To be fair most don’t even know what it is. Ignorance and stupidity lead to harm. Not to excuse the lack acceptance but understanding it’s source is how we can defeat it.
This partly because the science isn’t quite there yet. We’ve come a long way in our understanding but still have far to go I think. unfortunately the general public isn’t patient, if the science isn’t well established they just seem to ignore it.
There’s also still a lack of accessibility for assements and resources. In Canada it took me over 2 years to get my assessment and the process was terribly unorganized. I was told I’d get some free classes on “so your are autistic, now what” but that never came and our provincial primire made huge cuts to our programs (genuinely hate that guy).
This isn’t to excuse the “others” but for empathy many of them may be part of our group and not know it.
It’s tough but it’s on us to reach out to those around us and try to explain things. Pave the way for the autistic folk of the future.
That’s just shameful. I got special ed growing up usually they just give us French language education exemptions to take the extra class. It wasn’t much, mostly just giving me extra time for homework, in my case it was extra computer usage and typing ( I was the only student getting this in my school) it helped a lot and is a huge part of my current career. I hope Germany realizes its a mistake to deny this critical education.
Not to excuse the lack acceptance but understanding it’s source is how we can defeat it.
To be clear, I hope you mean defeating the lack of widespread understanding and care for autistics, not “defeating autism”, whatever that would entail. I like the way my brain works, and I hope you like yours. The problem is other people being assholes to us.
Oh! Defeating ignorance for sure. Sorry I should have been more clear about that.
My autism is one of the few things I don’t seem to hate about myself. And it’s also a part of many of those I love and respect. I whouldnt change them for anything.
I just dont like to think of others as being assholes intentionally. I like the idea of Hanlons razor.
Growing up in the early 90s I had thought autism was a form of down syndrome and i was tossing around the R word without a care. But without the internet, and living out in a tiny village, how whould I have learned better? The teachers didn’t know, and neither did my parents. It was like autism hadnt been discovered yet.
even if I could tell my past self that he was autistic, he’d have no idea what that means or have any resources to learn about it. I think much of the older generations are still in that state. They’ve never had to learn what autism is so whatever misinformation they have about it is what they are going with.
We’d need to have everyone unlearn and relearn what they know, and that’s a massive challenge.
For now advocating for some years and meeting numerous autists, it’s the sad truth for autistics too. Autists don’t know what autism is. Therapists are doing a bad work at explaining and many parents hide the fact their kids are autistic. These people can’t empower themselves on a lifetime basis without having the right support.
The first step is to deconstruct what people told them and define autism again or for some, or define autism for the first time, both in an non medical model and in accordance with the neurodiversity paradigm. After defining, you can begin the work of empowerment on this basis.
This is what I mean. You’ve said it in a much clearer way then I could have. The hard part is going to be defining it. Autism is, from what I understand, huge and nebulous. It’s not impossible though.
I’ve been learning project management myself. Trying to get a certification. This is also a huge subject that is constantly growing and changing. As such defining what it is has to have built In subjectivity. Having concrete standards on such a thing is at best messy, but we can do it.
Autism shows in very different ways in each person. It’s very, if not impossible to define it with traits and characteristics.
But, we can acknowledge it’s a different way to experience the life, the environment, and a different style of mind. It’s a valid neurocognitive functioning variation.
It’s a progressive (after European definition) view of autism. You can find it in the works of schoolars like Monique Botha, Robert Chapman or Damian Milton. All three are autists.
Autism isn’t reserved to the medical domain anymore. In fact, the research are moving to sociology (double empathy problem), anthropology and philosophy (story based education) as the day to day issues of autists are social and cultural rather than medical.
Add comment