Growing up with undiagnosed autism and questioning his gender, Micah found the world challenging and confusing. He describes it as ‘Like being in a foreign country where I didn’t speak their language and was just stuck there.’
At 21 years old, he moved to supported living near Caerphilly. Here, with support from the team around him, he has become much more confident with a new outlook on life. It’s been a gradual process over four years, starting with identifying what he wanted to achieve through our Wheel of Engagement person-centred framework, then working towards it.
Positive support
His first goals: To beat his substance misuse and express himself as he wanted to. He is now 20 months into his recovery, with support plus a treatment plan from a local substance misuse service. Additionally, he is certain of his transgender identity.
Micah says: “The first person I spoke to about my gender was one of the Support Workers because I was worried that people would be negative. That wasn’t the case. They listened and said it was alright. I had thought that if I ever told anybody about how I felt they would try to convince me otherwise.”
Gender choice
The team supported Micah to find groups that offered support with gender. He also finds online forums useful for either asking questions or reading about others’ experiences. Supported Living Manager Sian says: “Micah is now much more open with the team and is able to ask for help if he needs it. He is also coping with stressful situations more confidently.”
Refelecting on his trans journey, Micah says: “When I first arrived here, I felt like I was completely alone. I hated myself. It took a while, but I’m really certain about my choice and am so much happier. I know who I am. I have hidden myself for a long time and I’m not going to do it anymore.”
Understanding his autism
Although Micah received his autism diagnosis at 18, it took him a long time to understand and accept ‘that things were going to go differently’ for him. He says: “I was always trying to figure things out and couldn’t get it. Reading up on autism, talking to others and joining a support group helped me.”
Another huge help has been Micah’s assistance dog, Wispa, who has been his companion for 6 years. Trained specifically for him by charity Autism Dogs Wispa performs particular tasks such as removing Micah from stressful situations, bringing earphones, signalling dropped possessions, and self-harm intervention. Micah describes Wispa’s deep pressure therapy as like having a ‘walking weighted blanket.’
Don’t stop me now!
With two goals achieved, Micah set his sights on something else that he’s wanted to do for a long time – attend university. He’s just completed his first year, studying Neurosciences, a course that the support team researched with him, giving him encouragement and reassurance that he could do it.
“I really like what I’m studying,” he says. “I love learning about what makes people different and how the brain works. It’s also interesing to know more about epilepsy, plus another condition that my father had.”
Sian adds: “We are extremely proud of how Micah has turned his life around in the last two years. He is now so much more confident in himself, is achieving his dreams and goals and has a much better quality of life. We support Micah to attend university and he is achieving brilliant grades.”
“I do matter”
There’s plenty of ‘play’ interspersed with the work, though. Micah is a huge fan of tanks and has been to TankFest three times already. He’s also re-started his Lego collection and been on holiday with his family.
Both Micah and his mother are full of thanks for the support he’s receiving. His mother Alex says: ”Micah is the best he has ever been and is now in a much better place in life thanks to the support of his team.”
Micah concludes: “The team here has had a significant impact on my life. They have made me feel that I do matter and that people care.”
Read more about our inclusive support for people who are transgender, non-binary or gender exploring.
