AskingAutistics: What do YOU wish non-autistics understood about Autism and Autistic People?

If the general public had a less stigmatized, balanced human view of Autism and Autistic People, my life (and the lives of all Autistics) would be much easier.

Finding out I was Autistic a few months before my 30th birthday was a life-changing revelation that helped me to understand myself (and others) in ways I never had before. 

Suddenly my life made sense. I had the answers to many things and was eager to share this information with others, but there was just one problem...

Because of the world's limited understanding of NeuroDiversity, most people don't REALLY know what Autism is, so when I tell people I am Autistic, they often won't understand (or believe) what I'm saying.

Though frustrating, I don't blame people for not understanding Autistics. I'm Autistic and didn't REALLY know what Autism was for the first 29 years of my life.

When I was growing up, there wasn't much representation of Autistics like me out there. We had Rain Man and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Neither of these represented me, and let's not forget the influence Autism Speaks has had over defining public perceptions of Autism. '

If the general public had a less stigmatized, balanced human view of Autism and Autistic People, my life (and the lives of all Autistics) would be much easier.

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics: What do YOU wish non-autistics understood about Autism and Autistic People?

Here are mine:

The first thing I WISH people understood is the Autism Spectrum is not linear (from low to high functioning). 

It's more of a color wheel of vast and varied shades (sensory & motor, emotional & cognitive, communication & social, dependency on routine & aversion to surprises).

To be diagnosed Autistic, you must show that you need support (whether that support comes from another person, technology and tools, or both).

When we oversimplify Autistic functioning in only three levels of support, it ignores that our ability to function can fluctuate significantly throughout our lives, depending on various factors. 

When we are young, like all people, we need the most support, but eventually, we may grow to need less help as we age and then more support once again once we age past a certain point. 

In the medical criteria for Autism, the levels mentioned (requires very substantial support, requires substantial support, requires support) were never meant to be permanent buckets people are dumped into. 

The levels are supposed to be a benchmark for assessing how much support is needed to help a person be successful in the varied areas they're currently struggling with (not a life sentence), and often, once support is provided, many of us will struggle in life much less than before. 

Like all human functioning, Autistic functioning fluctuates, as is even noted in the diagnostic criteria with a requirement to note "specify current severity" when evaluating for Autism. 

As a kid, I needed much more support than I do now (I also needed a lot more support than I had).

Because nobody knew I was NeuroDivergent, and no appropriate support was provided, I had to learn to support myself. I also learned how to hide how I adapted the systems around me (so people wouldn't complain that I was not following expected NeuroTypical procedures).

People resent differences. People scorn differences, especially when forced through systems that demand compliance and cohesiveness.

So many of these systems that were not designed for or by minds that work like mine do not work for me, but when I ask to change them, I am met with resistance.

"We've always done things this way."

"These are the rules."

"Nobody else is complaining."

"It's not fair! Why do you get to ____ ?"

"We can't give you special treatment."

If I cannot get the support I need, I cannot be successful at reaching my goals in life, but non-autistic gatekeepers always seem to place themselves between me and the help I need.

Why does some person (who doesn't know what it's like to live a week, or even a day, in my head) get to decide if I'm "Autistic enough" to access the supports I'm telling them directly that I do, in fact, need to be successful?