Productivity ≠ Humanity: Autism Isn’t the Problem—Ignorance Is - How RFK Jr. Got It Dangerously Wrong

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics - with RFK Jr.’s recent comments about Autistic People, what’s something that you want the world to know about your experience as an Autistic Person/about Autism?

In the middle of April, Autism Month, RFK Jr. said Autism "destroys families" and "children" and Autistic Children “will never pay taxes, hold a job, play baseball, write a poem, go out on a date, many will never use a toilet unassisted." He also said, "We are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it."

---

---

There are a lot of things wrong with what RFK Jr. said about Autism and I don’t have enough space or energy to write about all of it today.

Following RFK's statements, many frustrated Autistic People took to the internet, denouncing his slanderous and dehumanizing words and their implications.

Autistic children do NOT destroy families.

What a cruel and heartless thing to say about an entire group of people, but especially CHILDREN!

I hope no Autistic children were listening to those words, and for any who heard them, I hope their parents told them they DID NOT destroy their family.

Imagine if we said those words about other minority groups, that a group is "destroying families" simply by existing. There would be outrage, and rightfully so.

In response to RFK saying we (Autistic People) destroy families, there was outrage all over the internet (from both Autistic People, our loved ones, and allies) over the disparaging and stigmatizing statements.

Our Lives Have Value Even if We Can't Work

It was telling that paying taxes and holding a job were the top two priorities in RFK's speech.

This dangerous way of thinking (human value based on productivity) holds that we (people) are only worthy if we have exploitable capitalistic value and can support the system (but not if we need the system to support us) - which ignores the fact that needing support is part of the human experience.

We all start our lives needing support and (if we live long enough) will also end our lives needing support.

Placing value upon lives based on how much they earn hurts people with disabilities. It also harms humanity as a whole (because it enforces social hierarchies based on monetary value, productivity, and output).

When we devalue others, we are also devaluing ourselves.

When we devalue people who cannot work (or are limited in their ability to work, or who make less), we also normalize the idea that those with higher-paying jobs and people who make more money are "more valuable" than those who make less (doing everyone who's not ultra-wealthy a considerable disservice).

Many Autistic People Felt Erased by RFK's Statements

Many Autistic people who could do all the things RFK said we'd "never do” took to the internet, justifiably frustrated at being erased by a new list of things “can't do" (because many of us have been told we "can't be Autistic" because we can do things many believe are “impossible for real people with autism").

Many felt they were being erased again (because 8-10 years ago, things were very different).

Back then, it was common for non-autistic people to tell Autistic People, "You can't be Autistic because you..." before listing any of the items RFK said recently and more.

I was once told I “couldn't be Autistic because I wore makeup,” for example. I've also heard the "relationship" myth and the "job" myth more time than I can count.

Yes, SOME Autistic People cannot do these things, but there are also non-autistic people who can’t do many (or all) of the things on RFK Jr.’s list.

These types of invalidations can be like salt in a wound, especially when you're disclosing your Autistic status, hoping for help or understanding from the person you're speaking to (and are instead faced with criticism and disbelief).

It’s hard to get your needs met, when the people around you don’t believe you have the needs you’re trying to express.

We do each other a huge disservice when we make snap assumptions about one another.

It's, also, not just non-autistic people who get things wrong.

I've seen Autistic People say some very ignorant things.

For example, in one comment section recently, I saw an early diagnosed Autistic Person declaring that "late identified Autistic People don't know about being in special education and don't have experience with behavioral interventions" - something that COMPLETELY erases my Autistic experience (as a late-identified Autistic adult who spent time in general education, special education, and advanced placement classes, before being sent off to a religious school, and NONE of it was right for me).

Their statement also erases the fact that behavioral interventions were used on me BECAUSE nobody knew I was Autistic (and ADHD).

Without the correct labels, it was assumed ALL of my "problems" in school (caused mainly by unmet needs) were behavioral, resulting in behavior interventions being used on me (even though I didn’t have an Autism label... yet).

Being late identified doesn't mean a person's Autistic traits weren't obvious growing up (or that they didn't struggle). It often means our struggles were IGNORED or mislabeled. Many of us were punished for them.

