This month, April, is autism acceptance month. It is not autism awareness month. It is autism acceptance month because I am autistic and I know how it feels when people are aware of my autism, but do not accept it.
I have had comments such as, “Oh, I am on the spectrum too. Everyone is a bit autistic,” and “Are you really?”
But so much more needs to be done.
We, autistic people, are real people. We are living and breathing, and we exist. Autistic girls and women also exist. Sometimes, I feel not real because I am a “lost girl,” as I rarely find other autistic girls or women. But that is changing slowly.
To be accepting of autism is to know that everyone who is autistic has different autistic characteristics or autistic expressions that make them who they are. I use the term autistic because I identify with being autistic, and this blog post is written using that identity—although I respect other people’s ways of identifying if they choose to identify differently.
To be accepting of autism is to accept my preference for how I identify. I once had someone outright refuse to use “autistic person” because she did not agree with it. According to her, I am a person with autism. She said my autism comes second after my identity because I am Suzanna first. And yes—but also, that is wrong.
People need to stop making assumptions, judgments, biases, and spreading misinformation because it hurts autistic people. It hurts me.
During this month, please think about how you can be more accepting of autistic people. Think about how an autistic person’s mental health can be affected when they are disadvantaged due to ableist beliefs and mistruths—simply because another person has a strong agenda.
Did you know that research in Australia and other countries has repeatedly shown that autistic people are more likely than non-autistic people to experience mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety? Autistic people are also more likely to self-harm and attempt suicide or die by suicide.
Did you know autistic people are more likely than non-autistic people to experience substance use issues, eating disorders, or to be under-employed or unemployed? Did you know that autistic people, compared to non-autistic people, are more likely to have few or no friends?
And you know what the sad part is? I have lived experience of all these realities, and I am sure many other autistic people can relate. This is the reality of being autistic and being disadvantaged because of a different neurotype—partly because the world I live in does not accommodate my needs, my autistic-specific needs.
More work needs to be done to foster authentic and meaningful acceptance for autistic people. It can start with you. It starts with society understanding that we need more autism acceptance—not just in April, but every month.
We need fewer autistic people self-harming, dying by suicide, ending up in mental health hospitals, and being traumatised and mistreated. We need respect, understanding, acceptance, and advocacy—from ourselves and from others. Most of all, we need to be treated like human beings.
“Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. Sometimes it hurts, but when you are Real you don’t mind being hurt. It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. Once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. Once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”
(M. Williams, 1922)
By Suzanna Poredos
A List Ambassador
References
Williams, M. (1922). The Velveteen Rabbit. George H. Doran Company.
Courtesies
*See Chapter 3: Life Outcomes for Autistic People, Parliament of Australia.