His words and voice caught the attention of Autism Speaks Executive Director Matt Asner.
"I was bowled over by his speech," Asner said. "This was such an unbelievable description of what autism is and there was so much maturity in his speech."
As soon as Asner heard David talk, he got an idea. Asner contacted his good friend and animator Matt Manning, who helped David's speech take on animated form.
"We wanted to make something that entertained people and taught them something," Asner said.
While editing, they felt the message come to life.
"During that process, you know when we were listening to it over and over again, people started to tell me, 'this is really powerful,'" Manning said.
David's mom, Karen Shapiro, says her son's effort to share his experiences has helped him triumph and see that he is far from alone in his challenges.
"The power of saying who you are and helping people understand who you are was magical," Karen said.
David's parents believe their son's message is not just about understanding people with autism. As David eloquently says, it's about understanding people.
"Always get along with people you don't like, it's just part of life," David said. "Always remember I can be with people I don't like as long as they treat me with respect."
David's ultimate goal is to get a job and live independently in New York City.
Matt Asner says the video was aimed at the general population, but says many parents who have kids with autism are using it to help educate their children.
