'I am autistic and proud of it,' says Indonesian writer

"Say it out loud, I'm autistic and I'm proud," said Oscar Yura Dompas, at the launch of his autobiography, entitled Autistic Journey, at QB World Book Plaza Semanggi, in central Jakarta.

            In the book, Oscar, 25, shares the darkest and brightest moments in his life after he was diagnosed with brain damage at the age of four. This was later identified as autism.

            Oscar, a student at the English Education Department in Atmajaya Catholic University , said that writing a book had helped him to ease his mind when expressing his thoughts, which is often difficult for an autistic person to do.

            "I love writing, and as long as I have a 'healthy' way of thinking, no matter what my minuses are, I should be proud to show my skills," Oscar said.

            There is no data available on the number of autistic people in Indonesia, but it is assumed that, for every 10,000 births, there are 15 to 20 autistic children born.

            However, the word "disability" seems somehow inappropriate to describe the achievements that Oscar has made throughout his life. He has mastered guitar and bass, joined a basketball team at his high school and learned to play Australian football when he was enrolled at the English Language Center at the Sydney University of Technology in 1997.

            "That's why I wrote the book in English, because I am used to writing in English, thanks to piles of assignments that I had to do while I was in Aussie," the young man said.

Oscar colours his book with stories of romance, the moments when he felt love, and heartbreaks during his teens.

            "I fell in love for the first time in 1992 ... I knew nothing about how to have a relationship with her so I kissed her in front of my friends after school. She was very upset and told her mother," he wrote in his book, which was published in April. Born on April 11, 1980, Oscar has earned praise from psychologists and those whose job it is to observe autistic behaviour.

            "There was nothing different about Oscar. His academic performance was perfect. The only thing lacking was eye contact between himself and the people speaking to him," said Gerda Wanei, Oscar's lecturer at the Atmajaya University.

            Tika Bisono, a psychologist who observes autistic behaviour, said that Oscar's book would not only inspire other autistic persons to keep improving their capacities, but would also promote awareness among families of autistic patients to organise an ideal companion.

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