This guest post is by Orion Savage, a young man on the autism spectrum who was diagnosed with ASD at age 3 and has been accepted into Savannah College of Art and Design. Orion 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, will be released on March 29, 2022 on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 autistic adults.
I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of 3 years old. I was nonverbal till I was 3 and I’d throw temper tantrums when things didn’t go my way. I just didn’t know how to communicate effectively. Some of those on the spectrum don’t know about effective communication or how to understand what someone says or when they’re talking to you. So, my mom had me go to speech therapy sessions at school. For a while, I didn’t understand why I had to go to speech therapy. I would always tell my mom “I know how to talk, so what’s the point?” I’ve been going to speech from elementary to high school and I’ve been frustrated with not understanding its purpose.
My parents are very supportive and want me to succeed. My mom pushes for accommodations through school and vocational rehab and to this day I still use those accommodations as they have helped with my learning disability. Especially in high school, I began to realize the importance of in-class support along with my going to smaller classes. I have a short-term working memory, unless I was invested enough to repeat learning what I enjoyed, I easily forget anything I don’t find interesting.
I began to wonder why I was getting special treatment that it seemed nobody else was getting; however, I didn’t feel like asking why I was different from others. And surprisingly it wasn’t until my senior year of High School that I was told that I have Autism Spectrum Disorder. It was even when I discovered what the term “disorder” or “disability” is.
When I discovered I had ASD and realized that it’s why I’m not able to communicate very well, I researched ASD and the many types of autism. With my constant stuttering, lack of eye contact, and feeling awkward around people I don’t know, I felt like I may be a weirdo because my brain worked differently from those I considered “normal.” The only times I felt depressed or any anxiety when it came to my disability, was during high school and towards college, the times when I had to do homework involving complex thinking. And being forced to do group assignments with classmates who aren’t my best friends. I was uncomfortable around them and couldn’t bring myself to speak or be involved as much. When I had two jobs, they both were in high demand, I had to interact with co-workers and customers and was constantly shifting tasks and had so much to memorize in a fast-paced environment.
However, all my life I’ve always loved drawing. I would just draw cartoon characters and random comics for fun, but I never considered it a career choice. It wasn’t until I was 16, that I became passionate about being an artist. I enjoyed reading comic books, so I committed myself to being a comic book artist and animator. I took graphic design classes during my junior and senior years. We used computers to make digital artwork. During those classes, I felt more engaged and satisfied with learning what more I can do with my creativity. I’m also kind of tech-savvy. Maybe I could use art to express the creativity and thoughts that I don’t think I could express with words.
My mom has shown me accomplishments made by those also on the spectrum and other disabilities. Seeing this has helped me realize that my disorder has pushed and given me challenges from time to time but when I’ve grown to tell myself that I’m in control, that autism is actually a gift. It’s motivated me to push myself. It’s helped with my passion for art since my repetitive behavior has me drawing almost every day and striving to learn to draw different things and learn new techniques. Though I’ve had my downers, I enjoy my passion too much to give it up. Remembering my ASD for the good it’s done instead of the challenges, I’ve come to accept myself and be thankful for being different from everybody else.
I’m beginning to have hope for where the acceptance of this journey will take me in the future. But filling in these holes in my soul has made me happier with myself. Now I don’t get in a mood as much and I’ve been calmer around others. I still feel disappointed and doubt myself sometimes, but it’s just small obstacles that I will eventually overcome. Being more motivated and open-minded, any obstacle and roadblock to coming once I find my motivation, won’t hold me back forever.
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 that 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, will be 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.
