Asperger’s syndrome, a form of Autism, has become more well-known nationwide in the past 15 to 20 years, but, in some ways, the intolerance of those neurological differences is as strong as ever.
Since 2024, I have written about my experiences living with Asperger’s syndrome for Autism Awareness Month each April. That has given me the opportunity to reflect on the strides we have made as a society and the communication barriers we still need to overcome.
The past two years, working for our sister paper, the Madison Journal in Tallulah, La., my column for the first issue of April was about the challenges and benefits of living with Asperger’s. I am also attempting to write a book telling my story of living with Asperger’s and have attempted to interview people I’ve crossed paths with through the years.
I noticed some patterns based on the responses to my columns and interview attempts. People I already had good relationships with were very supportive in their responses. On the other side, when I reached out to people I had conflicts with or to talk about an experience I remembered in a negative light, responses were not so friendly. Some of the times I attempted to talk about a negative situation, the person I reached out to did not respond. Other times, there were some unfriendly exchanges.
Asperger’s syndrome, defined as “developmental disorder affecting ability to effectively socialize and communicate,” is a form of Autism. I personally do not see it as a “disorder” simply because anyone who has Asperger’s is able to function like everyone else. Asperger’s is just a different form of communication, the same way two individuals who do not speak the same language communicate differently.
Reactions I received the past two years caused me to ask myself how I could tell my story in a more effective manner? I decided to reach out to three people I crossed paths with at different times. All of them, in one way or another, provided their professional opinions on Asperger’s, Autism, neurological issues, my story and more. I figured adding professional perspectives from credible sources would provide my story with more clout. The three people I interviewed do not know each other, but there are some patterns in their answers. I hope that helps my story resonate with anyone who reads about it.
I interviewed Amanda Baker, who attended Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp, an overnight camp in Decatur Mich., with me. I attended camp from 1989 to 1994. Today, Amanda is a LCPC and M. Ed., and owns Family Roots Counseling (https://www.familyrootscounseling.com/) in Holden, Maine.
I also interviewed Dennis Stouse, who was the Communications Department chair when I attended Jacksonville University (JU) in Jacksonville, Fla., in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Dennis was my advisor, the advisor to the campus newspaper, The Navigator, and taught me for several classes.
Lesley Nickus (formerly Valadez) was the other person I interviewed. Out of the people I spoke with about this column, I crossed paths with Lesley for the first time most recently. Lesley was my direct supervisor on the Stuttgart Daily Leader in Stuttgart, Ark., from 2007 to 2009. She was the managing editor and I was the sports editor.
We all communicate differently, but there can be additional challenges with Autism.
“We all process differently,” Baker said. “Everybody’s brains are different and we all have different ways of processing things. With Autism, there’s a spectrum, so there can be challenges in processing that are really severe to mild. I guess it would be compared to what’s neurotypical.”
Social cues, verbal and non-verbal, can be different for those who are “neurotypical” and process things the way the majority of people in society do.
“So the way that people communicate neurotypically is, I’m in a room with somebody and we’re talking back and forth, there’s verbal cues,” Baker said. “There’s facial expressions. There’s non-verbal cues that are giving me information. So then I can react socially or respond socially in a way. And with Autism, it’s harder for people to read those social cues, to understand the social rules in the way society expects.”
When someone has Autism, Baker said his or her brain may overfunction in certain ways. That person may be talented or gifted in certain areas, but struggle with a change in routine. She also talked about how kids ages 2 to 4 with Autism may have speech language delays, causing them to have tantrums as a form of communication.
Baker also pointed out that someone who is neurodivergent may use more brain power navigating social situations. Those people may need to rest their minds more frequently.
I struggled at the Stuttgart Daily Leader far more than Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp and Jacksonville University because Stuttgart, Ark., did not have a very welcoming culture.
Out of the many communities I’ve been a part of, Stuttgart’s culture was one of most judgmental, cliquish and unwelcoming. I made many friends, including Lesley, in Stuttgart, but Stuttgart’s overall culture was not as inclusive as communities such as Clarksdale.
While Lesley and I had a good relationship and she gave me plenty of free reign to improve local sports coverage, other things created unnecessary interference.