We ALL get things wrong sometimes.

I know I do (though I always try to learn from my mistakes so I can grow from them).

What matters is doing better when we learn better, and adapting to new information as it arrives.

Even Autistic People can't know everything about Autism (because "Autism" and "Autistic" are just two words trying to describe countless experiences).

That said, if even us Autistic People get it wrong from time to time, how can we expect a non-autistic person (like RFK Jr. to get it right)?

It really should be Autistic voices leading initiatives for Autistic People (instead of non-autistic people doing more harm to us by speaking about us like we're a plague upon the earth).

In keeping with the theme of learning from Autistic people, I check in with my community:

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics - with RFK Jr.’s recent comments about Autistic People, what’s something that you want the world to know about your experience as an Autistic Person/about Autism?

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics - with RFK Jr.’s recent comments about Autistic People, what’s something that you want the world to know about your experience as an Autistic Person/about Autism?

This is not the first time a developed country has moved to put us in camps, and not the first time any one of us has been told we are nature's mistake. I want you all to know these people are serious, and that we need each other. Stay in touch with your community, be handy, be kind, and if you're American get ready to move or help others move. - Peter Salvatore Matthews (he/him)

That I would not be me if you could somehow cure autism. That while yes there are some challenges with this neurotype all neurotypes have challenges it's just NTs have a world that centers them and supports them. That the idea that a person's worth is based on their productivity discounts not just autistics but could one day be how they are judged worthy. That autism isn't on the rise just better identified. Before 2013 you could not be diagnosed autistic and an ADHDer so many people weren't correctly identified. So part of the uptick is actually a correction actually I'd say all of the uptick is a correction. Black and Brown children were more likely given a diagnosis of oppositional defiance disorder or cognitive impairment than autism. Girls with average or above IQs were more likely misdiagnosed. Autistic people have been around forever. That the rhetoric being spouted is harmful for all autistics and our families. - Dona Gaines-Moore (she/her)

We are all or nothing thinkers. Don't make us your enemies with nothing left to lose. – Anonymous

My inability to work doesn’t make me less worthy of a good life than other autistic people who can. That my life has intrinsic value beyond the fascist capitalistic standards that he’s using. - Sunny Mcflynn

Just listen to the people you claim to love, please. Just please, neurotypicals, do that much. – Jennifer Roush

All the struggles I experience do not make me less human, nor do they make my life less worth living. No one can judge the worth of my life but me. I wonder sometimes if the financially powerful and those who have never struggled with anything a day in their lives have ever really lived. - Ciaran M. (they/she)

Autistic people are NOT a monolith! And so many people don't seem to know or perhaps care, about complexity and nuances. Which I think is why the myth "everyone's a bit autistic" still seems to rear its head. - Sonny Bailey (he/they)

Other people's expectations of me are some of the things that have made my life the hardest. Being expected to fit a mold of normality has damaged and traumatized me. - Skylar

That the reason Autism is so difficult on families is a total lack of support and education... AND underdiagnosis of autistic adults, especially women. When I stopped trying to parent like a neurotypical parent of neurotypical children we were all so much happier. We still don't get the supports we need but at least we aren't at war with ourselves anymore. It doesn't matter where you fall on the spectrum, supports and understanding make ALL the difference. - Allyson Thiessen

I personally have a very good quality of life and me being autistic contributes more to my happiness than it does to my distress. I would not “cure” my autism even if some magical “cure” did exist, because it would fundamentally change who I am as a person, and I believe I would overall be less happy. - Nicole Alexander (she/her)

I like being autistic. I don't wish that I was any different than I am, and I wish I'd had more encouragement and support in being my autistic self at an earlier age - Amanda Jarman (she/her)

I got assessed as an adult, and when I found out that Im autistic, I felt whole. Autism is something that makes me feel like Im understanding me and all of my past selves. Autism tells me more about me, it has answered my questions and makes me feel like a human. - Laura Rotering (she/her/hers)

My bestie has twin 8-year-old great grandsons and I want the world and RFK Jr. to know that the love they give others is priceless!! - Lucy Zuniga Reed (Mom and Grandmother)