This guest post is by Alexander Diamond, a young man on the autism spectrum who was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 2 and has been accepted into the University of Alabama. Alexander 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.
Being on the Autism Spectrum has required me to work more vigorously than your traditional college student to strive to success. I have had to truly push myself to be at the level where I felt confident in my own abilities. However, going through the trials that result from my disability strengthened me in the long-run. As someone who is finally at the point where I am truly accomplishing my goals and dreams, I feel responsible to impart advice to the next generation of neurodiverse students who are starting out in a higher education environment.
It is important to utilize whatever support services that you can on your campus. Do not place yourself in a situation where you are unable to catch up near the end of the semester. One of the best resources I can think of is the disability services office. In that space, there are trained specialists who can give you accommodations such as extended time on tests and extensions on assignments that level the playing field. Another important resource is the student success office, which consists of professional and student staff members. They can empower you to find organization tactics that work for you. Please also make sure to make your presence known to your professors, especially during office hours. They will gladly help you out if they can observe your passion for the material you are learning. All of these resources are essential ways for you to get the assistance you need to succeed.
Another essential part of moving to the college setting is connecting with new friends. One of the best ways to do this is through finding clubs and activities that you already have an interest in. This can include ones relating to your major, hobbies you enjoy, or even a specific diverse quality about yourself that makes you unique. By finding a specific topic that you are already invested in, you can build that commonality with your peers. You can also make friends by striking up conversations with people that you meet around campus. Make yourself approachable by being consistently friendly and gregarious. People are drawn to that type of congeniality and will want to get to know you better. While not everyone will be a permanent friend, having those types of connections with others can stave off the isolation from being in a new setting and make you more comfortable in the process.
Lastly, make sure that you are in a program that truly inspires you. If you are not interested in what you are doing, it will come back to hurt you in the long run. One of the best ways to do that is to see if you can make a one-sentence purpose statement saying what you hope to acquire from being in your program. For me, it would be about how being a Library Science student allows me to make an impact in my community and learn how to communicate essential information literacy skills to others. If you feel that you made the wrong decision, consult with your Academic Advisor or a trusted faculty member on campus to figure out other options that would be right in your situation. By fitting yourself into the proper program, you can continually feel like you are progressing and moving towards the lifestyle you want to have.
Having any type of disability, especially Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can make transitioning into higher education challenging. Nonetheless, going to college provides so many opportunities and possibilities. To ensure that you are successful, make sure to consult your resources, develop new friendships, and assess if the program you are in is right for you. If you do that, you can have a college experience that truly will rock as I did. Best of luck to everyone who reads this, I am rooting for you.
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.
