Too Long; Didn't Read
An estimated 100,000 autistic Americans turn 18 every year, according to Drexel University’s Autism Institute. Thomas van Ruitenbeek, 25, from Utrecht, the Netherlands, was diagnosed with autism in 2012. He had a psychotic episode and a diagnosis of autism derailed his pursuit of a digital communication degree. He did simple tasks — mostly cutting and packaging yarn — at a job he obtained through the local mental health department. After learning to swim at age 5, he learned to both move and speak, he went beyond that to learn how to.