This week I have a special guest for my blog post. I joined podcast groups on Facebook and received a request to be interviewed for my blog. The young man I interviewed is Kadin McElwain. His answers to my questions impressed me. He is a true example of rising above bullying and a challenge people don’t understand. I can relate to him in some ways with my learning disability and bullying. Please welcome Kadin McElwain.

Aimee: Tell me about yourself.

Kadin: I’m an autistic college student, writer, and activist who is on a mission to raise as much awareness as possible by telling my story.

Aimee: When were you diagnosed with autism? Tell me about autism and the things you struggle with:

Kadin: I was diagnosed when I was two years old, coincidentally after getting the smallpox vaccination. It of course didn’t cause autism, but I always find that funny since that conspiracy theory is there. Throughout my life, I was told I wouldn’t amount to anything because I had autism. But thanks to a supportive set of parents and my own work ethic, I proved the naysayers wrong. The main struggles are with the social stuff. I take things literally, I have a hard time understanding facial expressions, and I have a hard time making friends and maintaining relationships. But I have been working on the latter two during my time in college.

Aimee: What are some things you do to work around your disability to get through school, college, and your life?

Kadin:I wouldn’t call autism a “disability” per say. I like to refer to it as a different ability. But to answer this question, I started therapy in September to help me better manage stress when it comes to things like academics and work. I also have testing accommodation (i.e. extended time on tests, a private room to take said tests, that kind of thing). But historically, throughout grade school, I had an IEP, which is a plan for people like me that’s made to help them succeed in school. But mainly, I’d say my parents have been my biggest tool, if you will, to help me manage this journey of being an adult with autism.

Aimee: When did you first face bullying because of your disability? How long did the bullying go on for?

Kadin: Well in elementary school, I was safe from bullying, and I was actually pretty popular. But in middle school and high school I started getting bullied for autism. Of course, everyone has experienced bullying in high school at some point. That’s everyone’s worst nightmare. But add someone with autism or someone who’s neurodivergent into the mix, then you become more vulnerable. Now to be fair, I did unintentionally put myself into a lot of those bullying situations. I would always tell on people for petty stuff, such as being on their phone in class. But these students should’ve known that I was on the spectrum. Quite frankly, the instructors should’ve told the class that as well.

Aimee: How has bullying impacted your life?

Kadin: I wouldn’t say it impacted my current life. I’m fine. But at the time, it hurt to be bullied and rightfully so. Thanks to that, I had a hard time making friends and I honestly lost trust in people for a while after the bullying. Quite frankly, I still do.

Aimee: Did you struggle with any mental health issues because of the bullying?

Kadin: I don’t know if this counts, but I just had a hard time embracing this gift of autism that I had thanks to the bullying. But I wouldn’t say it caused any mental well-being challenges. It was mainly low self-esteem.

Aimee: If you have struggled with mental illness because of bullying, what type of illness and how did you cope and work through it?

Kadin: My family helped me cope with my self-esteem.

Aimee: How did you rise above bullying? Tell me about how you prove people wrong and your accomplishments.

Kadin: I learned not to give the people who are bullying the time of day, and I also made it a part of my mission. I hope that schools and workplaces can implement mandatory autism training programs for students, teachers, and parents to take before they even enroll in the school. The parents’ part is because I believe everything starts at home.

Aimee: Tell me about what you write? Do you have a book(s) published, stories or poems published? Do you have a blog? What genre do you write? (If you have a blog or any books published you can include a link to them.)

Kadin: I mainly specialize in sports journalism. I write for a site called The Sports Column and I’ve published over 400 articles between 2019 and 2024. I have been working to branch out into motivational writing and op-eds by telling my story.

Aimee: Tell me about your work as an activist and how you work to raise awareness about autism.

Kadin: My activism began with a class project for my freshman year of college. The assignment was to work with a group to help the community. So, my group and I set up a GoFundMe for The Autism Society of America, and we ended up raising $1,085 for it and winning a contest with it. But unfortunately, as typical with my generation (The Participation Trophy Generation), my group only did the assignment to get the grade and the prize we got for winning the contest. To put it simply, their hearts weren’t truly in it. So, I thought “If no one else is going to take this cause seriously, I might as well be the one to do so.” So that project led to me speaking to political officials and people in power in school districts about autism, setting up fundraisers within my community for autism organizations, and appearing on various media platforms to tell my story. It’s not an easy thing, but I believe in the cause. If there’s gonna be change in the world, you definitely have to be outspoken about the issue.

Aimee: What advice do you give to others struggling with autism?

Kadin: I would say that you are extremely important in society, and you have amazing things to bring to the table, regardless of what you’re going through. If people can’t see that, don’t give them the time of day. They’ll be missing out on an amazing person.

Aimee: What advice would you give about facing bullying and/or mental illness?

Kadin: Don’t let these people bring you down. You are stronger than them and you deserve to be treated with kindness and to be around people who would never try to change the you that you are.

Aimee: Is there anything else you would like to tell my readers?

Kadin: Keep spreading positivity.

Kadin has embraced autism and risen above bullying to tell his story and become an inspiration to many. He stands in the light of success and strength.