Alexis Wineman writes her life's journey of living with autism in her own words. Winning Ms. Montana has provided Alexis with various opportunities and one that is quite dear to her heart is being able to utilize her voice for those who don't have one or have yet to find theirs. As a child, Alexis felt different and as she got older, she struggled with some of the aspects that come with an autism diagnosis, like a speech impediment, communication challenges, sensitivity to sounds and other sensory sensitivities. Part of her struggle was the bullying that resulted because of her differences. Alexis was diagnosed with "PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified), an autism spectrum disorder" at the age of 11.