Autism Speaks Official Blog

This guest post is by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a graduate student at Seton Hall University, and is actively involved with our college program. Autism Speaks U is an initiative designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Should I even be surprised? College has taught me many things; how to self-advocate, how to spread awareness, and maybe most importantly that if you have a passion for something you need to go for it no matter the costs. At the same time what college also unfortunately taught me was that there are still a great deal of ignorant people out there that simply think of the black and white and avoid the grey completely.

One problem that I see as a huge indicator of this is the whole concept of “out growing” your autism. When I was first diagnosed my psychiatrist told my parents that autism was a life long diagnosis while at the same time other doctors told them there was a possibility that certain individuals would out grow the symptoms that led to the diagnosis.

I think the whole belief of this puts negative annotations toward our community. Saying someone has out grown means someone can be inclined to say someone was cured of something naturally and diminishes the need for legislation reform and funding. In either case I think we need to avoid those debates as they just cause clutter overall.

I feel more and more that I fall in the ever-growing “Grey” section of people. Sure, I graduated from college and am in graduate school but I’ve had two decades of multiple therapies and learned over time to take care and progress within myself. I’m also clearly not the typical “normal” that some people look for. I have eccentric tendencies that make me unique.

My question for those reading is, “What do you think is unique about autism that makes the understanding of individuality important?”

Let me know if you have any thoughts! Thanks everyone!

I just started a new video blog called “My Autism My Voice,” and this is one of the topics I discuss. This is one of my Autism Speaks U related blog posts. If you would like to contact me directly about questions/comments related to this post I can be reached at kerry.magro@autismspeaks.org or through my Facebook page here.

The two posts below were written by Caroline and Taylor, members of Colgate University’s Women’s Hockey Team. The team’s Autism Awareness Project will be on Friday, February 3 at 7pm.  For more information or to make a donation, visit www.colgate.edu/autism.  

As our Autism Awareness game has been fast approaching, we have grown more and more excited by the second. As a sophomore, I have witnessed the first year of our autism project, and have even higher expectations for this year. Every time I see a friend, classmate, or another athlete, I ask them if they will be attending the game. Every response is alongthe lines of, “Of course! Our whole team is coming.” It is such an amazing feeling to hear such words, because we know that the whole community is behind us with this project. Ever since my freshman year at Choate Rosemary Hall, I have been involved with autism. During the month of January and February, my Choate hockey team would skate with mentally handicapped kids every Sunday, including kids with the brain disorder, autism. I became incredibly close with a boy named David. He had a huge heart and he would always tell me stories about his teams, his family, and how we were going to win the championship hockey game. When I graduated Choate, I was sad to leave such an eye-opening project, but I was quickly uplifted when my coach, Scott Wiley, announced our autism project for 2011. Coach Wiley designed this project in honor of Kati Williams, a local teenager from Norwich, who has been an avid fan of Colgate Women’s hockey for several years and now works as the team manager. She and her family have had a huge impact on our team. Last year’s project allowed us to cross paths with Christian Mast, an 11 year old boy who has autism, but also the biggest heart I know. He and his family have grown a part of our team, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.   -Caroline Potolicchio, Sophomore, #2

Caroline & Taylor: Members of Colgate University's Women's Hockey Team

Before even coming to Colgate, I had already heard wonderful reports about the success of the Autism Awareness game last year. With the game fast approaching it has been fun to be apart of all of the excitement and commotion I am excited to see all of our hard work pay off this coming Friday. I am so thankful to be a part of such a great team that truly cares for a bigger cause. Just this past weekend when we were on a road trip, a St. Lawrence parent approached me, because she wanted us to know her gratitude to what we were doing for autism. She explained that the biggest problem with this disorder is that a lot of people are not educated that it even exists or that they could potential be diagnosed with it. She stated how our game and the publicity that it receives could be responsible for changing someone’s life. I can contest to this first hand, because our biggest fan is eleven-year-old Autistic boy. Just the way that Christian lights up when he comes to a game to see us, makes all of our efforts and time worth while. I am very excited to see the jerseys that Christian designed for our game, and I am thankful that I have been able to be a part of spreading autism awareness.  -Taylor Craig, Freshman, #5

For more information on Colgate University’s Autism Awareness Project or to make a donation, visit www.colgate.edu/autism.  

This blog post was written by Erin Mast, the Chair for the Central New York Walk Now for Autism Speaks. She is an active member of the autism community and a mother of three boys. Erin and her family have cultivated a wonderful relationship with Colgate University’s Women’s Hockey team. For details about Colgate’s Autism Awarenss Project or to make a donation, visit www.colgate.edu/autism.

