This guest post is by Lilly Parrick, a young woman who is diagnosed with autism and will attend Ashland. Lilly is applying for the Spring 2025 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.
Growing up being different from other is difficult that is because the inclusion isn’t always there. Growing up for me was difficult i was always developmentally behind from other people my age I always struggle to communicate effectively and it took me awhile to learn to properly walk. People struggles to understand me and what I needed. At the age of two I was barely saying four word sentences. I was doing a few pieces puzzles. I was learning to walk. But the thing is I didn’t know that I had Autism till I was 17. I found out from doing testing, I also struggle with my learning abilities. But that is apart of my Autism. Autism is a big range of things. Its communicating, learning, functioning, and coping. But as I continued growing up I struggled to communicate feeling and it was hard making and keeping friends. Even after being put into the system I still didn’t know I had Autism. But what I did realize was that as I was growing up it was getting hard to function and communicate like others my age. I had moments of outbursts because I didn’t know how to communicate what I wanted or needed in that moment. It’s a struggle when people don’t understand what you need. After I got placed in this last home that’s when I figure out I had Autism. My mother saw it from the first day she meet me. She knew I had Autism because of the way I communicated, fidgeting with hands, and the way I stimmed. But after I got adopted and placed into this home was when I really started getting the help. What I wish was there was more education about Autism and more inclusive activity’s. Even though I have Autism I am still a human being. I function just a little bit different from others my age. I also may need more help but I am a human. I deserved to be interacted and included into activity’s. Everyone with Autism is human. Some May not verbally talk, but they still communicate in their own way. Growing up with Autism is different and difficult but I did it and I continue to do it. I may struggle going to school, community activity’s, and my appointments but I get it done. I cope in my own ways, even if its by stimming. One way I cope is humming while I am out and when I start getting over stimulated. I also struggle with sensory issues, I don’t like water or stains on my clothes. But am I not different I am a human. I stim but I am human. I struggle to communicate and process feeling but I am Human. NO matter what I do say I am a Human. I just require extra support. Which is okay, just don’t judge others by the way they look, do things, or communicate. I have Autism I’m not ashamed I struggle but I get through it.
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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.
