‘Teen Mom’ Star Tyler Baltierra, 33, Calls Autism Diagnosis a ‘Sigh of Relief’ After Bipolar Misdiagnosis

Teen Mom star Tyler Baltierra opened up about a recent determination that he called a “sigh of relief.”

Tyler, 33, was diagnosed with autism after previously being misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“I got really sad and I was like, ‘Wow!’” he said during a recent episode of his podcast Cate & Ty: Break It Down with wife Catelynn Baltierra. “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?’”

The reality star added, “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.’”

Tyler explained that he began seeing similarities in his 6-year-old daughter, Vaeda, which prompted him to get tested.

“First thing I noticed is that small things [that] should not be a big deal are a huge deal to [Vaeda],” he said.

“I am who I am. It’s just the way my brain works,” added the 16 & Pregnant alum, who shares daughters Novalee, 10, Vaeda and Rya, 3, with Catelynn. (They’re also parents to Carly, 16, whom they placed up for adoption at birth.)

“Instead of trying to fix it, it’s like, ‘OK, let’s just live with this thing,” he said, before agreeing to get Vaeda tested for autism.