April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism was given a DSM diagnosis in 1984. Over the years as more information and different signs emerged, the diagnosis changed to Autism Spectrum Disorder. I honestly have a very limited understanding of autism. I am not writing this post to inform you of any real facts about Autism. This Black Fact post is just to highlight an individual living with autism, Morgan Harper Nichols.
I first heard of Morgan Harper Nichols from an episode of Marie TV, a Youtube channel created by Marie Forleo. Mrs. Nichols started as a college admissions counselor and went on to be a part of a band with her sister and her husband. She had always drawn and was encouraged by her father to continue to draw. The drawing was put on hold while she worked as a counselor and pursued her music career. A song she wrote and performed was featured in Bratz: The Movie.
Mrs. Nichols claim to fame after music was a poem she wrote out of frustration when faced with a lack of direction after quitting music. People connected with her and retweeted her poem over thousands of times. She has now written three books, All Along You Were Blooming, How Far You Have Come and Peace is a Practice. These books share stories, uplifting words and her own personal drawings. Mrs. Nichols also has an app called Storyteller by MHN and an online store called Garden24. You can find items created by Mrs. Nichols in Target Stores as well. On top of all that, she even has a podcast, The Morgan Harper Nichols Show. I am tired just listing her accomplishments.
Mrs. Nichols’ story is not only unique, but it is noteworthy. Why? Because she wasn’t diagnosed with autism until she was 31 years old, having spent her life knowing she was different. Even going to a doctor at 27 years old and being told she was fine. Once Mrs. Nichols received her diagnosis, the pieces began to fall in place. Yes, she would be considered high functioning on the autism spectrum from all of the accomplishments I have listed above, but that does not mean she did not have any struggles. I cannot tell her story better than she can, so I will not try to. Oh, I think I forgot to mention she has a blog. I am trying not to feel like an underachiever right now. Here is the blog post she wrote after officially being diagnosed. It is a pretty long read, but worth it.
https://morganharpernichols.com/blog/im-autistic
I follow Mrs. Harper on Instagram and I always feel so comforted by her words. She shines her light so bright you can’t help but to be drawn to it. People make so many assumptions about how disorders should look, how people should behave and seek to understand using comparisons. Just as we are all different, so are the disorders, illnesses and diseases we live with. Yes, there is textbook definitions, but we know those are bullshit when faced with people living with these disorders and their experiences. Mrs. Harper represents herself, a person living on the autism spectrum.
If you know of anyone who will benefit from this post or any others, please share it with them. Stay well and whole. Much Love 💙🧩