About the Author
Ali Ford serves as Vice President at the SCSNC. She taught Special Education and navigated early intervention for both of her children who eventually received an Autism diagnosis. She is invested in educating others around autism acceptance to create a more inclusive community and world for her children and all of those in the autism community.
Autism Acceptance
Autism has been recognized nationally in the month of April since the 1970s, however nearly 50 years later this awareness month looks very different. As our society has shifted toward embracing inclusion, the autism community has been working to advocate for its needs and destigmatize autism.
With organizations like Autism Speaks, many took a medical model approach to autism encouraging the belief that autism needed to be cured. Unfortunately, many autistic individuals have experienced harm as caretakers and providers tried to treat a lifelong disability rather than accept and embrace what society has deemed abnormal behaviors and/or thought patterns. Terms such as “neurodivergence” emerged to describe autistic people with the belief that “people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits” (MEd, N. B. M. 2021).
As we continue to raise awareness of Autism Acceptance, here are some helpful ways to support the autism community as they continue advocating for acceptance, support, and change.
Symbols of Support
Many Autistic people find the puzzle piece symbol to be offensive due to the origins and meaning. In 1963, the puzzle piece was coined by the National Autistic Society referring to the “puzzling condition” that “isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not fit in” (The National Autistic Society, 2007). Autism Speaks adopted the puzzle piece as their organization’s logo and many of their campaigns have viewed Autism as a disease. The rainbow infinity symbol represents neurodiversity which at its core is about embracing and including individuals with varying abilities and differences.
Supportive Language
When we refer to someone as being an "Autistic person," we acknowledge, support, and validate that person's identity. We respect the value and worth of that person. We affirm each person's ability to develop, mature, navigate obstacles, and lead a fulfilling existence. Ultimately, we acknowledge that the Autistic person is different from non-Autistic people, that this is not negative, and that we are not ashamed to acknowledge that difference.
References
MEd, N. B. M. (2021). What is neurodiversity? Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645
The National Autistic Society - Perspectives on a puzzle piece. (2007). http://web.archive.org/web/20070714093137/http:/www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=364&a=2183
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