As part of a school assignment, Austin was asked to write three things he wishes his teachers knew about him. Instead of holding back, this eighth-grader used this as an opportunity to be honest with his teacher about his daily struggles, and his poignant response left his parents completely heartbroken [1].

According to his mom, Amy Preslar Saunders, her son struggles with autism [2], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorder, fine motor skill delay, and anxiety disorder. She shared his tear-inducing assignment on Love What Matters' Facebook page in the hopes of encouraging other parents [3], teachers, and kids to keep fighting. Austin wrote:

I wish that they knew that I am autistic. I wish that my teacher knew that I need help on a lot of things like my handwriting. I wish that my teacher know that I have a depressed life sometimes. I wish my teacher knew that I am not being defiant I am overwhelmed shutting down. I wish that my teacher knew that I am very good at bottling up anger and having outbursts.

This post was originally published on Sept. 29, 2016.