russ

He can't legally advocate for himself by being a speller.

That's what's a big problem right now, which is why we all have to be working so hard to get this accepted more understandably.

That's so interesting.

Trauma is real and I will acknowledge it when I've had time to enjoy this time of communicating openly and having my words genuinely listened to.

I want to soak up every last second of goodness while I can.

So he knows he's got to go there, but he's just not really ready to go there yet.

I have a nonprofit called Autism Odyssey, and we asked him what he felt an odyssey was.

He says it tests the synopsis of nonfiction by taking you through an eventful expedition.

Let me say that was not on my mission statement.

I did not even think of something that intelligent.

I don't even think AI could have produced that one.

So one of his first poems he wrote, it was about hiking.

And he wrote, eager feet slip into shoes.

No longer does he feel the blues.

The sun is warm on his face.

He feels like he's won first place.

Moving his body only makes sense here.

Moving his body makes everything clearer.

The part that I think it's interesting with poetry is not being able to write that down first and make it make sense before you are able to spell it word after word is pretty challenging.

And to imagine something, write a poem by pointing to letters, it would feel so difficult for me.