If you are reading this blog, then most likely you have some connection to autism. I have two wonderful boys, who happen to be on the spectrum. I also chair the Central New York Walk Now for Autism Speaks. Through my volunteer efforts, I was lucky enough to be involved with the first ever Autism Awareness Event at Colgate University, hosted by the women’s ice hockey team in 2011. On February 3 and the 4, the team is hosting their second event. They are planning amazing things and making such a huge difference to the members of their community. But, more importantly than that, they are changing the lives of people with autism. They are blessed with a wonderful manager, Kati, who is a huge part of the team. Kati has autism. But, it has gone further than that. My son Christian went along with me last year and it has honestly changed his life. He is now playing ice hockey with the Rochester Ice Cats, who are a member of the American Special Hockey Association. Christian was also asked to design the jerseys for the Colgate games throughout the weekend, which he did happily. The jerseys will be worn for two games and then auctioned off, the proceeds being donated to Autism Speaks and other local autism charities

If you would have asked me if an ice hockey program could have changed my life, I would have said, “Absolutely not.” How wrong I would have been. Please take a moment to check out all that the ladies at Colgate University are doing to make a difference in the autism community by going to http://colgate.edu/autism. Support the team and all their efforts! Better yet, join us at Starr Rink on Friday, February 3 at 7:00 pm. Their goal is to break last year’s record by having 1200 fans. Wear blue and get in for free!

This guest post is by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a graduate student at Seton Hall University, and is actively involved with our college program. Autism Speaks U is an initiative designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Do you know that I was once called Rain Man by a college peer? Wow. When I look back at the reason why anyone would say something like that I think of some of the stereotypes of autism. Some think people with autism lack social interaction and others think people with autism are good at math. In the 1988 movie Rain Man, Actor Dustin Hoffman plays a character that is autistic and shows he’s good with numbers but also lacks some communication skills. Because of the popularity of this movie and mainly because autism was still very unknown during the release of the movie it became, for better or for worse, a characterization of what autism could be.

But you know what the problem is here? I’m autistic and I’m nothing like Rain Man. I’m now an adult great with verbal communication, I’m not as good in math and the differences keep piling up. You see, autism is very broad. No one diagnosis is the same and therefore when we think of Rain Man we must think of Rain Man as ONLY Rain Man. He is one symbol of the countless symbols of real people out there that have autism. I think that’s what makes our autism community great. We all are unique in our own way and we all have the opportunity to have our “voices” heard. Sometimes that voice is not a verbal one, sometimes it is heard through our art or music or some other skill or talent we have or simply a smile at our family members. Each and every individual with autism is a new and unique symbol of what autism is today and will be for our future.

So in keeping with the future…

To those who are reading…

Don’t call me Rain Man. Call me Kerry.

Don’t think I’m bad at verbal communication, because in fact in my own way I’m great at communication and I’m getting a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication to boot.

Don’t think I’ll be ready to help when it comes to numbers, because all I’m going to do is pass you a calculator.

AND, most importantly, just look at me as me. I’m Kerry and there is only one of me. Just like there is only one of you. Let’s embrace the fact that there will only be one Kerry Magro, just like there will only be one Rain Man. We write our own stories based on the biography of life which we are all living through right now. Let’s make sure the chapters we’re writing are good ones, by living it just the way we are.

So please call me Kerry the next time you see me, because that is someone who I  was always meant to be.

I just started a new video blog called “My Autism My Voice,” and this is one of the topics I discuss. Click here for more information. This is one of my Autism Speaks U related blog posts. If you would like to contact me directly about questions/comments related to this post I can be reached at kerry.magro@autismspeaks.org or through my Facebook page here.

We are thrilled to announced that Theta Delta Chi, one of the nation’s oldest college fraternities, has selected Autism Speaks as its national official philanthropy.  The partnership between Autism Speaks and Theta Delta Chi will engage the thirty-three Theta Delta Chi chapters on college campuses nationwide in autism awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts as part of our Autism Speaks U college program. Autism Speaks U is an initiative that engages college students in their efforts to support Autism Speaks.  Since its inception in 2008, Autism Speaks U events have raised over $1 million for Autism Speaks research and advocacy efforts. There are more than 45 Autism Speaks U chapters on college campuses nationwide.

We are extremely grateful to Theta Delta Chi for partnering with Autism Speaks.  With the support of its members, autism awareness will continue to grow on college campuses throughout the country.  Theta Delta Chi is the second collegiate society to partner with Autism Speaks through its Autism Speaks U program. In 2009, Alpha Xi Delta sorority selected Autism Speaks as its national philanthropic partner. Since the partnership was established, Alpha Xi Delta’s 120 collegiate chapters have raised over $625,000 for Autism Speaks.

For more information, click here to read the press release.

This guest post is by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a graduate student at Seton Hall University, and is actively involved with our college program. Autism Speaks U is an initiative designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.

