Sixteen year old Greece resident Dylan Dailor has become one of the youngest published authors in the area after recently completing his first book, “I Am Not a Freak.”
At a young age, Dylan was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Children and adults with this disorder tend to struggle with social interactions as well as having a restricted range of interests and/or repetitive behaviors. In some cases motor skill development can be delayed. Often Aspergians go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed until serious difficulties begin in school or work. Many times the diagnosis comes about when the child or adult is getting help for anxiety or depression. Dylan’s parents were very proactive in working closely with Dylan, his education team, and his doctors to help him get diagnosed early.
Bullying towards Dylan started very young. Some of his earliest memories of bullying begin at the age of five. Dylan and his mom Sandra remember several occasions when Dylan came home from school after being bullied and picked on by his classmates. Acting different socially and having exceptional language skills along with a higher sensitivity to tastes and smells made Dylan seem different compared to his young classmates. In 1st grade, Dylan became very close with his teacher who helped him work through many of the social issues he was facing. Now at the age of 16, Dylan currently volunteers in her classroom.
The diagnostic process began when Dylan was in 4th grade. He was formally diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome by the Kirch Center. The Kirch Developmental Services Center is the primary clinical program of the Division of Neurodevelopment and Behavioral Pediatrics at the Golisano Children’s Hospital in the University of Rochester. They help diagnose and provide services to children with developmental delays and disabilities, ranging from Autism to Cerebral Palsy.
After suffering many years of harsh bullying from classmates, Dylan’s 5th grade teacher provided Dylan with the opportunity to address the class about Asperger Syndrome. Dylan created a PowerPoint presentation about Asperger and how it affects him. In this presentation, Dylan helped educate his classmates on how Asperger syndrome makes him different by affecting his communication style, his strong need for rules and order, more than most children, and how he may dress differently due to his touch sensitivity. Dylan also addressed how he experiences intense anxiety and overwhelming obsession with particular interests. His fellow classmates seemed very interested in learning about what made Dylan different. This PowerPoint presentation, and his classmate’s responses, helped motivate Dylan to eventually write his very own book on how Asperger Syndrome personally affected him.
Dylan switched schools four times by the time he reached high school due to the intense bullying. By 10th grade, and after years of enduring both emotional and physical injuries from his classmates for being different, Dylan became severely depressed and began suffering from intense anxiety about going to school. “I hated my life,” is what Dylan told his family at the beginning of his sophomore year. After meeting with the school administration and Dylan’s psychologist, it was recommended that he leave his school. He then applied at the Laurel Springs School and was accepted into the Gifted and Talented Program.
Laurel Springs School is an accredited online school which offers challenging programs for its students and helps to prepare them for college. Dylan is now thriving as a junior at the Laurel Springs School.
In October, Dylan turned 16 and published his book, “I Am Not a Freak.” This picture book allows Dylan to share an inside view of Asperger, along with the help of his dog “Stitch.” Stitch is Dylan’s family pet and has been a loyal friend to him through some of his hardest days. Stitch always helps Dylan smile even when he doesn’t feel like it. The book is easy to read and understand for both children and adults. It can be purchased online at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.
Dylan speaks at various events in the community. On February 27, 2016 he spoke at the TEDx at Allendale Columbia School where he talked about views on empathy and Asperger. He is also attending a book signing event at Lift Bridge Bookstore in Brockport on March 19, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
Dylan donated his book to local libraries and is currently scheduling additional book signings.
Dylan Dailor is far from a “freak,” he is a young man who has a passion for Psychology and Advocacy. When asked about his future plans, Dylan replied; “My future goals involve working on promoting the book so that people can have another resource to learn about Asperger Syndrome. I plan to continue advocating for Autistic and Aspergian people, and plan to attend college.”
To learn more about Dylan and his book, you can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/I-Am-Not-a-Freak.
Photo by Karen Fien
