Did you have any heroes who helped you grow up?

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I've been known to admire people.

But I've never had a "hero" in my life. Perhaps I've never "needed" one; maybe I'm that fortunate. Or maybe the people whom I should find "heroic" I take for granted. I don't know.

By my mid-teens, I admired M.K. Gandhi and M.L. King, and various technical pioneers like Frank Gilbreth and Colin Chapman, as well as a bohemian artist/writer, Alexander King. One math teacher/counsellor at my school almost helped me grow up, but he wasn't clever enough to set math problems involving the cars I was interested in.

I don't remember her name, but there was this show called Animal Miracles or Miracle Pets, and one segment featured a lady who had a lot of learning disabilities and wanted to be a vet. Her school counselor even told her she wasn't smart enough to be one. It took her five times to apply to vet school but she made it. I figured if she could, then I could too. Everyone has always given me such a hard time for wanting to be a vet.

No, among reasons because I haven't grown up.

The notions of "role models" and whatnot was never in my head as a kid. I just watched TV for entertainment value.

I guess one "role model" could have been Magilla Gorilla--because he kept on being treated like crap by Mr. Peebles, yet he always had a sunny disposition and was always willing to help out.

I also used to like Uncle Bill in "Family Affair." And, as I got older, Barney Miller in the cop show "Barney Miller."

Most of the time, though, I tended to want to learn from teachers and "others" (e.g., guidance counselors). I really wasn't the type of kid who had any "heroes." I thought too much of myself for that (which probably wasn't good, in retrospect).

I had one teacher who explained things in detail to me regarding homework and how to go about it. That helped. Otherwise, no support or help until at age 30 I had a counselor who was able to understand me and who helped me learn new ways to interact with others rather than the unhealthy patterns I had learned growing up. I did not understand that there were choices I could make... I had to have it explained to me. Autism at work when I did not know about it. 38 years later I got my diagnosis, but that therapist's ability to find a way to reach me was the key to my survival. Without that counseling I would have been dead in a ditch somewhere long ago. I had choices I never dreamed I had, I just needed somebody to explain it to me.

growing up is teen years only???
(too literal translation going on grow up in dutch is related to childhood)

but then i don't see how you relate that to the op poll ??

As a kid, i trained in American Kenpo Karate and was lucky to have good instructors who learnt directly from the grand master of the system, Ed Parker Senour, who incidentally made many visits to the small island that i live in in the UK.

So, one of my childhood heros was Grandmaster Ed Parker, who was like a God among his people.
And next to him, there was my chief instructor, whom i looked up to in many ways.

I think training in Karate did help me a great deal while growing up, as not only did i learn fighting skills that i could use to defend myself from the many bullies at school and where i used to live, but the training was great for someone with ASD, as it gave me repetition, routine, and an intricate system of movements, language etc. to memorise.

Training in Karate also gave me social contact, somewhere to hang out and be around people but without the pressure of having to talk that much.

Great for those who have ASD and who do not have a problem with co-ordination.

I recommend martial arts in this manner, can give a person a lot of purpose.