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Kofoed reveals autism diagnosis
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · April 16, 2025
Several months ago, West Branch City Administrator Adam Kofoed appeared at a city council meeting with what appeared to be black hearing aides.
But it was just the opposite.
Rather than amplify sound, these earplugs tamp down white noise.
“Any small sound I hear in the background is extremely distracting and there are certain noises that ... elicit an emotional response,” Kofoed said.
In an otherwise quiet room, the sound of running water in a sink or shower, or a ventilation fan, can cause irritation.
“I get immediately angry,” he said. “It’s almost like I can feel the waves of that sound going into my ear and it feels very, very uncomfortable.”
Just a short time before he began wearing earplugs, the U.S. Army veteran received an autism diagnosis.
“I’m less distracted (with the earplugs). When I’m not wearing these, you will see a lot of natural squinting, or me looking away,” Kofoed said. “This helps keeps me grounded and in the moment.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, autism spectrum disorder “is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.”
Normally, symptoms appear by age 2, but Kofoed’s diagnosis came at age 37.
Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is described as a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life, according to the NIMH.
Common symptoms include “challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication,” according to AustimSpeaks.org.
Kofoed goes into more detail in an interview with Public Management Magazine, the text of which appears on Page 7 of this issue of the West Branch Times. The article is entitled, “Unmasking Autism in Public Leadership.”
Kofoed said he hopes that while he learns more about himself, “I want children in West Branch to know that they don’t have to fit the mold to be successful.”
“I have one of the worst ACT English scores ever, and I still made it through college and got a gradaute degree,” he said. “I often didn’t always fit in or I felt out of place. Despite those feelings, you can still do great things.”
He said that, as both a little brother and a parent, “it takes awhile to get autism testing formalized.”
“There’s a sense of like doubt and hopelessness you would have because you have no idea if your child is going to make it on their own,” Kofoed said. “You’re insecure about that and you worry.”
He encouraged parents by saying children with autism can still find success.
“There’s a lot better therapy now than existed even when I was growing up,” he said. “The main takeaway for parents is that it’s OK and it’s going to be OK. Sometimes it may come sooner or later, but their kid can still be a leader in their own way.”
April is Autism Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects about 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States.
Kofoed states that he is “no different” than anyone else who grew up in West Branch.
“I have my past childhood frustrations with growing up in a small town,” the city administrator said.
From coworkers to the West Branch City Council to other colleagues in this area, “they were extremely supportive and backed me 100 percent.”
“That’s not the West Branch I remember growing up here,” Kofoed said. “I want people to know this community is changing very fast. But I also think, despite our growing pains, we are becoming a much more inclusive and welcoming community.”
The husband and father said he does not want people to treat him differently.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I think it’s more or less of an understanding or awareness. It’s really not so much of what I’m getting — I can’t really answer that. It’s not about what I’m getting from it. It’s about giving hope to people who are currently in that situation and aren’t in an environment where they are able to discuss it. I don’t expect anything from anybody.”
Kofoed said “there’s a lot going on in my head” since the diagnosis.
He said the article in PMM “explores his journey of self-discovery after years of unknowingly masking his autistic traits.”
Before his diagnosis, he would rehearse conversations, avoid eye contact, an overprepare to “mask” his autism.
“When I could no longer maintain the mask, I found myself retreating — hiding in closets at work, at home, and at my parents’ house, overwhelmed by overstimulation,” Kofoed wrote in a statement. “I finally realized I had to be upfront with my staff and city council before they grew too concerned. What happened next surprised me. My staff clapped. I saw, maybe for the first time, that I was in a safe space.”
He said he better appreciates West Branch’s “long history of inclusivity,” like how the town played a role in the Underground Railroad and shaped Herbert Hoover, the orphan-turned-president.
“West Branch is a place where humanity prevails. And today, that same spirit of acceptance is making history again, as West Branch becomes home to the first known openly autistic city administrator,” he writes.
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