This guest post is by Van Ryoko Aguilar, a young man with autism who attends the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa-Philippines. Van Ryoko 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.
First of all, I want to thank my parents for trusting me that I can be a better person despite my difficulties and reach the highest level in college now, I’m in 3rd-year of college taking up a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, and without your support and understanding, I may not be for what I am now.
When I was 3 years old and diagnosed with autism spectrum, I understand the heartache of seeing my family members struggling and hurting because I’m different. It breaks my heart to see you at odds because of me. That’s why I studied hard so that someday I will not a burden to my family. However, even now as an adult, there are things I struggle with – socializing with my schoolmates, especially during my group projects like Thesis.
They don’t understand me because of my speech, I can’t express and explain what we have done for our group project. I struggle in everything, I can’t communicate my needs, and things are just not going the way I wish they would. Some of my group mates are bullish, but I ignore everything the way they acted toward me.
I’ve been sensitive to loud noises and I now understand my sensory issues. It was so frustrating for me not knowing why I was. I am labeled as a shy and quiet person, no one seemed to know and felt so different especially the social aspect. As my mum brought it to my attention, I started to do some research on my own. The more I read and understand about Autism Spectrum and been a member of the Autism Society Philippines (ASP), the more I saw myself in those words and saw others have the same in me when I attended the Angels Walk activity. I think this could be the answer that I had been looking for all my life. Angel’s Walk is an annual activity here in the Philippines wherein all persons diagnosed with spectrum can freely express themselves. It is an annual recognition of the impact of persons on the autism spectrum in the community and of their skills and talent that makes them stand out beyond their exceptionality.
Thank you parents for empowering me and making it possible for me to do things that on my own I simply can’t. Their words and attitude towards me are vital in providing that support. I got messages like: “You are capable of so many great things”, “I know you can do this”, and “It’s okay to be yourself” throughout my childhood. And if I couldn’t do something, then “That’s okay, do you want to try again?” along with “Without failure, you’d never have success,” helped to pick me up and encourage me. These are good things to hear, as said to me by a truly awesome ‘autism mom’. Thank you for listening to me and trying to be more understanding, accepting, and helpful. I know you are afraid you will do or say something wrong, but the fact that you feel that way is a good sign.
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.
