Thread by @OverlordMarie

Well, April is about to start.

While this mostly means spring, fresh air, going outside, spring break, etc... for autistic people, this is the most stressful, dehumanizing, and awful time of the year.

You see, April is " #AutismAwarenessMonth ".

(Thread)

You would think it would be a month about us, learning about us, coming to an understanding and maybe learning to have empathy for the #ActuallyAutistic, but - in general - that's not the case.

No, April ends up being a month to center the parents of autistic children.

You know, because being centered 11 other months of the year isn't enough.

April is when we see an increase in well-meaning (I hope?) posts about autism, featuring the parents of autistics, rather than autistics themselves.

It's the month where these parents become *extra* vocal, extra "oppressed", and extra vicious towards autistics online.

This April, I would like to ask those reading to consider whose voice is being elevated in any "autism" media you see.

When you read an article about an autistic person, and the only people quoted are the allistic people adjacent to that person, ask the reporter/publication why.

When you see articles about autism, autism policy, etc, with no autistics quoted, ask why.

Pressure these publications to actually include those that they are writing about.

Know that even when a person is nonverbal, that doesn't mean they don't communicate.

Know that adult autistics should be given the respect and autonomy to speak about our lives and our experiences, and not be spoken over by allistic parents and "professionals".

Know that no one knows more about autism than AUTISTICS.

I was hoping to have my new blog in place by April, but unfortunately, time got away from me.

I will be sharing posts from my original blog, as well as from other autistic articles. If you see anything that speaks to you, or makes you think... please share it.

If this month is to be about "awareness" - rather than the *acceptance* that we've been asking for for years - then hopefully that "awareness" can come straight from the sources.

Thank you! :)

I suppose I could just look at this as performance art, and thank them for illustrating exactly what I was pointing out in my thread.