"Emotionally, I was developmentally delayed, but not intellectually" - Love on the Spectrum star Madison Marilla reflects on her past struggles

Madison Marilla, a season 3 contestant on Love on the Spectrum, was one of the hopeful singles with autism who joined the show in search of love. She was inspired by former cast members Abbey and David. Their journey made her believe that finding love was possible for people with autism.

In an interview with CNN, published on April 10, Madison opened up about her past problems while navigating the dating world as a person on the spectrum. She shared that she used to feel left out when her neurotypical friends would go out on dates and enter relationships in high school.

While she tried to invite her other friends with special needs to prom, they shied away from attending such big school events.

The Love on the Spectrum star shared that this often happened to her in high school, as she was emotionally delayed. While her peers grasped the complex social dynamics of dating, she struggled to understand them at the time.

“This happened in high school quite a bit, because … emotionally, I was developmentally delayed, but not intellectually. I did not understand the complex social skills involved in dating when I was in high school that most people my age understood at the time,” she said

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Love on the Spectrum star neurodiversity expert Jennifer Cook helps Madison navigate through the dating world

For the unversed, Love on the Spectrum season 3 premiered on Netflix on April 2. The show returned with a new group of contestants on the spectrum hoping to find the love of their respective lives.

Madison Marilla, one of the hopeful singles, made her reality TV debut in season 3. Being a 27-year-old on the spectrum, she was struggling to navigate the dating world due to her lack of experience. However, Jennifer Cook—the show's on-screen neurodiversity expert, who is also diagnosed with autism— came to her aid and guided her through the process.

Jennifer shared in the interview with CNN that with her help, Madison was able to find the balance between stepping out of her comfort zone to the point where it didn't disturb her.

“It’s important for everybody to do things that are outside of their comfort zones, wherever you fall on the human spectrum. It’s what makes us better and more creative and more fabulous individuals,” she said.

In episode 2, during her preparation for her first date, Madison had a conversation with Jennifer where she tried to get answers to all the questions she had about dating etiquette, including what to say and things to bring along.

Reflecting on the conversation, Jennifer said in the interview that it was a good example of the layers to stepping outside one’s comfort zone, noting that Madison was in the “learning zone.”

While the Love on the Spectrum star was all prepared for her first date, it didn't go as planned, as her date Bandon was sensitive to noises at the restaurant and wasn't able to focus on their conversation.

Jennifer described this situation as the “panic zone,” where an individual is faced with extreme feelings.

“That’s when you’re in a place of extreme feelings. So, you might feel confused, you might feel disoriented, insecure or even inept, like ‘I can’t do this.’ 'When we’re in that zone, we can’t take in any new information, we can’t think flexibly, we can’t communicate well with others,” the Love on the Spectrum's on-screen neurodiversity expert said.

In episode 3, Madison went on a date with Tyler. The two quickly discovered many similarities and formed a strong connection, growing closer throughout the season. They’re still together today, as per Madison's Instagram account. (@madison_marilla).

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Love on the Spectrum, season 3, episodes 1-7, are available on Netflix.