Thread by @ADHD2ePro

"There are legitimate situations where an autistic person needs to be able to put their autistic behaviours aside. For example, how about a job interview"--Bruce McIntosh

🤮

thepointer.com/article/2022-0…

Me: "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to leave my autism at home for our job interview. Here, let me stick it in my purse, so as to make you more comfortable interacting with me, regardless of my actual qualifications for this job."

"put their autistic behaviours aside".

They're not "autistic behaviours", they're *human* behaviours from an Autistic human being. There is a difference: autism is our *neurology*. Being Autistic impacts one's entire brain & body. We can't just "set it aside" like an accessory.

Here's a novel idea: how about people interviewing prospective employees not be assholes? They could actually consider the person's... *checks notes* ah! here it is... qualifications. ...Y'know, the training and skills required to do the job well?

There are lots of things Autistics are generally *better* at than neurotypicals (generally, not always--we're not a homogenous group). Generally speaking, we're much better at pattern recognition and attention to detail, for example.

So hiring people *because* they're Autistic can be a strength, rather than expecting people "play neurotypical" for an hour (or however long job interviews last these days). An Autistic person can only mask for so long. It is physically, emotionally, & psychologically draining.

Instead of expecting people to play a part for an interview, we could ask them what accommodations they would need, and then actually provide them. Instead of someone causing themselves harm via masking until they can't anymore, we could see them as worthy for who they are.

We could see Autistics as worthy for who we are, rather than saying "you have to tone it down" for an interview. You're not desirable/wanted as you are, so please put on this NT mask to make your employers coworkers comfortable.

medium.com/neurodiversifi…

“ABA tries to decondition things that are natural and helpful to Autistic people.”—Anne Borden King

“They’re not the dominant service bc they’re the best, they’re dominant bc they’re the most aggressive in their marketing”—Anne Borden King (@AgainstCures)

#AutisticsForAutistics #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticPride #AutismAcceptance #AutisticAdults #Autism #AdultAutistics #EndABA