This guest post is by Julia Kramer, a young woman with autism who plans to attend California University of Pennsylvania. Julia 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.
uWhen I was first diagnosed, my parents were told by doctors that I may have a grim future and were uncertain if I could live independently, drive, make friends, or attend college. My diagnosis prompted speech, occupational, and social skill therapies. OT helped me learn to cut with scissors and hold a pencil correctly. While speech therapy helped with my echolalia and social skills therapy helped me cope with change and social interaction.
I cycled through many pre-schools that couldn’t provide a good environment for someone like me, but I eventually finished preschool. Kindergarten helped me love going to school. I often played school with my stuffed animals, giving them tests and homework to do. In elementary school, I was very active and absolutely loved the gym. I always felt inspired by teachers knowing that at some point I wanted to be an inspiration to others. As the oldest child in my family, I tried to be a leader and role model to my siblings. My brother Kaleb was diagnosed with autism and underwent the same therapies as I did cause us to develop a close relationship.
Kids never seemed to give me much trouble in elementary school, which surprised me. I witnessed kids picked on for being different, but I had kind classmates. I had difficulties in telling time and counting money and needed extra test-taking time to process questions. Elementary was a good time in my life, though I didn’t make any friends.
My parents were worried about new challenges coming in middle school, but they leaned on their faith in God and me. Fortunately, I was pretty happy and successful in Middle School. I made my very first friend, Michaela who was and is still one of my best friends. Middle school was a really good time in my life, where I continued to be inspired and challenged by teachers and enjoyed school and the gym.
However, in Middle school, I first noticed getting overly stressed out over assignments. I would often break down and cry over them. This for me was a real downside to having autism. This still happens to me at college, but not quite as often. I was always responsible about school, wanted to do all things well, and was frustrated when I couldn’t. I cannot fully relax with an assignment undone, even today. I went through some tomboy and YouTuber phases, but this ended as I started High School.
My parents were surely concerned for me in high school with even bigger challenges. My freshman year at High School was challenging and I required help from my teachers. It was a huge adjustment for me. Another side-effect of my autism is the time needed to adapt to change and it was a stressful time. I cried a lot. My parents weren’t sure if I could handle college since I was a little delayed, maturity-wise. Things changed my sophomore year when I joined Cross-Country, something I never considered until a friend encouraged me. I found that I love running and it has become a passion.
In High School, I literally and figuratively let my hair down more, made more friends, got my ears pierced, and changed my style. I went to some football games, and I even wore a dress to homecoming (something outside my comfort zone). I worked hard to get my driver’s license to prove I was capable. Many believed I would never be able to drive, but when I got my driver’s license I was proud. The school was online because of COVID-19, but I was always on top of things, getting my assignments done early and allowing me to relax.
My junior and senior years were exciting as visited colleges, something else I was told I would never do. I was the happiest ever at this time. I made more friends, went to prom, and had so much fun. I even had my first boyfriend for a while. I never imagined going to prom or homecoming dances. I felt confident, relaxed, and not stressed with very few teary-eyed moments over schoolwork. My senior photos, caused me to look back and reflect on how far I journeyed with autism.
I couldn’t believe I was accepted and soon on my way to college! I graduated high school, an exciting moment, accomplishing what many people couldn’t. My love of running led me to join the Cross Country and Track teams when accepted at the California University of Pennsylvania. So far, it has been a rocky but mostly successful transition to college life, dealing with roommates and handling college-level work. I am finding my way as a freshman with a firm reliance on God and support from my family.
Though I still do get anxious, I manage it better, and harness stress to make me work hard. Contending with autism has helped me be an overcomer shaping me into the person I am. I discovered I can conquer many obstacles in my life and succeed in academics, athletics, and any other challenge that comes along.
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.
