This Fourth-Grader Made a Video for His Classmates About Being on the Autism Spectrum

and now it’s going viral!

George Yionoulis loves to dance,

mix music,

and make videos.

So he decided to use those skills to teach his fourth-grade class about autism.

“I didn’t speak until I was almost 3 years old.

In fact, my parents weren’t sure if I would ever speak at all.

Most of the time I can make eye contact with you when you speak to me.

That wasn’t always the case.

Like a lot of other kids with autism,

I might not have been looking, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t listening.”

In his video, George explains he can hear many different sounds at once, so it may take him a moment to respond to you.

“Is it loud in here?”

“This is chaos.”

He also mentions he may take expressions literally.

“That means if you say take a seat, you might find one less chair in your classroom.

If you’re very specific when you talk to me, everybody wins.”

George also explains some of the struggles he experiences.

“Sometimes I get so frustrated that I get more upset than most people would, for longer than most people should.”

But says he can compose himself and find his words with deep breathing.

Perhaps most importantly, George wants his classmates to know he’s just another kid.

“I think farts are hilarious, but not all the time.

I like having fun, just like you. So if you ever see me playing by myself,

it doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t want to play with you too.

I always want to play with you.”

And he wants his classmates to feel comfortable asking him about his autism.

“Seriously, it’s OK, just come ask me about it.”

Keep on being a voice for the people on the spectrum, George!