Reminder as Autism Acceptance/ Awareness Month/week/day approaches. Please share this around. I’ve added some links that can be educational to those that don’t understand about Autism Speaks and the Puzzle Piece symbol and ABA Therapy and why they are harmful and offensive to the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 
There’s rumours being spread by the Anti-Neurodiversity bullies online trying to silence Autistic people and our voices by trying to convince people that everyone who uses the ActuallyAutistic tag is self-diagnosed, faking being autistic or “fauxtistic” as ko-fi.com/post/Self-diag…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
So here goes for the following written information…. Just because you haven’t heard about any of this... doesn’t make it not true. And just because you like “x,y and z”and you’re autistic or a parent of an autistic person... it doesn’t make the following not true. Please don’t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Please listen to our voices and our wishes.
Organisations you can support that actually help Autistic people are @AutisticGirls_ , @autselfadvocacy , @NEAutismSociety , @awnnetwork_ , @AutisticUK , @yellow_ladybugs , @AusomeIreland , @aucademy
Organisations you can support that actually help Autistic people are @AutisticGirls_ , @autselfadvocacy , @NEAutismSociety , @awnnetwork_ , @AutisticUK , @yellow_ladybugs , @AusomeIreland , @aucademy
The Autistic Community appreciates those who take the time to listen, learn and understand from Autistic people themselves rather than people who are not autistic and not willing to listen or respect autistic peoples views about what represents THEM and THEIR community.
This isn’t just me speaking... this is a huge amount of Autistic people and in the resources provided below there’s plenty of evidence of that.
just because someone’s autistic child likes the puzzle piece/Autism Speaks (because they are too young and not aware of the reasons behind why these things are bad) it’s not right or acceptable to disrespect Autistic people... Everyone needs to start accepting CHANGE and start… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
We need to remember that the puzzle piece symbol isn’t a piece of art. Personal interpretations don’t matter when talking about what it actually means. It was and is used to portray autism as “puzzling”, Autistic people as having a “piece missing” and all in all something to be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Family often view the puzzle piece in a positive light and view the puzzle piece as THEIR missing piece to their family, meaning their Autistic child... but as previously said... it’s not a piece of art and you cannot change the meaning of the puzzle piece symbol and what it has… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
We also must remember that just because YOUR child likes the puzzle piece symbol it’s no excuse to dismiss the the Autistic communities feelings towards it being a harmful symbol. You must realise that parents likes will rub off on their children, so if ko-fi.com/post/Its-time-…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Here’s the conclusion from research about the puzzle piece symbol and if it evokes negative associations (link to this is amongst the links at the end) “Participants explicitly associated puzzle pieces, even generic puzzle pieces, with incompleteness, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28823194/… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
There are A LOT of links as we wanted to provide enough learning resources for people as possible, Autistic people majority of the times are told we are wrong about subjects on autism, even though Autistic people are the experts. Autistic adults were once Autistic children and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
please remember non-speaking doesn’t mean unable to communicate/understand, some non-speaking autistic people contributed to this post, being non-speaking doesn’t mean they are unintelligent, you never know if you’re talking to a non-speaking autistic … twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
This part is about Autism Speaks.
