Jersey City native Kerry Magro, who is now 26, was diagnosed with a condition called Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) when he was four years old. “Growing up I had a lot of difficulties, socially and with communication,” he says. He also had problems with sensory integration and motor skills.
“I was able to really overcome a lot of obstacles,” he says, “and because of that I’ve tried to help future generations of kids.” Since PDD-NOS is a form of autism, he’s focused his considerable energy on autism awareness. For the past four years, he’s been giving motivational talks around the country.
Magro received a Masters degree in strategic communication and leadership from Seton Hall University. “I want to go out into the community and hone my craft,” he says, “and become more of a motivational speaker and spread more knowledge about autism.”
His own early experiences resonate with audiences. He moved around a lot in the school system until his mother found a comfortable fit for him at a community high school in Teaneck for kids with special needs.
Overcoming so much adversity and becoming a college freshman were formidable accomplishments. “I realized in college,” he says, “that there wasn’t a lot of support for kids with special needs.” That’s when he knew he wanted to become an advocate for disability awareness.
In college when he had to give a presentation for his oral communications class, he chose autism as the subject and told his peers for the first time that he was on the autism spectrum. “I told them it didn’t make me any less of a person,” he says. “I had my own unique story to share in the hope of spreading awareness.”
The Written Word
Magro is using a number of communications platforms to spread the word. In July 2013 his self-published book, Defining Autism from the Heart: From Nonverbal to National Speaker, was released. A short book of poems and essays that he wrote in college, it addresses what autism has meant to him. It made the Amazon bestseller list for special-needs titles. This was an especially big deal because he was running neck and neck with Temple Grandin’s The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum. Grandin, who has autism herself, is a widely known authority on the condition. At one point, Magro was number one and Grandin number two on the list.
“It was a complete surprise,” Magro says. “I didn’t expect much to happen at all, so it was definitely an interesting experience.”
In his book, “Autism and Falling in Love,” published in December, 2014, and available on Amazon, Magro discusses his personal experience of being in love and the challenges of finding a partner.
Magro is a columnist for Autism After 16, and he consulted on the film Joyful Noise and worked on the indie film Jane Wants a Boyfriend.
He also finds time to be a life coach.
The Spoken Word
Magro was selected to be among 15 speakers at the Nov. 8 TEDx talk at the Frank R. Conwell School complex here in town. TEDx is an offshoot of the ever-popular TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks that attract big names and big audiences to address a wide range of hot-button topics.
Magro spoke on “The Will of Opportunity: The Path of Autism to College.” Among the topics covered were time management, managing independence, and advocating for your needs.
He is one of the first people with autism to be accredited by the National Speaker Association.
His day job is working for the nonprofit Autism Speaks. He started volunteering there in 2007. In 2010 he was hired as an intern while still in college, focusing on social media. After graduating from college, he got a fulltime job there working as its social media coordinator.
“It’s been a win-win for me,” he says. “I’m obsessed with Facebook and Twitter. I couldn’t ask for more.”
But, wait, there is more.
Support System
Magro credits his parents, Suzanne Mack and Robert Magro, for much of his success. “Mom has been my coach ever since I was four years old,” he says. “She went above and beyond to help me and give me support. She went out of her way to join the board of education. She came on the board to help her kid but stayed to help everyone else’s kids. She’s an incredible role model.”
Robert Magro was also a role model and coached him in his development. “When I was growing up I didn’t have many friends,” Magro says. “He was not only a father but one of my best friends. To have him there, supporting me, talking to me, it helped me overall to become more social and to get myself out there to make friends.”
Magro has a passion that also helped him make friends: sports. “I love sports,” he says. “I’m totally obsessed. I watch everything. I wake up watching ESPN. It started when I was a kid and I was fixated on sports. Basketball is my favorite and helped me to make friends in high school.”
When he was a freshman he was five-foot-eleven and weighed more than 230 pounds. He tried out for the junior varsity but didn’t make it. “That summer I took it upon myself to get in shape,” he says. “I did cardio six times a week. I lost 60 pounds, grew three inches taller and was one of the last selected for the JV team.” By senior year he was captain of the varsity team.
“I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my social abilities,” Magro says, summing up his incredible journey thus far. “I got into college, learned about relationships, how to make friends, and how to bond with people.”—JCM