“Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.” - M. Scott Peck. The world was a puzzle for Eric but once he was diagnosed with autism, he was relieved and was able to reconnected with the rest of the world by celebrating his differences. He proudly graduated from a mainstream educational system to obtain a Diploma from a Polytechnic in Singapore and is currently working as an IT executive. He has also written books such as Mirror Mind, Autism & Self Improvement and Star Child on Earth to unveil the mystery of autism. Eric believes in giving back to the world and has created an autism awareness website iautistic.com and shared his knowledge, insights and experiences with autism in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Macau.

What do you love about writing? You are a full time IT professional, how and when did you start writing books about Autism?E: From 2002 to 2005, I underwent something similar to what John Elder Robison went through.
I wrote my books because I believe that I have a duty to share my great discoveries in autism with the world. I did like writing, but my main motivation was a moral duty to help Humanity rather than writing.
Many of the books I read by non-autistics reduce autism to a superficial set of behaviours – the triad of impairments being the best example. Those by people with autism have not encountered the world beyond autism, and are thus limited on being able to explain. Hence, I saw myself as being one of the few unique people capable of sharing in depth about the experience of autism.
I thought all the psychologists and researchers will be very excited to contact me for research, but I was wrong. Likewise, the interest in my books was muted and I was not able to follow my plan to make a living from writing and autism work.

How many autism books have you written so far? Which book is your favorite and why?E: I published my first book “Mirror Mind” in 2005., followed by “Autism and Self-Improvement” in 2007, and finally “Star Child on Earth” in 2010. There are a total of 3 books, and I don’t intend to publish any more autism awareness books. If I publish the next autism book, it will be able how to use psychology to work with the issues of autism.
Mirror Mind was my favourite because I wrote it from a “pure mind” without regards to whether my work was fit for publishing or able to appeal to any audience. After my book was published, I received feedback from people as well as the sales numbers. I lost my “writing innocence” after that.

Which is your favorite Autism Awareness Art creation?E: Honestly, I don’t really have an artist with autism who I am a fan of. I am sort of a dummy with art.

Can you tell us more about the Zong Autism Awareness Campaign?E: This campaign was created for the Singaporean audience where a large number of the population is bilingual in English and Mandarin. The use of Chinese characters was meant to draw attention to the different issues people with autism encounter. Unfortunately, no organisation was interested to run it, so it remained mostly on my website and in my third book.

Who is your favorite writer? Which of his/her work do you like the most and why?E: Quite a number of writers come to mind, but I will choose Neale Donald Walsch. His works gave me the reason to continue to live on Planet Earth. Previously, I lived with intense anxiety and a total lack of meaning in my life. What I read told me that this world is good, beautiful and meaningful. I decided to accept my life on Planet Earth and work with the “Earthlings” to do what I came here to do.

Who is your inspiration?E: Many people come to mind, but I will choose Lee Kuan Yew. I felt that Singapore was like me in the past: vulnerable (surrounded by potentially hostile neighbours), badly handicapped (lacking natural resources) and weak (subject to control by the British and Japanese as a colony). The Singapore Miracle that Lee Kuan Yew and his team created, is what I seek to emulate in my own life.
The policies for a nation also apply to an individual. Examples: Integrity and incorruptibility in the civil service is also integrity in our own inner thinking. Being a useful friend to all, and an enemy to virtually no one (except ISIS) is another diplomatic feat that I can duplicate. Being able to become self-sufficient in water is something I aim to do by being able to achieve financial independence. Envisioning the world in 5, 20 and 50 years’ time will also give insights to a person.

What are your other hobbies?E: Activities: Reading, Writing, Research, Emotional Therapy work, Photography
Topics: Psychology, Spirituality, Science, Technology, Computing, Finance, Business, Current Affairs
Personally, I believe in choosing a hobby that can give me good value for time. They must be either helping people a lot, letting me spend productive time with very good friends, able to earn me money right now, able to let me become financially free in the future or able to achieve my life goals in the future. There are too many possible hobbies to pursue, and I gave up all those that do not give me value for my time.

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?E: I don’t really have a favourite place to visit on Planet Earth. But if you asked me for my favourite place in my mind, there is.
I have a dream that one day, I will be addressing the United Nations, and bringing about World Peace with a United World Government. When I gave my first autism speech to a class of youth with autism, I remembered this dream. How can I give my speech to all the world leaders, if I can’t speak to the youth in front of me? That gave me the courage to speak, and carry on speaking ever since.

Any advice to our special kids who are interested in becoming a writer?E: Let me share a story.
When I was a child, I could not understand why I needed to study advanced mathematics. It was strange why I needed to solve all the strange problems. When I asked my maths teacher, he replied in the slow, sleepy voice: “Don’t ask so many questions. Just study hard and pass your exams like everyone else.”
I hated maths, and I purposely flunked my maths exam. If only he told me that I could use the same maths to build a rocket to send people to Mars.
Likewise, when I asked my literature teacher why I need to study fake stories about fake people, she did not want to answer me. Instead, she became angry and I had to say sorry. If only she told me that the power of words is no less than the power of science. Writing can’t let you build rockets or cure cancer. But writing gives you the power to help people dream of a better world, and to persuade them to make this world come true.
The power of the pen is greater than the power of guns and science. Guns kill people. Science build nice and useful things. But pens can write words that change people, and make them use guns and science to make the world better.
Always remember how important the pen is.
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Extra advice for teens and adults: I have a practical piece of advice that others may not share with you. One cannot serve two masters – you will have to choose between your passion or money. Do not expect to be able to write for a living if you insist on writing for passion. And if you want to write for a living, do not expect to be able to follow your passion. Otherwise, you will get disappointed.

Any special message for our community?E: As much as we ask for the rest of Humanity to accept our differences and special needs, I hope that we will remember that we also need to do our part to accept their differences and “typical needs”. It is not a healthy attitude to take for granted that other people must help and accept us, because we somehow deserve it. Respect is earned, not demanded or legislated. Each of us must do our best to be productive members and contributors to society, no matter what abilities and disabilities we are born with. People will naturally accept and respect us when they see that we are doing our best, and we are also helping them in their own lives. It is untrue that people with disabilities and special needs and are victims who need pity and help. Challenge that story, and change your own perception too. Become the greatest, strongest and most graceful that you can be, and then become even more than that. Don’t live with under the shadow of your disability, live in a way that your disability can no longer stop your greatness. Eventually, mainstream society will change their mind about us too.