As an honors student in psychology at Bowdoin way back in the early ‘60s, I had the opportunity to go to Pineland Hospital and Training Center in Pownal, a psychiatric hospital for children and a facility for those with intellectual disabilities. We were each assigned an autistic child to “work with,” and told that autism is caused by a lack of love from the mother. That was the common belief at the time, as unbelievable as that sounds today. Fortunately, that explanation has been tossed into the dustbin of history, and Pineland closed down in 1996. 

I couldn’t help recalling that experience after meeting with Ben York, an extraordinary autistic young man from Orrs Island, who is currently a senior at Bowdoin. As a young boy, Ben sensed he was somewhat different. It was hard for him to make friends, and he had difficulty with tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as holding a pencil or tying a shoe. 

Ben’s mother, a math teacher, home-schooled him between the middle of third grade until grade eight. “She could design the curriculum and focus on my needs,” he explains, “like developing social skills and learning to deal with stress.” 

He loved being at Mt. Ararat High School, where he thrived in math and science (“I tapped the analytical side of my brain”) and served on the Yearbook Committee. 

At Mt. Ararat, he also launched a capstone project that entailed him giving public lectures on autism. “I decided I would go around to school groups, parents’ groups and other groups to talk about what it’s like being autistic. It’s my life, the easiest thing for me to talk about.” 

Ben adapted quickly to life at Bowdoin, thanks to a close-knit group of students on his floor and friendships developed with fellow math students. On a side note, one of our host students, a physics and math star, says of Ben, “He is very smart and a great guy!” 

Eager to hone his writing skills, Ben wrote several articles for the Bowdoin student newspaper (the “Orient “) about what it’s like to be an autistic 

person. Here’s a paragraph from one of the pieces he wrote during his sophomore year: 

“My day-to-day life at Bowdoin is built around routine. I go to the dining halls at the same times every week and go to club meetings as regularly as I can. I study with the same people at the same time every week and, of course, go to classes on a regular — albeit school-designed — schedule. I find great comfort in the predictability of each day, and the days where my routine must be broken are as few and far between as I can make them. In this way, I have adapted to the disabling aspects of being autistic.” 

Ben has been very purposeful in learning how to use eye contact to “read” other people, a challenge for autistic people. He also spends time by himself quietly processing his day and analyzing social interactions. 

In addition to writing for the Orient, Ben has worked in the library and for the “Quill,” the college literary magazine. 

Ben has also served as a math tutor and math grader, positions for which he is extremely well prepared, given that he’s taken 19 math courses at Bowdoin, twice the amount required for a major. 

His math prowess has positioned him well for graduate schools in mathematics, and he’s already received several acceptances from top schools around the country. After earning a PhD in math, he hopes to teach math at a small college, such as Bowdoin. “Math is a beautiful subject,” he says, “it’s not just formulas and calculations. It deserves to be taught well.” 

Ben York serves as an inspiration for any person at any age, whether autistic or not. “Too many young autistic people are sold short,” he says. “They’re told they won’t go anywhere. Well, here I am!” 

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com