Thread by @ultrarotom

Autism Acceptance Month:

What to consider, how to refer to autistics respectfully and how to be a good ally

A thread 🧵

Please read it especially if you are an allistic (non-autistic) person

#ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptanceMonth #AutismAcceptance

We live in a world where whether you like it or not: us autistics are constantly stigmatized, dehumanized and face many challenges due to the anti-autistic ableism and bias that exists in our society

And it's our duty to change that

Many people are unaware of what autism actually is, and don't know much besides the common stereotypes and the ableist propaganda they are fed

Some people believe that autism is a disease that needs to be cured, that it goes away with age etc

And these ideas are incorrect

Autism is a neurological difference. That means, our brain works in a different way than neurotypicals/allistics

(Note: not every allistic is neurotypical because you can be neurodivergent and not be autistic. ND is an umbrella that also encompasses ADHD, dyslexia, BPD etc)

Our brain works differently when it comes to certain things

For example, we have certain different sensory experiences, eye contact is painful for most of us, we may be overwhelmed more easily, tend to communicate more literally/directly and tend to have strong special interests

Not every autistic person has the same traits. You don't need to have all the traits to be autistic, it is a spectrum (Also, the spectrum is NOT linear and it doesn't go from "more autistic" to "less autistic")

Hence terms such as "severe autism" and "mild autism" are outdated

These terms also perpetuate the misconception that autism is a disease, so they shouldn't be used

There is no way to tell how "severe" autism is, and the whole idea is flawed since, again, the scale is not linear

Also, many people who are labeled as "severely autistic" have comorbid disabilities

There is this misconception that people are only autistic if they have these said co-ocurring conditions and disabilities

Again, false, you can be autistic without comorbid disabilities

You may have heard people saying things such as "a little bit autistic"

This happens due to the fact that they are believed they're not "fully autistic" if they don't fit the stereotypes. And because they believe autism is a shameful thing, so "just a bit" seems less negative

Some people may also use terms such as "ASD", "on the spectrum", "Asp*rgers" to intentionally avoid saying the word "autistic"

The word "autistic" is extremely stigmatized, so people might have trouble saying the word with their full chest

However, not saying the word only causes more harm and perpetuates more stigma

Don't be afraid to say the word. Say it: AUTISTIC

The more you are afraid to say it, the more people will see it as a bad word.

Autistic is not a bad word, and you should say it, period.

Notice how I censored Asp*rgers

This is given due to the fact that Hans Asperger was a nazi and eugenicist, and unsurprinsigly, he is not a person that autistics should want to associate themselves to

Not going to explain it in-depth here, you can give it a quick google search

High-functioning and low-functioning labels are also problematic due to being associated with the eugenicist, and also because they aren't accurate and cause further harm

High-functioning is used to dismiss our struggles

Low-functioning is used to deny us agency

Don't use them

People who are labeled "high-functioning" are held to higher standards than they should and are denied support

Whereas people labeled "low-functioning" are held to extremely low standards and are denied autonomy. Sometimes infantilized and even dehumanized

This is also important:

Please use identity first language, and not person first language

Identity first language: "autistic person" "is autistic"

Person first language: "person with autism" "has autism"

Why is this important?

Autism can't be separated from the person. People are born autistic and will be autistic until the last day. It is a huge part of our identity for most of us, not just something we "have"

So, I urge everyone to use the correct language. Yes, even if you are autistic, you should avoid saying "with autism", "have autism" etc

Language matters and it can be used to further stigmatize or to end the stigma

So please choose identity first language, as we prefer it

Besides, imagine person first language outside of autism

"Person with homosexuality", "Person with Scottishness" "Person with blackness", "Person with transgenderness"

Sounds pretty weird to say the least, right? That's what autistics feel when you call us "people with autism"

NEVER support Autism Speaks. It is a horrible organization, simply put

It was made to misrepresent us, to promote eugenics towards us and to paint us as broken

The organization isn't autistic-led and has always been controversial to say the least

I could go in-depth here, but for the sake of not making the thread too long, I am linking this video that explains what's wrong with Autism Speaks.

Just don't support them ever. Don't give them positive attention, don't give them your money

Don't support puzzle piece imagery or the color blue in the context of autism

They've been popularized by Autism Speaks.

The puzzle is seen as infantilizing and paints us as broken and in need of a missing piece, and blue promotes the myth that autism is mostly present in men

The prefered symbols are these ones

The rainbow infinity symbol is often used for neurodiversity as a whole, whereas the gold symbol is used specifically for autism

Both are not only valid, but also encouraged to use for autistics

Also, "autism awareness" has been co-opted by organizations such as Autism Speaks, and we prefer "autism acceptance" instead

They raise awareness in the same way that people raise awareness for cancer. They pathologize autism and want people to be aware so they can get rid of it

And I can't stress this enough:

Self-diagnosis for autism is 100% SUPER VALID

Not everyone has access to a professional diagnosis, and professionals can misdiagnose

Plus autism is not a disease. It is how your brain works and YOU know your brain better than anyone else

Anyway, nothing that has been said here wasn't said by other people in the #ActuallyAutistic community before

These are some of the basic things that you should keep in mind in order to accept us and to be our ally

Please listen to us and amplify our voices

Thanks for reading

Also, if you wish to support an #ActuallyAutistic person, my Ko-fi link is the following:

ko-fi.com/ultrarotom

I have no job, so no income of my own. No pressure though, only if you can really afford to

I also write and post art there and you don't need to pay to view them