This guest post is by Joe Thomas, a young man on the autism spectrum who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 5 and has been accepted into North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Joe is applying for the Spring 2022 Making a Difference Autism Scholarship via the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference started by me, Kerry Magro. I was nonverbal till 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4, and you can read more about my organization here. Autistics on Autism: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams, our nonprofit’s new book, was released on March 29, 2022, on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 autistic adults.
I did not speak my first words until the age of five. At school, I was extremely shy. Despite my teacher’s efforts to help me engage with other children, I preferred playing alone. My favorite thing to do at recess was to pick up a stick, pretend it was Thomas the Train, and create train tracks in the sand. I was perfectly content in my own world. I was not interested in making friends or understanding how they thought or felt. I memorized all things related to trains – names, colors, engine numbers, and engine types. I could recite entire episodes of Thomas and Friends, although I could not converse with my own mother and father. Often, I would lay my head on the floor, squinting out of one eye, and moving my pointer finger up and down to simulate the motion of a train’s piston.
Pictures with words were plastered all over the walls of my house and at school. It was the only way my parents and teachers could communicate with me. Without pictures, I became frustrated and overwhelmed, throwing tantrums left and right. I absolutely depended on a schedule to help me transition from one activity to another. I needed to know what was next. Dealing with uncertainty was not an option. At first, my schedule consisted of pictures with words beneath them. As I got older, there were fewer pictures and more words and sentences.
In middle school, I continued to struggle in social settings. It was obvious that my social skills were not on the same level as other students my age. I found it difficult to start conversations with anyone I did not know. When I did converse I was extremely uncomfortable and unable to maintain eye contact. I used social stories to teach me how to start conversations and make friends.
I joined school and community organizations to practice my social and communication skills.
At organization meetings, I would set a goal to speak to at least one new person. Although I was nervous, I found the courage to walk up to a person and introduced myself. I tried to fill moments of awkward silence with other questions to extend the conversation. It took some time and lots of practice to feel more comfortable starting conversations.
Today I look back to fully realize my progression as a person with autism – a disorder impairing my ability to communicate and socialize with others. I cannot say it has been a single defining moment that has transformed me into the person I am today. It has been a long, sustained journey of small changes along the way. With every challenge or difficult situation I have used tricks and strategies to adjust.
Now the world is less scary. I have a small circle of friends and can navigate large crowds better. I am less jumpy when it comes to loud noises. I still rely on a schedule and agenda to keep me organized at home and school. Learning to advocate for myself has helped me be more confident and self-assured. Preparation and repetition are essential to my success.
There are things I excel at because of my diagnosis. My reliance on objects and pictures at an early age drives my creativity in art design and architecture. Tasks that others find boring or repetitive are those things I find interesting and even fascinating. It is not unusual for me to sit for hours designing a building or home in SketchUp or AutoCAD. I love playing video games because they satisfy my need for repetition and solving problems under pressure.
I am good at memorizing and learning information quickly, especially in math and science. I am persistent and stubborn which means I will not give up easily. I am determined to complete a task even if it takes me several tries. I am truthful and honest with no hidden agendas. I tend to live in the moment, paying close attention to details around me. These are my strengths.
I have consistently done well in school. I challenged myself by taking honors and AP courses. I have worked hard to receive good grades and maintain a high GPA of 3.98. I was proud to receive a math department award entitled, “Good News Award – Always working hard in class!” I was one of few students to receive a math award for ninth grade. In my sophomore year, I was the recipient of a Perfect Attendance Award which meant that I had zero absences and zero tardies for an entire school year. I knew I wanted to study architecture after completing two honor-level courses in drafting. I received a grade of 100 in each class.
Giving back to the community is important to me. In the National Achievers Society, I helped plan cultural events like our school’s Annual Black History Program and Soul Food Tasting for Black History Month. As a volunteer with Special Blessings, I assisted in organizing social activities for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In the Kappa League, I helped organize community food and clothing drives. These experiences pulled me out of my comfort zone and into another world where I engaged with other people.
My goal is to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. I plan to intern with an organization where I can gain work experience to qualify and pass the Landscape Architect Registration Examination. Upon receiving my license I would like to work for a company creating beautiful, sustainable structures for marginalized communities.
I choose to embrace my diagnosis of autism. It has shaped me into the person I am today. I cannot imagine who I would be without it. For me, my diagnosis of autism has been a blessing in disguise.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, Tiktok, Youtube & Instagram.
My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum. I started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue 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 was released on March 29, 2022 on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 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.
