Today I slowed down enough to really observe how this crazy time actually effects people with Autism and how reducing Autism to awareness and a blue washing of the world is not helpful. At all.
First, let's talk blue. Blue is the color the organization called Autism Speaks co-opted for Autism. Autism Speaks is not an advocacy group for Autism. Most autistic people or people with autism (some autistic people are not fans of person first language) feel that Autism Speaks is a hate group. The money they raise is to eradicate and has a poor track record of showing respect for autistic people. Check out their commercial called "I am Autism." It shows an eerie focus on neuro-diversity as well as using fear to scare parents into treatments and tactics to "cure" autism in children, all the while using none of their funds to find a cure but to show autism as a devastating disability. The founders of AS compares the "3 million children" in the United States with autism - one of which is MY SON - to a crisis on the level of 3 million children suddenly going missing or 3 million children waking up all on the same day, gravely ill.
When you support BLUE - you aren't supporting autism - you are supporting Autism Speaks.
Awareness is not enough. I actually have a shirt that says Autism Acceptance not Awareness. Awareness is not even sort of enough. That is like saying you notice that people with autism exist. If in this day and age if you haven't noticed autism exists we need to make a shirt and an advocacy group for obtuse people. The logo would be:
Acceptance for autistic people is critical. It is who they are! They are not abnormal or weird. They are neuro-diverse. The rest of us are supposedly neuro-typical. I guess we are but as a former teacher and now a teacher of The Good News of Jesus Christ, I am here to tell you, everyone learns and functions differently. It is just that the majority of us can be lumped into a group that can function as a herd... typical.
Autism also know as ASD is a spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders. It is a spectrum that includes what USED to be be compartmentalized as either, Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified/PDD-NOS (our former diagnosis.) Understanding that Autism is really a diagnosis arrived at by finding some of a group of dis-ordered functions of a person's cognition and development gave the need to erase the other labels. Why? Because if you know one person with autism - you know one person with autism. But honestly, how many people do you know that are EXACTLY alike?
Autism effects land differently on different people, but for a majority of people with autism, all the change we are currently facing can be very trying. For some people with autism this time of distancing and extreme change in routine can mean a huge stressor. Please don't assume that ALL people with autism are loners and love the isolation. Yes people with autism isolate but schedules are critical. Change is anxiety producing and depending on the level of understanding, either due to age or cognitive ability, you may not be able to explain enough why we aren't still going to school or can' have their specific chicken nuggets anymore for a while. My son is currently obsessed with people not following the distance rules. It may be different for everyone. Just as it is for us neurotypical people. Hmmm
So what can you do?
Colors - Maybe choose rainbow colors since it signifies that we are all different
Instead of Lightbulbs - think puzzle pieces so we can all fit together
Instead of Autism Speaks - look for organizations that advocate for families for education and therapies. Check out this link click here
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