Autism Speaks is extremely harmful and doesn't actually put a lot of money towards research/ support for living with autism. Have you looked up any of their controversial ads? They act like autism is a crippling, deadly disease that needs to be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autism Speaks is extremely harmful and doesn't actually put a lot of money towards research/ support for living with autism. Have you looked up any of their controversial ads? They act like autism is a crippling, deadly disease that needs to be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Here’s the controversial Autism speaks advert I’m talking about
In one of their documentary’s parents/ autism speaks employees talked about how awful their lives were with an autistic child that was all about them as a parent and nothing about the child itself and what they experience, not only that... the interviews were done WITH the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Not only that, but the founders daughter of Autism Speaks Katie Wright who was part of the board members had a huge part to play in the anti-vaccination movement... she believes that her child is ‘vaccine-injured’ and that is what caused her child to ‘develop autism’... (which… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Outbreaks of measles, mumps and other preventable diseases which lead to many deaths. Katie Wright is famous for her activities with the “Mercury Mafia and talking openly online about quack science... she’s even been encouraging people this year not to get the Covid jab on her… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Her anti-vaxx stance for years have lead to parents not vaccinating their children and believing in all these quack “cures” such as MMS (miracle mineral solution) which produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to children, even death in some cases... and it isn’t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autism Speaks aims to find a "cure" primarily rather than accepting Autistic people and are less inclusive of the voices of Autistic people than of those whose lives they effect (mostly parents/guardians/family)... they listen to family members but not autistic people themselves,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autism Speaks also partnered with Judge Rotenberg Center a place that uses electric shock devices on autistic people for autistic behaviour including stimming. These devices are more powerful than a taser. Also they used many more horrific interventions and these aversive… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The bottom line is, Autism speaks doesn’t help Autistic people, it silences us, ignores us, abuses us, takes advantage of us... this is why we need to step away from Autism Speaks and instead support ASAN Autistic Self Advocacy Network who support Autistic people, listens to us… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The Autistic community have been trying to speak out against Autism Speaks for a long time but we keep getting IGNORED and SILENCED. "light it up blue" is a campaign by Autism Speaks for so called “autism awareness” and it generates Them A LOT of money that doesn’t even go… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Did you know that Autism Speaks only puts 1% of their budget towards family services. Barely any of the money Autism Speaks raises actually goes towards supporting and helping Autistic people and their families. #AutismSpeaks #AutismAcceptance #AutismAcceptanceWeek… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Furthermore the issue with the puzzle piece symbol isn’t just because of Autism speaks logo... theres a whole ableist history behind it if you research it (links written below)... the puzzle piece symbol is seen as a missing piece, a piece that doesn’t fit, something that needs… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
It’s time to allow Autistic people to have a symbol they like that has a more positive history/ meaning to it than the one created in the 60’s by Neurotypical people without including us.
There’s the rainbow colour spectrum infinity symbol that is for Neurodiversity which Autism is a part of but it doesn’t solely represent Autism but that’s okay 🥳. We also have the gold infinity symbol which was created by Autistic people for Autism Acceptance…. And in the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Here’s a little bit from Autistic UK website
“The use of the infinity symbol came from the growing popularity of it in spectrum colours to promote Neurodiversity. The idea of endless possibilities and untapped potential resonate through this symbol providing a simple and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
“The use of the infinity symbol came from the growing popularity of it in spectrum colours to promote Neurodiversity. The idea of endless possibilities and untapped potential resonate through this symbol providing a simple and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
If you want to learn more about the puzzle piece symbol and why it’s seen so negatively so much then there’s plenty links below... I’m not going to go on and on and on and tell you the whole history and ins and outs because you can do that yourself with the links below.
Or just… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Or just… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
So many Autistic people prefer ‘Autistic’ or ‘Autistic person’, rather than ‘has Autism’, ‘person with Autism’... Person first language is language such as “person with autism”, “has autism”, “people with autism” etc is seen as ableist as it sees our Autism as something that… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autism has a huge influence on who we are as people it’s part of us, it cannot be separated from us. Our BRAINS are Autistic. Autism DOES define us in a way but THATS OKAY. Its literally our neurology, we have Autistic brains. It’s not all that we are though and that should go… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
it’s something we should accept and embrace… being different is okay. Being Autistic isn’t a bad thing and we need to teach people to accept Autism and accept that Autism is a huge part of who we are 💜
It’s a problem when people have to say “person“ with autism as it’s almost like you have to remember we are people too? Which is kind of weird and offensive.
ko-fi.com/post/Why-ident…
ko-fi.com/post/Why-ident…
But using person first language makes it sound like we have some sort of illness “person with autism” “they have autism” which then leads into the harmful idea that Autism is something that can be and needs to be cured.
