Just found out I'm autistic

About three months ago a longtime friend I've known for almost 30 years (and who also works with autistic children) suggested I go through an assessment to see if I had autism. Actually, the way he phrased it was, "I've never really brought it up over the years, but had been meaning to mention you may want to look into it."

When I was born 'autism' wasn't even a thing. In fact, the first time I even heard the word I was in my 30's. Didn't know anything about it other than it was just a thing they checked kids for. At that point in life it wasn't on my radar or anything to think about.

I always thought I was just a bit of an odd person, because really what is normal anyway?

So, I went through all the assessment steps short of getting an official diagnosis from a psychologist because there aren't many psychologists in my town who are looking at adults. 99% of the professionals (as far as I know) are focused on newborns and young kids.

The first step was the official Autism Speaks website self test. Depending on what that revealed would determine if I'd go any further. Sure enough, it was overwhelmingly clear I checked just about every box.

There are 3 levels of Autism—Level 1 formerly known as Asperger Syndrome (which is where i land) means you can pretty much go through life on your own with little assistance, but looking back over my childhood and young adult years I now know why I felt like a square peg trying to fit into the round hole of society. Many opportunities were squandered with potential friends because of my lack of social awareness. Levels 2 and 3 require much more support.

I share this because technology was always my escape. When i was 10 I learned out to program little games in BASIC. In 1981, I talked my parents into getting a modem so I could 'get online' well before anyone knew what the internet was.

For most of my life I've been immersed in technology and usually an early adopter to whatever is coming next. Technology was safe and didn't judge me. I could get along better with technology than kids my age. Aside from everyone getting their first personal computer and getting on the internet for the first time in the mid-1990's, AI and crypto have been the most exciting technological advancements.

Created my first AI chat bot called ABBI in 2018 for a cannabis delivery company in San Francisco. Since then, I've been fully immersed in AI and crypto looking under the hood understanding how they work.

Now, in 2025 crypto is about to go mainstream and AI has permeated every nook and cranny of our daily lives. With crypto, there's no 1-800 number to call, there's no customer service or FDIC insurance. There's little to no regulation. So, as business owners start to think about adopting crypto they need to know there's no safety net. And that's why i felt it was important to start Crypto Strategy Group, so I could help teach newcomers how to safely and securely integrate crypto and AI so they can thrive with new tools.

And for that, I call my autism a super power.