“On an interpersonal level, however, things were a bit more challenging,” Nickus said. “Your dedication to your job sometimes overshadowed elements of daily living that were critical to maintaining a ‘professional appearance,’ which in newsrooms is part of the employee code of conduct. Some of these things caused problems with your colleagues and misunderstandings with the community.”
Nickus recalled receiving complaints about my lack of eye contact and argumentative nature. Fortunately for me, she knew I was just looking for direct language to arrive at clarity.
Needing direct language is a part of Asperger’s. People with Asperger’s often take things literally and do not read between the lines.
As a result of these social differences, I had to work extra hard in Stuttgart to attend a ballgame without there being any issues. Let’s just say the Stuttgart Police Department was not as friendly to me as the Clarksdale Police Department or Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office has been to me.
“I only know now, looking back with new information, that these challenges weren’t simply a matter of you being viewed as an outsider,” Nickus said. “It was years later that I learned about how much people on the spectrum struggle with some habits that neurotypical people see as a societal requirement. Small towns place a heavy burden on ‘fitting in,’ and you didn’t fit in. To me, as a fellow outsider, not fitting in wasn’t a problem. But, now I see that view had limitations that made me ineffective in meeting your needs and helping you in different ways. Not as a boss, but as a person.”
Jacksonville University was somewhere in between when it came to acceptance.
Some professors, such as Dennis, administrators, and employees were very welcoming and accepting of me. Others saw me as a liability.
I will never forget Jacksonville University’s then-Vice President of Student Life repeatedly saying, “We set the norms.” But I was able to work around the school’s judgmental attitude and my academic struggles to learn journalism, become news editor of the campus newspaper, The Navigator, and get my first full-time reporting position less than one year after graduation.
“I would grow frustrated with you as I knew you were intelligent and a very good writer but you had difficulty in following through on tasks and completing courses,” Stouse said. “I think some professors would write off such a student and chalk it up to laziness, irresponsibility, or ‘not being college material.’ I hope I didn’t do that. I knew you had potential but was often flummoxed when you didn’t produce at the level I believed you to be capable.”
I can safely say Stouse did not do that and he helped make sure I crossed the finish line to graduation. That provided me with opportunities to reach my professional goals. Reaching those goals is why I am able to write this column today.
Stouse also saw my social struggles, both in and out of the classroom.
“When I met you I saw an intelligent young man who seemed to be struggling to find his place,” Stouse said. “That is not uncommon among college students. Many become accomplished at hiding it. It seemed your struggle was more apparent. My goal in teaching has always been to meet the student where they are and move forward from there.”
Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp had the most supportive environment. Camp is expected to be a more supportive environment where everyone is told to “be your best self.” I believe the supportive nature could also be in school in the workplace, but that is not reality.
Even with the support camp provided, I still had my share of struggles.
Baker recalled I was into horseback riding at camp.
“I think I just remember you in your riding boots a lot, walking around in your riding boots,” Baker said.
Most likely, I just kept on my riding boots after horseback riding class because I was comfortable. I am not sure because I did not remember wearing my riding boots so frequently until Amanda mentioned it. That’s another good reason I reached out to people from my past. They were able to provide a different perspective.
Baker was able to connect Autism with my wearing riding boots regularly.
“I do think that somebody with Autism at camp would have been wearing their riding boots around,” Baker said.
Baker also mentioned that I did not make a lot of eye contact socially as a kid.
I told her I still don’t and she said, “That’s fine, you don’t need to.” If more people had the level of tolerance Baker expressed there, society would be a better place.
Baker went on to mention something else I didn’t remember.
“You would talk about off-topic things,” she said. “I don’t remember what, but in social conversations where all the kids were kind of jibber-jabbering with each other, everybody else was kind of in sync on topic and you were sort of like on the external, wide-eyed, maybe — a part of things, but not a part of things.”
I likely interpreted a conversation differently than intended and did not realize I was going off the topic.
“Compared to the other kids, you were socially awkward,” Baker said. “So you weren’t a part of things with the kids and the social pieces, but you weren’t necessarily left out of them.”