One of the greatest lessons I ever learned in college was the ability to lead through, “The Power of a Positive Attitude.” When I was growing up it was always difficult for me to commit to things, always hard for me to get to that next level. A big part of that was based on my attitude. I didn’t know it back then but I was blind from how my attitude was leading the direction of my life. I struggled so much back when I was a kid it was always tough for me to focus on what was needed to overcome those obstacles.

College did change me though. It made me understand the need to take my attitude that indeed dramatically changed in high school to another level again. This happened when I started to realize there’s a solution to everything. Indeed, some of these solutions are ever changing as our society evolves and gains more knowledge but like what my mom would always tell me, “there are no problems, just solutions.” This helped me tremendously. Whether it was was getting accommodations for classes or even finding a way for an individual with autism such as myself to get a masters degree in strategic communication, the solution was there for me to find.

For all those reading what I hope you take from this is that even though there is a great deal of uncertainty out there involving autism that you understand we must continue to push positivity in everything we do. There are answers out there to help our loved ones succeed, autistic or not. Getting down on ourselves will help no one in our pursuits for a better tomorrow. Our community is in desperate need of this. I know this might be harder for some but for those individuals I ask that you make an effort to lose yourself in your passions to make a difference for yourself and the lives of others.

Tell yourself, there are ways to improve my life. There are ways to help my loved ones. Make these your mantra. We spend so much time sometimes saying what we don’t have, what services we can’t find, what diagnosis’s we can’t get, that we don’t appreciate what we have today. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Live your life with no more problems but instead strive to find the solutions. And if you can, do it with a smile. It can make a world of difference. It did for me.

This is one of my Autism Speaks U related blog posts. If you would like to contact me directly about questions/comments related to this post I can be reached at kerry.magro@autismspeaks.org or through my Facebook Page here.

This guest post is by Courtney Hindle, co-president of the Autism Speaks U chapter at George Washington University. Autism Speaks U is a program designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts. To start a chapter on your college campus, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/U.

My name is Courtney Hindle, and I am a junior at George Washington University (GWU), studying political communications. I am also the current co-president of the Autism Speaks U chapter at my school.  My involvement with autism began early on, when my younger brother was diagnosed and I later became a volunteer for Hunterdon Outreach Programs in my hometown.

Courtney (center), with members of Autism Speaks U GWU.

These programs are designed to teach children with various disabilities how to play a range of sports. I remained a volunteer for the Hunterdon Outreach programs throughout high school and knew I wanted to continue my passion for helping those with autism once I came to college. When I discovered the Autism Speaks U chapter at my school I decided to join.

We have had a chapter at GWU for a year and a half now and are so thrilled with the progress we have made with this incredible organization. The overall GWU student body has been tremendously supportive of our chapter.

Whenever we are hosting events for Autism Speaks, students always stop by to talk about their personal experiences with autism and how appreciative they are for everything Autism Speaks does for raising awareness.  While many students are informed about autism, there is still a large portion of the student body that doesn’t quite grasp autism. We hope that through future awareness events we will be able to reach out to those in our community that don’t quite understand and give them a better understanding of the disorder. The mission of Autism Speaks U at GWU is to raise awareness on campus about autism and Autism Speaks while also looking for volunteer opportunities for students.

Recently, our chapter raised over $2,000 for the National Walk Now for Autism Speaks and placed second out of all collegiate fundraising teams for that Walk.  Leading up to the Walk, we organized several tabling events where we fundraised and registered fellow GWU students to participate in the Walk.

Members of Autism Speaks U GWU at the 2011 National Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

We have also sponsored an event hosted by George Washington University’s Disability Support Services,  about “composing disability.” This symposium focused on how college students with disabilities are viewed and how teachers and students can work to address problems those with disabilities have in the school system.  This was a great opportunity to have our members learn about how our school works with supporting those with disabilities and we were so honored to be one of the symposium’s sponsors.

Being a part of Autism Speaks U has been an incredible experience and our chapter cannot wait to see where we will be a year from now!

For more information about Autism Speaks U and how you can get your campus involved, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/U or email autismspeaksu@autismspeaks.org.

Are you a college student? Do you want to raise awareness about autism while gaining volunteer hours and experience for your resume? If so, join our team at Autism Speaks U to recruit students on your campus to host events benefiting our cause and to start a collegiate chapter. Become a Campus Ambassador at any college! You do not have to be close to an Autism Speaks office. It requires a time commitment of 3-5 hours per week for 3 months during the school year.

Watch our video below and click here for more information.

Autism Speaks U is a program designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts. If you are interested in raising awareness on your college campus, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/U.

