Longtime Teen Mom star Tyler Baltierra has opened up about his recent autism diagnosis.
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During the Wednesday episode of his and wife Catelynn’s podcast Cate & Ty Break It Down, Baltierra spoke about the diagnosis.
“If I would have know about my stuff, being autistic or being on the spectrum, would that have changed my therapy?” he asked. “It got me thinking, ‘Wow, there’s so many things that could have been different.”
Continuing to discuss the autism diagnosis, the Teen Mom cast member recalled being a problematic child, noting he was “kicked out of schools” and “multiple daycares.”
“Growing up, my mom was so focused on me not having meltdowns,” he said. “I thought I was just an ADHD hyper kid, whatever. All my behavior issues in school [were] because I pretty much can’t control myself.”
Baltierra was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
Tyler Baltierra Didn’t Think to Test Himself for Autism Until His Daughter Started Showing Similar “Quirks”
Although he knew he was “different,” Baltierra said he didn’t consider getting tested for autism until he noticed his and Caitlynn’s daughter, Vaeda, 6, developing “quirks” that were similar to his as a child.
“I’m a bit more of a present parent, I think, than my mom could have been back then,” he pointed out. “With more knowledge about this kind of stuff. Just seeing so many things in Vaeda that I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I get why she’s doing that. Oh my God, when I was a kid, I remember doing that. Like wondering why doesn’t anyone understand what I’m saying? Or how important this stupid little thing is to me.'”
He then said, “First thing I noticed is that small things[that] should not be a big deal are a huge deal to her.”
Baltierra noted his bipolar diagnosis didn’t “sit” well with him over the years, because he didn’t experience well-known symptoms of the condition. He decided to test for autism, and the doctor was able to explain his mood swings.
“When I was talking to the [doctor who administered the test] she was like, ‘Your mood swings are based [on] things not going right in your weird little routine that I won’t be able to understand, your wife will never be able to understand fully. You can explain it as much as you can about how these things operate in your head, and how when one thing is off. So these mood swings come across [like] something really frustrated you real quick,’” he recounted.
He went on to say that the diagnosis felt like a “big sigh of relief.” However, he was also sad about it.
“I just thought about all the things I went through as a kid,” Baltierra added.