Tyler Baltierra finally got the answers he’s been searching for.
On the latest episode of his and Catelynn Lowell‘s podcast Cate & Ty Break It Down, the 33-year-old reality TV personality got real about his recent autism diagnosis. Crucially? It was good news! While chatting on the pod this Wednesday, he explained:
“It felt like a big sigh of relief. Then I got really sad and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I just thought about all the things I went through as a kid. I just felt so sad for that little kid who wondered, ‘What’s wrong with me? Something’s wrong, why am I not normal?’”
Aww…
He said he first started getting curious after being diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar Disorder in the past. He was confused about being diagnosed with bipolar, as he didn’t really feel like some of the symptoms fit what he was feeling… But then his 6-year-old daughter Vaeda started experiencing some mental health symptoms of her own:
“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.’ First thing I noticed is that small things [that] should not be a big deal are a huge deal to her.”
Related: Tyler & Catelynn Regret Giving Up Daughter Carly For Adoption
From there, he explained he decided to talk to his doctor about autism — and all the pieces seemed to fall into place:
“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. These mood swings come across [like] something really frustrated you real quick’.”
Looking back, Tyler does feel bad for his past self that he didn’t get this diagnosis sooner:
“If I would have known about my stuff, being autistic or being on the spectrum, would that have changed my therapy? It got me thinking, ‘Wow, there’s so many things that could have been different.’”
But now, he’s just glad to finally know more about himself and how his mind functions:
“It’s just the way my brain works. Instead of trying to fix it, let’s just try to live with this thing and I think knowing this information makes me better aware.”
Along with Vaeda, Tyler also shares 3-year-old Rya and 10-year-old Nova with Catelynn. He’s also a father to their estranged daughter, Carly, who is 16.
You can listen to the full podcast (below):
We’re glad to hear Tyler got some relief after getting these answers. We hope he has better times ahead now that he understands himself better.
[Image via Tyler Baltierra/Instagram]
The post <i>Teen Mom</i>’s Tyler Baltierra Shares He’s Been Diagnosed With Autism: ‘A Big Sigh Of Relief’ appeared first on Perez Hilton.