Baker recalled other kids making fun of me at camp, but she could not remember the specific conversation.
“You didn’t know they were making fun of you, and I remember I knew they were making fun of you,” she said. “And I didn’t like that. And I remember being like, ‘Knock it off you guys. Leave him alone.’ But you didn’t really pick up on the fact that they were making fun of you.”
I said I was like the weird family member who was always welcome at family occasions and accepted as a part of the group. That proved true when those people were happy to see me at camp reunions I attended in 2014 and 2024.
“I think that’s a great way to describe it,” Baker said. “And I don’t think the kids didn’t like you. You were nice and funny and likeable. You were a really nice kid, and I don’t even necessarily think they were teasing you to be mean. They were teasing you because they thought it was easy and it was funny.”
Baker illustrated how camp and school were two different environments.
“I just didn’t feel kids were mean at camp,” she said. “At school, I felt like kids would have been mean to you. I think they did tease you and you were an easy target, but I still think they were friends with you.
“Camp was so special. I think you were genuinely friends with those boys and I think sometimes they took it too far.”
Even though those boys were my friends, Amanda still felt the need to speak up on my behalf.
“I knew and I was like, hey, that’s not right in my belly,” Baker said. “It just felt wrong, and I was like, ‘Stop, you’re making fun of him.’”
Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp will be going into its 92nd summer this year.
Baker said owner emeritus Dayna Glasson Hardin and Dana Kite, who now runs the camp, make it special by being very pro-social and emotionally inclusive. She said camp counselors were always trained to be inclusive. She noted not everyone would be friends, but there was always camaraderie within the cabins.
Hardin was a counselor when Amanda and I attended camp. Kite was a camper, three years younger than Amanda and me, during the early 1990s. The camaraderie still existed and it did not matter if someone was neurologically different.
“I think that one of the
special things about camaraderie and a sense of belonging at camp was that kids were coming from all different places,” Baker said. “Some kids were in the city of Chicago. Some kids were in the suburbs, St. Louis, all sorts of different places that kids were coming to camp from. So they didn’t necessarily know each other. So, whoever you were outside of camp, at home with your family or with your friends at school, or if you were bullied at school, you know camp was a totally different environment. You kind of had this fresh start, sort of equalizing, playing ground because everybody had their talents in different things.”
Baker acknowledged how camp and school were different for her personally.
“But I think inclusivity, diversity, celebrating differences, all of those things are so important to self-esteem,” she said. “Anybody could go to camp and find friends. In public school, it was exclusive and quirky and camp for me was the opposite of that. It was just so wonderful.”
Baker and Stouse both noticed how the younger generation has a much greater tolerance for Autism.
“I actually think that the younger generation is much more accepting, tolerant and even celebratory of differences, including Autism,” Baker said. “I see the schools have shifted. There’s no bullying policies and there’s pro-social curriculums that never were in the schools when we were growing up.”
“I also think that, for as much as social media is kind of a negative for kids, there’s also a community building aspect of it, especially with teenagers, where teenagers within LGBTQ communities or the Autism community, adults who are neurodivergent, there’s just more ability to connect than there was when we were younger,” Baker continued. “And I think that’s a positive of social media.”
“I also think that parents are more open to bringing their kids to therapy and wanting to know what’s going on with them neurologically at much younger ages to support them,” Baker concluded. “I think that’s kind of across all political spectrums.”
Stouse, who taught school for more than 50 years, noticed JU’s evolution and how current students are more accepting than when I was in college.
“Today, JU professors are much more aware of neurodivergence,” Stouse said. “Students who are neurodivergent are able to have accommodations in the classroom. We are informed by letters at the beginning of the term on specific needs of the students. JU has become very aware and accepting of all aspects of diversity including neurodivergence. Every term, it seems, I have students on the spectrum. They often speak openly about their experiences. Last term, there were two students in my Communicating to Diverse Publics course who were neurodivergent as well as one being lesbian and the other trans. They did a presentation on neurodivergence that was eye-opening and well received by the class.”
