Why I continue to applaud ‘The Good Doctor’ as an autism advocate

This guest post is by Kerry Magro, a professional speaker, best-selling author and autism entertainment consultant who is on the autism spectrum. A version of this blog appeared on Kerrymagro.com.

I continue to applaud The Good Doctor for not only giving a platform to highlight autism but showing that skilled people with autism can make an impact in the workforce if given the opportunity.  

With each season of ‘The Good Doctor’ so far premiering in September it has given us the opportunity to tease National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October. Because of that I wanted to take a moment to address this topic of autism & employment. In previous articles I’ve discussed this briefly but wanted to highlight the importance of autism & employment even farther when it comes to The Good Doctor.

We have seen in recent years companies both big and small trying to make an impact. Microsoft and SAP for example are taking a huge step to hire more people with autism. In addition, countless families have even started LLC’s in the hopes of hiring people with disabilities. Even then, groups such as Autism Speaks have come up with Employment Tool Kits to provide resources and also TheSpectrumCareers – a job portal to help find employment for those with autism.

This is a huge step in the right direction! I can only hope that when people see Dr. Shaun Murphy on The Good Doctor, a surgeon on the autism spectrum that will see more companies looking to our community for help.

When I was diagnosed with autism, my parents were unsure if I’d ever find meaningful employment one day. I was nonverbal until 2.5 before I was even diagnosed with autism at 4. Years later as an adult, thanks to years of therapy I was able to find meaningful employment, working for groups such as Autism Speaks before becoming self-employed as a full-time professional speaker. I can relate a lot to Dr. Shaun Murphy.

When kids with autism transition to adulthood, employment will be possible for some.  This is why I’m thankful for The Good Doctor and only send them best wishes for a continued successful run on television for many years to come.