This guest post is by Jinn Janpathompong, a young man who was diagnosed with autism at 2 and plans to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jinn 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.
Dear parent of an autistic child,
I write in hopes that you will listen. Like in the film Forrest Gump, life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you get but at least you can make your own destiny. Everyone receives a different hand; yet the fight must go on. Behind every course of success is an obstacle that needs to be overcome. At two years old, you would not see a single word come out of my mouth. At five years old, you would not see me be able to write a solid letter because I had trouble with hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. However, you might see me painstakingly practicing visual exercises with an old man who would affirm me by asking me, “Do you want to improve?” He would then continue with, “Work with me, believe me.” With the improvement of my hand-eye coordination, I would go on to win at state level six times from the Massachusetts International Aviation Art Contests.
In middle school, I would be sent to an out-of-district school with support for individuals who had similar challenges as me. A bully would constantly call me, “woman” and “child,” and attempted to scare me with angry noises because I did not look like a typical boy and had a bone density two years below my chronological age. Although I reported to the teacher multiple times, the insults still repeated. I endured the painful situation for months. Finally, I decided to protest in the cafeteria with my hand-made sign: “Stop bullying! Name-calling is not nice!” I raised my voice, and then several students cheered me on and stood by me. Once all eyes turned to me and the bully, people were ready to help if the offender expressed any hurtful speech. From that moment, I recognized the power of community.
All the support and kindness I have received stirred up my desire to pay it forward and make an inclusive society. I find fulfillment in encouraging myself and others to follow their dreams. My extracurricular activities have involved diverse groups in the US and Thailand, including younger generations, the elderly, the disabled, impoverished individuals, and the homeless. I could not be more thankful for the enlightening experience coaching children with different needs to run their best efforts at the adaptive running club, Team Verge. The recognition for hard work is what mattered. Words of acceptance can create a profound effect on individuals’ lives and contribute to a long-lasting bond.
With the treatments I underwent to regain my voice, I have not only progressed from having a significantly impaired mental development IQ to above-average intelligence. I am no longer a non-verbal boy who failed almost every subject, but an honor roll student. Recently, I strived to do a cross-country championship season and achieved a personal best of 17:25 mins in the 5K.
Not only do I push the limits for myself, but my achievements also provide inspiration for the disability community. Like how families with disabilities see me as a portrait of hope, I look forward to using it as affirmation that with faith, any obstacle can be overcome. I have also been accepted into University of Massachusetts Amherst and plan to enroll with the major of Sustainable Community Development to obtain the tools from the interdisciplinary program within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences to design and build an inclusive society.
I hope to be the voice of the unheard and design a just community, providing services for every group to thrive. I wish to ignite a rippling kindness effect and inspire people to strengthen our community and the diverse world. I have overcome many disadvantages and certainly have not made such achievements alone. I am still autistic but that does not make me less of a human because I am different. If you and your child read this, just know that the journey is difficult but with great courage and perseverance, you can make it as far as I have been. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will have revelations throughout this journey. The truth is the fight must go on.
Love,
Jinn Janpathompong
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.
