A parent recently reached out to me on my Facebook Page A Special Community and asked me a question that I haven’t been asked in a very long time. She asked, “Where were you considered on the autism spectrum when you were diagnosed?”
I would tell her that doctors would tell my parents that I was on the severe end of the autism spectrum. In fact several doctors would tell my parents that same thing.
I was nonverbal till 2.5, wouldn’t say my first word till I was 3 and growing up would have a great deal of social, emotional and sensory challenges. When people see me today now as an adult who is a professional speaker, author and autism entertainment consultant, they say I’m one of the more high-functioning people with autism they’ve ever met. My work as a professional speaker has given me the opportunity to discuss my journey while providing resources and tips to benefit our communities.
It was a long journey to get to this point. In this video below I discuss that journey from nonverbal to professional speaker.
As I’ve mentioned in blogs in the past, the 5 therapies that helped me the most were Physical, occupational, speech, music and theater therapy. People often ask me if I had ABA but being diagnosed with autism at 4 in 1992 it really wasn’t a therapy anyone ever suggested to my family. Positive reinforcement and reward systems were also critical to my development.
Keep striving all! Autism is a spectrum so each individual is different in there own way meaning we need to prioritize therapy and services unique to that person strengths and challenges. If you’d like me to come speak on this topic among others in your area you can contact me anytime here.
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education.
Have Kerry, one of the only professionally accredited speakers on the spectrum in the country, speak at your next event by sending him an inquiry here. If you have a referral for someone who many want him to speak please reach out as well! Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and other special events on topics ranging from employment, how to succeed in college with a learning disability, internal communication, living with autism, bullying prevention, social media best practices, innovation, presentation best practices and much more!
