When people think about mixed martial arts fighters, the words that come to mind include tough, empowered and intimidating; when people think about someone on the autistic spectrum, those may not be the adjectives that first spring to mind.
“[MMA] allows me to pour out all my frustrations and other emotions from me being over-stimulated that have piled up in the course of the day,” says DeJesus. “Whenever I haven’t trained for a few days, I get a lot more aggressive and edgy with people. No, I don’t hit them, but I don’t feel good, nor do I feel like myself. The training makes me feel like I belong, and that I am normal enough to be with a team.”
She also details her struggles with being bullied as child: “I was picked on because I didn’t verbally communicate well, but after I threw a kid off face first from the jungle gym for purposely throwing juice on me, I reached my breaking point, and no one really messed with me after that … The bullying didn’t stop till I started chucking mofos.”
DeJesus says that her family is “very supportive” of her MMA career and she encourages families with autistic children to supportive their children’s interests.
“Take note of what your child is skilled in, and encourage it to grow into other avenues, so in case one doesn’t work out they won’t be discouraged and can work down another path. Encourage them, because even though we try our best, we can be depressed just like anyone else, and the fact that we know that we’re not Neuro-Typical doesn’t help.”
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