This guest post is by Noel Blackwell, a young man who is diagnosed with autism and plans to attend Southern Methodist University. Noel is applying for the Spring 2024 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.
Growing up, I always knew I was different. The subtle cues that seamlessly wove the social fabric around me often seemed invisible through my eyes. Conversations were like complex puzzles, where each piece was a facial expression, a tone of voice, a gesture—all cryptic and often indecipherable. This was my world, long before I understood the name for my experience—autism.
I wasn’t diagnosed with autism until I was 15 years old. Before that revelation, my childhood was a series of social missteps and silent retreats. At school, I felt like an actor who had missed the script read-through. Everyone else seemed to inherently understand lines and cues I wasn’t even aware existed. This disconnect wasn’t just puzzling; it was profoundly isolating. I tried to mimic my peers, a strategy often referred to as “masking.” This involved adopting behaviors and mimicking social interactions that were not natural to me, all in an effort to blend in, to appear ‘normal’. It was exhausting and deeply unfulfilling.
The realization that I was on the autism spectrum was a pivotal moment in my life. It didn’t happen in a dramatic fashion; there were no sudden epiphanies in a doctor’s office, underlined by poignant background music. Rather, it was a quiet moment of reading and reflection, of fitting pieces together in a way that finally made sense. Knowing I was autistic provided context to my experiences. It was as if I had been given a key to a map that explained why I had taken so many wrong turns.
Understanding my autism was the first step in accepting myself. With this understanding, I no longer needed to mask who I was. I began to embrace my differences, understanding that the very traits that made social interaction difficult for me also contributed to my unique perspective and abilities. I no longer blamed myself for the years of loneliness and misunderstandings. Instead, I appreciated my resilience in navigating a world that wasn’t designed for people like me.
This newfound self-acceptance was transformative. I began to seek out and connect with others who shared similar experiences. Through online communities and local support groups, I discovered a network of individuals whose stories mirrored my own. These connections were affirming and empowering. They helped me realize that my differences were not deficits; they were merely differences, and they were a part of who I am.
Inspired by my journey and the stories of others on the spectrum, I founded a nonprofit organization called Reach for the Stars. Our mission is to assist students with autism in transitioning from high school to college. This transition can be particularly challenging for autistic students, who may struggle with changes in routine, sensory overload, and new social expectations. Reach for the Stars provides resources, mentorship, and advocacy to ensure these students do not just cope but thrive in their new environments.
Through Reach for the Stars, I’ve had the privilege of guiding many young adults on the spectrum. Each of them has a unique story, a personal constellation of challenges and triumphs. What unites them is the shared journey of navigating a world that often overlooks their needs and their potential. Our work is dedicated to changing that reality, one student at a time.
As I reflect on my own path, I am moved by how much has changed since my diagnosis. I have learned that being autistic is not something to overcome but something to embrace. It is a fundamental part of my identity and one that I no longer wish to hide. I am proud of who I am and what I have accomplished, not in spite of my autism but because of it.
To those in the autism community, whether you are newly diagnosed or well along your own path of self-discovery, know that you are not alone. Your journey is uniquely yours, but it is also a part of a larger narrative that we all share. Let us continue to reach for the stars, for it is together that we light up the sky.
In sharing my story, I hope to educate and inspire others in our community. It’s a reminder that our differences are not just to be accepted but celebrated. They are what make us unique, what give us strength, and what ultimately unite us in our shared human experience.
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.
