This guest post is by Montana Milner, a young woman on the autism spectrum who was accepted into Metro Community College. Montana 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.
I hope you can support my nonprofit like I’m trying to support these students with scholarship aid for college. Learn more on how you can help our cause with a small donation (just asking for $3 today, equal to your daily cup of coffee) here.
I have spent most of my life wondering why other people would be able to so easily cope within this world when I was struggling so much. Why couldn’t I do the things other people can do? How am I supposed to understand different social situations? The most prevalent question in my mind was, what made me so different? Getting a diagnosis of autism was a relief. This diagnosis has made it so that I can better understand myself. That instead of being alone in my thoughts, there is a community of people who understand what it is like to be like me.
I have just recently gotten my diagnosis at the age of eighteen. My recent diagnosis did change the fact that there are many challenges for some growing up autistic, especially when undiagnosed. Some of these difficulties come with the comorbidities of autism. Like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), learning disabilities, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Of which I have, GAD, ADHD, and a learning disability. However, the most prevalent of these issues are difficulties in communication. Writing this paper is challenging for me because I have to adequately communicate the struggles, for me, of being autistic. Even though comorbidities don’t directly impact communications, they do still impact my ability to communicate with others. With these challenges in communication comes social isolation. I believe this is the most difficult challenge of being autistic. There is a desire and need to connect to people, but you are unable to form these connections with others. It can be lonely.
However, even with these challenges, you can still form meaningful connections with others and build a remarkable support system. The way I have been able to do this is through a lot of work. I have been in therapy for almost five years now and have recently been on medication for my Anxiety and ADHD. Going to therapy and taking medication has helped me a lot by managing my symptoms and teaching me ways to cope with the world around me. I have recently started Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help with the behavioral problems associated with my autism. Working to better myself has allowed me to learn how to communicate with others, allowing me to build up my social group.
I think that the biggest help in building social groups is finding a community who understands people with autism. Most of my friends have autism or have siblings with autism. Since my diagnosis, my family have been able to better understand how to communicate with me. Surrounding yourself with people who know what makes you different and can not only understand but enjoy you are the biggest help. Having such wonderful friends and a supportive family has allowed me to excel in life even though I have to try harder than others.
Another challenge of being autistic which can relate to communication is schoolwork. Understanding topics in school within the time given or in the way they are put can be difficult. However, I was able to receive help. This included teaching things like organizational skills, how to prioritize work, being able to take breaks and other modifications to better assist me in learning.
The thing that has allowed me to best excel in school is the topics being taught to me. I go to a special school at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Zoo) called Zoo Academy. In Zoo Academy, everything is centered around conservation and research. My special interest involves conservation and research. I take three classes at Zoo Academy: Environmental English, Genetics and Honors Research. All of these classes are centered around conservation. My favorite class is Honors Research. In this class, I am working on a year-long research project centered on a topic I choose. In which I get to shadow someone in the genetics department at the zoo. Then I will get to write an eight-page literature review, form my own test, and collect data on this topic. It’s all very cool. I am specifically doing my research project on how advancements in technology are affecting behavioral data collection and food transfer in primates. I am doing very well in all of these classes, and that in my opinion is because of my autism. I am able to do so much work that I love because my brain works differently than others.
In conclusion, having autism for me is hard. The world does not understand me and isn’t built for me. This is changing. People are coming together and educating others about the reality of autism. I wouldn’t change being autistic for the world. It has allowed me to be able to do things that others wouldn’t. In the career I’m going into, you have to be able to dedicate years of your life to one topic. I will be able to do this. One man said to me, you don’t have to be smart to get your doctorates; you have to be stubborn. I am very stubborn and love conservation research. Being the way I am has taught me a lot. I am surrounded by a supportive community and love who I am. Being diagnosed with autism has helped me along this self-love journey. Being autistic isn’t bad.
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My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum that started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a 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.
