Jackson McAllister
Hi, my name's Jackson McAllister and I have high-functioning autism and dyslexia.
I am Canadian, born in the United States and have lived in Singapore since 2001.
My childhood dreams revolved around the military, and I wanted to be a military engineer. But I was a clerk in National Service instead. Someday, I would like to be a Defence Executive Officer (DXO) or work with ST Engineering.
I have worked part-time as a shallow-water lifeguard at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). Lifeguarding at RWS is one of the best jobs for high-functioning autistic people because you are there to save lives and due to the incredible kampong spirit among the RWS lifeguards, I always felt very well accepted.
I am making plans on where to further my education. In the meantime, I have just recently completed an online Google Professional Certificate in Data Analytics and will be starting another online Google Professional Certificate.
Me + making things
“I love to tinker with my hands and create things.”
I have built multiple PCs, for myself and some close friends. I also finished a Lego UCS Millennium Falcon—the one with over 7,500 pieces.
The catapult story
My mom loves to share this story about when I was three years old. I had DIY books, the ones with pictures and descriptions showing how things work. One of them showed a detailed catapult, more specifically a Ballista catapult and so naturally I made one out of a toilet tube, a rubber band, and a projectile. "Mom, get out of the way please," I said. "Oh, how sweet," she thought and moved aside. The catapult worked and slammed its payload against the wall all the way across the room.
Growing up in Singapore
“I am gifted in math, but I had difficulty reading. Therefore, I was home-schooled for a while.”
I returned to Dover Court International for my International GCSE, Insworld Institute for my A-Levels (A*, A, B, B), and then got accepted into Mechanical Engineering at NUS after National Service.
I have always thought of myself as Singaporean—my favourite breakfast is chee cheong fan or chee kwee.
Getting diagnosed with dyslexia
I was diagnosed with dyslexia during home-schooling. Mom has a friend who teaches dyslexic children, and she told her friend that I spelt "truck" differently every time I wrote it. So, her friend gave me some diagnostic tests and discovered that while my comprehension was like a 16 or 18-year-old at the age of 8, I was unable to think or order things sequentially. I was quite dyslexic.
Because of that, Mom's friend was amazed that I had learned to read. When I was told I was dyslexic, I reacted as any 8-year-old would. I had no idea what the word meant and just kept on playing with my toys.
National Service and Asperger's diagnosis
“I was actually excited when I enlisted in National Service (NS) here, but I had no idea I had Asperger’s or what that would mean in NS.”
Basic Military Training (BMT) was horrific as the noises and whole experience brought on sensory overload which can completely overwhelm you and make you feel out of control. It is not unusual for those with Asperger’s, but again, no one—including myself—knew that or why I was reacting with such intense anxiety. I was eventually down-PES’ed to F but was able to serve for a while in SAFTI MI as an Admin Support Assistant (ASA) where I had a wonderful DXO boss, Mr. Victor.
Discovering my superpower and kryptonite
While hospitalised during National Service, my mom discovered that the doctors thought I might be autistic, which would explain a lot of what was happening. The doctors were initially reluctant to tell me as they thought I might feel ‘labelled’. However, my mum knew I would do better when I am fully informed so two doctors eventually told me that I might have Asperger's (after NS I did get officially diagnosed).
“My reaction: “Great! That means I am a Mac computer in a PC world. In other words, I look the same on the outside, but my operating system is different, and I need special software/adaptors.””
Looking back, my autism diagnosis explained a lot of things, like my OCD and obsession with certain things. Once I was working on my computer and it started throwing errors at me. Because I was so focused on it, I could not stop and skipped breakfast!
Friends, games and fellowship
“I go to New Creation Church. But it does not automatically mean that you will make friends even in youth groups. However, I had this amazing group leader, Angeline who could take a group of people who are different from each other and teach them to “see” each other and “be there” for others.”
As a result of this group, I made several good friends (we call ourselves HISIT). Even though we are all different from each other, we are really close. I was a science and math person, one is an NUS DID student, another was a LaSalle student, and another is a political science student who almost became a SAF fighter pilot. When I told my friends about my dream of starting a Gamistry (Game Ministry) to bring teenagers together through gaming, they all pitched in—even those who had no gaming experience.
When I make friends—not acquaintances—they become good friends. They understand my challenges and we are really there for each other.
Challenges making friends
“I tend to see situations in black and white or right and wrong. So, if things are not going right, I speak out, and while in some situations it is vital, in other situations it can be unpopular.”
Autistic people might be blunt and brutal, but we are honest and that can be refreshing in today’s world, like the paraphrased quote from Shakespeare: “Above all be true to yourself, and it follows as night follows day, if you are true to yourself, you won’t be false to others”. It also makes me a very “follow law” type of person.
“I do tell people (not randomly) that I have autism. They are surprised when I tell them since they would not have guessed it otherwise.”
“Normal” looking people can be autistic as well. Everyone has his or her own sets of difficulties and challenges. You never know who has what, so it is best to be less judgemental around people.
What I would tell my younger self
“I would say that the journeys that I have gone through have made me who I am.”
I am also proud of the friends I have made. So, for anyone with autism who is struggling with friendships like me, I have one piece of advice: "The friends you find, keep." Although it may sound cliche, it does get better!
Support pillars in life and lessons I have learned
I have had wonderful support pillars throughout my life. From my A-Levels chemistry teacher, Ms Zainab, to my current therapists (Francis, Dr Yvonne, and Dr Muni). They have encouraged me and gone the extra mile. There are others like my Auntie Lourdes, Ms Chapman, Dr Roach and more but I would run out of space if I listed them all.
My mom and dad have always been there for me, even when things were difficult. But it has not always been easy. My friends, particularly Joshua, Solomon, and Daniel, have amazing hearts and went into gaming just to help me with the Game Ministry. Joshua once called me in the middle of the night when I needed help.
What I have learned is that some people are truly gifted in seeing what is below the surface and have the desire and ability to connect. This is a skill that is important for anything, from deep friendships to exceptional leadership.
“I have also learned that self-awareness and self-acceptance—while not easy—are key to my journey and for others as well.”
This is my story and I hope it encourages you to share yours too.