“As I remember it, I endeavored to accept you as Josh and looked to support you in ways I knew how,” Stouse continued. “We had been given no training or instruction in how to engage with those who are neurodivergent. I think most faculty just tried a ‘one size fits all’ approach to teaching and tried to fit you in a box. When that didn’t work, I think many may have given up on trying to understand or reach you. I am not sure how successful I was with engaging you. I did sense the difficulty you had with communicating and connecting with others. Students at that time were also not aware of neurodivergence and could be perplexed when conventional communication patterns are not obvious. I think our current students are much more sensitive and empathetic today.”
Stouse, as my professor and advisor in college, and Nickus, as my supervisor at work, saw how I was able to have success working for newspapers, even when neurodivergence was not as known as it is today.
“I was pleased you found your place on The Navigator (JU newspaper),” Stouse said. “You had success there and you made a contribution. I think you may have found acceptance, too. We were so ignorant of neurodiversity at the time and not tolerant of differences. I think you are correct on that assessment.”
Nickus saw some assets in my neurodivergence.
“As an employee, you were extremely committed to your job (and you still are, as I’ve observed in the years that we’ve developed a closer friendship),” Nickus said. “I remember having to encourage you to take breaks sometimes, and not constantly work. I realize now that your tenacity was likely in part due to your Asperger’s, but at the time, it came across as enthusiastic dedication to the job, which was an asset to me as a new manager and someone new to the community in general. I knew that I could trust you to be thorough and fully informed about what was going on in the Stuttgart sports community. I knew you would be fair and honest in your coverage and never experienced anything to the contrary.”
Nickus was comfortable standing by me in tough situations, including when I wrote a column disagreeing with the Arkansas Razorbacks hiring Bobby Petrino as the head football coach in 2008 and receiving backlash.
“Objectivity is a critical skill for a journalist, and it’s likely the inclination toward black and white thinking in people with Asperger’s contributed to your ability to be very objective in your coverage, though we didn’t know that was a factor at the time,” Nickus said. “Even when you had to write things that were unpopular, I knew you would be fair in your approach, and I felt comfortable defending your work when people’s feathers got ruffled.”
Baker, Stouse, and Nickus did not know I had Asperger’s when I saw them on a daily basis. They all talked about the knowledge society has gained about Autism and Asperger’s in recent years and ways we could move forward.
Baker recalled how each child had his or her strength at camp whether it was water skiing, horseback riding, stuffing his or her face with marshmallows or singing the camp song. She said silly things are going to happen when you’re in a cabin of 8 to 15 kids, but you become friends with children who may be in a different circle in school.
Everyone was able to play to his or her strengths at camp. Baker said schools could do a better job of playing to each child’s strengths.
“I think some schools are really doing that, finding strengths in all the different kids and what they bring to the table. But schools have a long way to go,” Baker said. “But camp was such a special place that it was able to bring out those things in everybody, I think, when we were there.”
“I think traditional workspaces, there’s still a long, long way to go,” Baker continued. “It’s very difficult for people with Autism out there.”
Baker acknowledged there will always be a battle when it comes to neurodivergence.
“I think some people are going to be stuck in their ways and unreachable because that’s how some human people are,” Baker said. “Just like if people are of a political persuasion, nothing is going to change that. However, I do think that it’s really important that people with Autism are seen and integrated into workspaces and educational spaces. And I think that’s how we change things. Because when we’re around diverse populations and communities, we build tolerance and understanding and it’s not possible to just say those people are over there. I think we all need to be interacting with each other. That’s really how the shift is going to happen is that we have initiatives that incorporate people with Autism and neurodivergent people into our world openly.”
Baker said plenty of people with Autism or Asperger’s are running major things and are brilliant.
“I think that kind of education piece needs to be put out there,” she said. “I don’t know what the percentage is, but if they took percentages of the population of students at MIT, many children, many young adults would be on the spectrum. Those are the people who are changing our technology in the world.”
Learning about neurodivergence was a process for Baker through the years.
“When I was in high school, I babysat for a little boy who had Autism, and then in college, I did some work until I was a psychology major,” she said. “And then my mom was a psychologist and worked and diagnosed kids with Autism. She was a school psychologist.”
Baker said it’s possible she thought I had Autism when she saw me on a regular basis during the summer 32 years ago.
