This 8-Year-Old Gave His Class a Speech About Autism That Everyone Should Hear
Jackson Cook, a third-grader from St. Paul, Minnesota, is starting the school year out right.
The 8-year-old student at the Twin Cities German Immersion School decided to give his classmates a speech about his autism, KARE 11 News reported. In his speech Jackson, nicknamed Jax, explained to his peers what autism is and how it can make some things more difficult for him.
“Raise your hand if you know what autism is,” Jackson says in the video below. “It makes some parts of my brain work really well and some parts my brain work not very well. Doctors don’t know what makes some brains have autism and some brains not have it… Sometimes I need help learning things that other brains automatically know. The autism in my brain is something that I like, and something that I don’t like, but it’s part of me, just like your brain is part of you.”
Check out more of Jackson’s story in the video below:
h/t Autism Speaks
Melissa McGlensey is the former News Editor at The Mighty. Her writing can also be seen in Ms. Magazine, on the Ms.Magazine blog and in The Huffington Post’s Good News, Comedy and Impact sections. Melissa is also a New York City comedian who does sketch, improv and stand up. She is passionate about social justice, politics, Thai food, literature, disability rights and more. She is currently in a long-distance relationship with her cat, Sneakers, who lives in California. You can follow her on twitter at @OhHeyMeliss.
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