· Around the world April means we are in the midst of autism awareness day, week, month
· Awareness only helps if it is the right kind
· We need awareness that being autistic is a valid part of neurodiversity and that neurotypical isn’t the gold standard
Around the world April means we are in the midst of autism awareness day, week, month
April is known as the time when there are autism awareness days, weeks or even the whole month in different countries. Did you know that a lot of autistic people shun social media in this month because of all the misinformation and ill-informed comments that are made? I find that really sad, that something that could be used to increase awareness of what autism really is, and what could really be done to be inclusive is taken over by those stuck in the deficit paradigm.
Awareness only helps if it is the right kind
What I mean by this is if awareness is only used to spread mis-information about looking at autism through the medical model of deficits and not increasing awareness that autism is a minority neurotype but equally valid as any other then it isn’t the right kind.
The kind of awareness we need is that there is nothing to pity here, there is nothing to cure here, and that we don’t need interventions designed to make us appear more neurotypical. Instead we need awareness like just because an autistic child communicates differently they don’t need interventions to learn how to communicate, they already know that. They may need assistance to be able to have two-way communication but that requires both parties to be aware of how the other communicates and to work out how to meet in the middle.
My opinion is that early intervention is pushed so hard and seen as so important because if you are able to get to an autistic child young enough and essentially tell them the way they are naturally is wrong, of course that would be more successful in making them appear more neurotypical. But are we really having success in helping them be their true selves?
We need awareness that being autistic is a valid part of neurodiversity and that neurotypical isn’t the gold standard
My autism awareness message is: We’re here; We’re autistic; Get used to it.
Did you know that gay conversion therapy which is banned in the Australian state I live in (and thank goodness sense was finally seen) is the same basis as ABA, PBS, PBIS, PP and the list goes on. Yet these are supposed evidence-based therapies that help an autistic child become more successful. I would say more successful at passing as a neurotypical, but not more successful at being who they truly are.
Awareness as a generic concept isn’t enough. It needs to be awareness that being autistic is just as valid as any other neurotype.
Thanks for reading. What would you like more people to be aware of about autism?
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