Jenn Freeman has danced and choreographed since childhood, but a late diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder at age 33 changes how she understands her reasons for dancing. She describes a long period of feeling something was off without knowing what it was, and she connects that confusion to lacking tools and language. After receiving the diagnosis, she experiences immediate grief for years of moments she could not make sense of. Watching Chris Fischer’s autism diagnosis in a docuseries helps Freeman recognize her own possibilities. She credits the openness of others for making the film part of her life-changing realization and for prompting her to reinterpret childhood memories through her diagnosis.
"“I always just had this feeling of like, 'Oh, it must be me.' And over time, that really starts to weigh on you. You really start to believe that something is off. But you have no idea what it is," Freeman told Morning Edition host A Martinez."
"“One of the very first thoughts that I remember having when I got my diagnosis was I wish that I had known this much sooner because there was a an immediate grieving process for all of the confusion that I've experienced in my life and all of the moments that I couldn't make sense of because I didn't have the tools and I didn't have the language to do it.”"
"“It was when I was watching him in the docuseries that my head exploded. It was the first time I had ever once thought, ever in my entire life that I might be autistic," Freeman recalled."
"“I don't know where I would be right now if Chris and Amy had not been brave enough to share that part of their journey. I'm so grateful that they ended up keeping that as part of the film because it's changed my entire life.”"
Read at www.npr.org
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