“But when you were open as an adult that you have Autism on Facebook, I was like, ‘Of course Josh has Autism,’” Baker said. “I was like, ‘That’s so cool that as an adult you’re open and vocal about it.’ I was like, ‘That is so cool that Josh grew up and is like an advocate, a writer and a sports writer.’”
“I think we knew there was something different about you,” Baker continued. “I think it was pretty obvious there was something different about you, but we didn’t know what. But now, kids would have known and just been like, ‘Josh has Autism. Cool.’ I just think we didn’t have the language and the education.”
Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp has been very supportive of my efforts to educate the public about Autism and Asperger’s. My column in 2025 was about my experience at camp and highlighted my relationship with Hardin when she was a counselor and horseback riding instructor.
JU and the Stuttgart community, on the other hand, have not shown the same support. I reached out to leaders in both places.
I did receive a response from people at JU. The person I spoke with said things were better today and told me the marketing and communications team was asked to collaborate with me next time there was an opportunity. That is a positive step, but it did not feel as though making the school inclusive was a top priority. We have a much longer way to go than leaders at JU realize.
Reaching out to leaders in Stuttgart felt like a complete time warp. Stuttgart Mayor Norma Strabala did not respond to my email and I was very honest with her about my experience there.
Leaders from the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce saw me express my dissatisfaction about the community online. When I had a dialogue with one person who worked for the Chamber, she said what I was asking for falls outside the mission of the Chamber.
I believe dealing with neurodivergence is everyone’s concern, especially if you are in a leadership position, whatever it may be. That is the only way society will be more inclusive and, in turn, grow economically.
The good news is leaders such as Stouse and Nickus have come through JU and Stuttgart. Even though they have both moved on to other chapters of their lives, their impact, realistic outlook of how far we’ve come and have to go will be lasting.
Stouse knew little of the Autism spectrum when I was in school.
“I believe I was aware of Asperger’s but not sure how it manifested,” Stouse said. “I don’t recall thinking of you as ‘being on the spectrum’ as it was later referred to.”
“It is difficult for me to point out specifics about your Asperger’s because I don’t think I was that aware of your situation,” Stouse added. “I try to be accepting of differences, and I attributed your behavior as just ‘being Josh.’ I wish I had the skills to better accommodate your differences.”
“I think what really helps increase awareness of neurodivergence and acceptance of people with differences is openness,” Stouse continued. “When folks share their own experiences of neurodivergence or when others have friends who are neurodivergent, the condition loses its stigma and becomes just another aspect of being human.”
Nickus’ approach as a manager was different when I worked for her than it would have been today.
“The way I saw things then, it wasn’t my job to police your personal life, but to make sure you were performing well in your role,” Nickus said. “We have had many conversations since then that helped me understand that what you needed from me as a boss was to pay close attention to both because they are intricately related. At the time, emotional intelligence in the workplace was still a new concept, one that I didn’t fully absorb until I’d moved on to my next role.”
“And my interactions with you played a part in opening my mind to a different view of professional relationships in the workplace. I’m grateful for that growth and your willingness to share your struggles with me over the years so that I could see and understand the lasting impact of that time on both our lives,” Nickus continued. “That open-mindedness has made me a much more empathetic leader and human being. It’s given me patience and understanding that I might not otherwise have. There is so much growth in what feels like misalignment when you’re willing to consider the other person’s perspective and accept the impact your choices had on them without guilt or judgment.”
“I wish I could say things would be different if we lived those realities today, but there are still many misunderstandings about people on the spectrum,” Nickus added. “Despite having so much information and education at our fingertips, it’s easier now than it ever has been to discard people who challenge us to change the way we see things. That’s why talking through our differences is critically important.”
We have a long way to go with making society more inclusive toward people who are neurodivergent. But if we allow everyone to be his or her best self, play to the strengths of each individual and acknowledge we all have weaknesses, we will continue to make very important strides.
As Lesley said, “talking through our differences is critically important.”
Josh Troy is the editor and publisher of the Clarksdale Press Register. He can be reached at (662) 627-2201 or joshtroy@pressregister.com.
