Neurodiversity Celebration Week: Jenson Brooksby on autism diagnosis and impact on tennis career
Six days before Christmas, Jenson Brooksby went to social media to share his “stay quiet all his life” stuff.
The 24-year-old American revealed that he was diagnosed with severe autism as a child until he was four years old.
Decisions made public are not easily taken, but are driven by the desire to help families and families of any future professionals Dealing with autism.,,,,, External
“I’ve been with my parents for the rest of my life, and it’s not a very comfortable sharing for you because there can be consequences – especially when I was young,” Brooksby told BBC Sport.
“But as I grew up, I learned that even among the people I’m close to, the response was very casual and there wasn’t much thought about it.
“I think I hope to be able to help others in some cases – say, if they try to be professional players – is bigger than any negative outcome I think of.
“I really hope that future players, whether they are critical of it or not, they at least know that they can struggle with it and hope to explain why.”
Brooksby remembers some of the intensive therapy he received, starting at the age of two, sometimes up to 40 hours a week.
Thanks so much to his parents as he explained how they took the time and resources to help him speak.
For Brooksby, sports is a release. Tennis as well as basketball, swimming and track and field – a few years later entered his four-year-old life, attending classes.
“Sports are a big release for me. If I sit for a long time, I can bottle a lot of energy, so being a very active kid really makes it stand out.”
“I always wanted to train to try to be good at something. Even at that age, I thought I had a competitive mindset and was good at something.”
