This guest post is by Lincoln McAllen, a young man who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 and attends Eastern University. Lincoln is applying for the Spring 2023 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.
The stories my parents tell me about me from my childhood are strange. Those uncontrollable tantrums and screaming fits seem so far away from where I am now. I guess I was frustrated because I couldn’t talk, and I didn’t understand the world. Things looked and felt bad to me. After a lot of therapy from my teachers and parents, I learned to communicate and control my anger. I learned how to speak one word at a time – literally – one word each day. But now, I am pretty easygoing and happy-go-lucky. And I can talk a lot!
I also have discovered that my autism has given me some unique abilities. For example, I can remember dates going back all the way to 2007. I remember that on July 19, 2008, I got my first Wii console. I know that we had hibachi for dinner on September 28, 2018. I am also really good at focusing, which allows me to work on projects for hours without getting distracted. I have written many novels and stories and hope to be a professional writer someday. I am also a great employee who has never called in sick and has always been on time to work. Finally, I got a blackbelt in karate, of which I am really proud.
My sister is also an advocate for autism, which is something she would have never known about if it weren’t for me. She goes into schools and senior citizen homes and talks about how to create better relationships with people who are on the spectrum. We were born only a year apart, but growing up, we didn’t really have much of a relationship. She did her thing, and I did mine. She tells people that the secret to bonding with people on the spectrum is to focus on their interests first. As soon as my sister started getting into Spyro, The Last Airbender, and Spiderman, we had more in common and became really close. Now, we play games together, watch movies and tv, and have a lot of inside jokes. She tells people who don’t know what to say to ask about the logo on someone’s shirt or backpack. Or at school, just call them by their name in the hallway. Or give them a compliment about something they did or said in class. Ask them a question. That’s a start to becoming friends with someone with autism. Just because they might flap their hands or don’t look at you doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you. It’s just a part of who they are.
My parents were also changed because of me. They started a group called the “Point Pleasant Special Education Parent Advisory Committee,” and they ran it for ten years (until I graduated). They had monthly meetings to help other parents with children on the spectrum, mostly because they were so lost when it happened to them. They got babysitters from the high school to look after the kids so that parents could attend. They did paraprofessional appreciation nights, and bus driver appreciation nights, and worked hard to help everyone in the school that helps the kids who need it. They brought in lawyers to give free advice, doctors who were specialists, and music therapists and created a list of activities in our area geared toward kids with disabilities. I think they made a big difference in our community.
The older I get, the more I see autism as a superpower. I don’t see autism as a weakness or a burden but as a strength and a gift. I am really proud of all the things that I can do and am excited to see where my superpowers will take me next.
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.
