Here are some things I want you to know as an autistic person…
10. Not all of us are math geniuses like Rain Man.
9. Not all people with autism are the same. If you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.
8. Don’t say things like “You have autism? But you seem so normal!”
7. As much as you spread awareness for autism we also want you to also spread autism education. We want to be accepted for who we are and not seen as a label.
6. Normal is really only a dryer setting. Most of us are highly unique and that originality is a beautiful thing in our community that should be acknowledged.
5. Don’t just read a book
4. Let autistic people decide what they’d like to be called (i.e person with autism or autistic)
3. Autistic children will become autistic adults. Advocate for supports across the lifespan. As much as we’d love to emphasis children on the news we want you to know that autism is a lifelong disorder and we don’t want to be forgotten when we become adults. We don’t grow out of autism.
2. If you see me in a public setting and see me rubbing my hands together, or leaning back and forth, please don’t look at me like something is wrong. I ask for empathy in these situations as I feel more comfortable by doing these things.
1. Autism can’t define us. We define autism. This is the truth for everyone on this planet actually. No one thing should be able to define us as people. We define ourselves. I’ve never wanted to be defined by a label. I want people more than anything to see me as Kerry.
So for April which is Autism Acceptance Month, and throughout the year because autism doesn’t stop in April… just realize that people with autism are here for a purpose. We all are meant to shine in this world. I hope we are given the opportunities to progress and live the best lives possible.
Just like anyone else…
Have me give a talk with your school and/or business in-person or virtually for Autism Acceptance Month by contacting me here. Grab a copy of my new FAQ list with advice and resources here.
My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum that started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education. Help support me so I can continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
Autistics on Autism: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams, will be released on March 29, 2022 on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 125+ autistic adults. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go back to our nonprofit to support initiatives like our autism scholarship program. In addition, this autistic adult’s essay you just read will be featured in a future volume of this book as we plan on making this into a series of books on autistic adults.