You’ve probably heard lots of thoughts and ideas about autism, but we want to make sure you know what is true and what is false. Our Family Services and Science department put together 11 myths about autism to help put an end to any misconceptions. All of these are great for students to share with their classmates. If you’re in college, get involved with Autism Speaks U, a program that supports college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.

1. Myth: People with autism don’t want friends.

Truth: If someone in your class has autism, they probably struggle with social skills, which may make it difficult to interact with peers. They might seem shy or unfriendly, but that’s just because he or she is unable communicate their desire for relationships the same way you do.

2. Myth: People with autism can’t feel or express any emotion—happy or sad.

Truth: Autism doesn’t make an individual unable to feel the emotions you feel, it just makes the person communicate emotions (and perceive your expressions) in different ways.

3. Myth: People with autism can’t understand the emotions of others.

Truth: Autism often affects an individual’s ability to understand unspoken interpersonal communication, so someone with autism might not detect sadness based solely on one’s body language or sarcasm in one’s tone of voice. But, when emotions are communicated more directly, people with autism are much more likely to feel empathy and compassion for others.

4. Myth: People with autism are intellectually disabled.

Truth: Often times, autism brings with it just as many exceptional abilities as limitations. Many people with autism have normal to high IQs and some may excel at math, music or another pursuit.

5. People with autism are just like Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man.

Truth: Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning its characteristics vary significantly from person to person. Knowing one person with autism means just that—knowing one person with autism. His or her capabilities and limitations are no indication of the capabilities and limitations of another person with autism.

6. Myth: People who display qualities that may be typical of a person with autism are just odd and will grow out of it.

Truth: Autism stems from biological conditions that affect brain development and, for many individuals, is a lifelong condition.

7. Myth: People with autism will have autism forever.

Truth: Recent research has shown that children with autism can make enough improvement after intensive early intervention to “test out” of the autism diagnosis. This is more evidence for the importance of addressing autism when the first signs appear.

8. Myth: Autism is just a brain disorder.

Truth: Research has shown that many people with autism also have gastro-intestinal disorders, food sensitivities, and many allergies.

9.  Myth: Autism is caused by bad parenting.

Truth: In the 1950s, a theory called the “refrigerator mother hypothesis” arose suggesting that autism was caused by mothers who lacked emotional warmth. This has long been disproved.

10. Myth: The prevalence of autism has been steadily increasing for the last 40 years.

Truth: The rate of autism has increased by 600% in the last 20 years. In 1975, an estimated 1 in 1,500 had autism. In 2009, an estimated 1 in 110 had an autism spectrum disorder.

11. Myth: Therapies for people with autism are covered by insurance.

Truth:  Most insurance companies exclude autism from the coverage plan and only half of the 50 states currently require coverage for treatments of autism spectrum disorders.

If you’re interested in raising awareness in college, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/U.

This guest post is by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a graduate student at Seton Hall University, and is actively involved with our college program. Autism Speaks U is an initiative designed to support college students in their awareness, advocacy and fundraising efforts.

“My 5 year old son was just diagnosed with PDD-NOS and has no speech. Will he ever be able to speak?” 

Kerry Magro at age 4.

While the young mother stood before me in tears, I felt trapped; trapped because I couldn’t tell her that everything was going to be alright.

When I look back at my life, that 6 year old boy, going into first grade with so much anger, and so many emotions, it was almost too much. I knew back then I was mad. I was lashing out because I didn’t know how to communicate in an appropriate manner. That was almost 16 years ago. I was that 6 year old again. What would it take for her son to be able to speak one day? Would he be as lucky as me?

So, I surprised myself. I hugged her. I hugged this complete stranger for what probably ended up being 5 minutes. No words were said. I could only hear her sobbing and I almost joined her several times. I knew I couldn’t answer her question, but by telling her about my journey, I could give her hope.

I reflected back to the journey that I had had led me to where I am today. The therapies, the special need classrooms, the accommodations, the hate, the ignorance, the awareness, the drama, the acceptance, the struggle, the tears, the heartache, the strength, the friends, my mom, my dad, and above all else the love that has made my journey worth every second.After we hugged I told her my story. I told her about that 6 year old boy and how he became who I was today. 15 minutes later tears of uncertainty had become tears of hope for not only her but for her son.

This is why I speak. Each time I share my story I pray that I’m making an impact on a parent, a family, a friend, etc. for the future of the autism movement. I may not be a scientist, or an expert in the field, I just know what it’s like to grow up–and thrive with autism. So, if you have autism, especially those young adults out there who are trying to spread awareness at the college level or beyond, tell your story.

It’s time for all of us to listen.

*I shared this story with my friend Laura Shumaker on her official website here as well. Thanks Everyone!*

This is one of my Autism Speaks U related blog posts. If you would like to contact me directly about questions/comments related to this post I can be reached at kerry.magro@autismspeaks.org or through my Facebook Page here.