So much money is spent on trying to cure autism whereas that money could and should go towards improving support services and supporting the Autistic people who desperately need support right now. Autistic people can lead happy healthy lives with the right support in place… we… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
But it’s up to each Autistic person what language they prefer people to use when referring to them. It’s important to ask each individual. But the default language should always be identity first unless you know what someone prefers.
Identity first is “autistic” “autistic person”. Autistic people need to be accepted NOT changed and also LISTENED to.
Autism Speaks also promotes ABA therapy that is extremely harmful to autistic people… it’s just to make non-autistic (neurotypical) peoples lives easier. ABA has quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry and they often prey on the parents of autistic docs.google.com/document/d/11_…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
ABA is applied behavioural analysis. It’s a therapy that is often applied to autistic people that is very traumatising to the Autistic person, they learn that the way they naturally are is wrong and they must hide/ mask the way they are and go against their natural being and self… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
It’s a therapy that tries to get autistic people to act less autistic and more neurotypical. Basically act in a way that doesn’t come naturally to us as our brains are wired differently. It’s not for the benefit of autistics, it’s for the benefit of those around us as it makes… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
But in the long run it causes the autistic person long negative side effects, the trauma can cause PTSD and it’s happened to A LOT of autistic people already. Their attitude is they want to change autistic people to make the parents lives easier and rather than getting society to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
There is also a link between Gay Conversion therapy and ABA therapy nsadvocate.org/2018/07/11/tre…
I’ll include links and research to more articles and evidence towards the end of the thread about ABA being harmful
This part is about why functioning labels are harmful! It needs to be understood that the level of functioning fluctuates, one day we may be capable of doing something and then another we may not be able to do something… this can be due to many factors such as Autistic Masking,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
We change as we grow and so do our support needs, as we get older sometimes due to Autistic burnout and years of Autistic masking… we often can end up being unable to function how we used to be able to and might not be capable of things we once were in the past.
We need to drop this idea of functioning levels and labels… as they fluctuate and they don’t stay the same. It’s harmful, it can often leads to people having high expectations of an Autistic person or low expectations.
This has sadly led to Autistic people not being taught communication and there are now Autistic people who are speaking out about this using AAC devices or sign language and other forms of communication tools. If people give up on teaching an Autistic person to communicate as… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Yes there are some non-speaking Autistic people who might not ever be able to use AAC devices or learn sign language etc. But any form of teaching AAC or sign language shouldn’t ever use ABA techniques.
Autistic people have varying levels of support needs that are continually fluctuating for some of us… sometimes we may need more support and other times not so much. High functioning” label often causes Autistic people’s difficulties to be ignored and ko-fi.com/post/Why-High-…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
It’s important we highlight and talk about Autistic masking.
Autistic masking isn’t a choice for many Autistic people, it’s actually a TRAUMA RESPONSE. It can be caused by not being accepted for the way you are or being bullied or criticised/ punished ko-fi.com/post/Autistic-…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autistic masking isn’t a choice for many Autistic people, it’s actually a TRAUMA RESPONSE. It can be caused by not being accepted for the way you are or being bullied or criticised/ punished ko-fi.com/post/Autistic-…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Autistic people mask their Autism and mimic social cues, facial expressions and body language in order to fit in with the people around them. Autistic people when Autistic masking sometimes pretend to have similar interests as others just to be accepted and fit in with people,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
After being around people and masking I end up drained. Sometimes it can take a few days to recover… sometimes a week. I often need to spend time on my own and sleep lots to be able to recharge my energy levels. If I don’t do this I end up in Autistic burnout and deteriorating… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
People sometimes think I’m “lazy” because I sleep more than others and I’m often too tired to go out and do things… but it’s because I need more rest than people who aren’t Autistic or don’t mask. I wish people stopped judging people for needing rest.
I’ve had to learn how to limit my time around people and I’ve had to start putting myself first/ spacing things out in a week or a month where I have plans that involve being around people who I’d be masking around. If I don’t do this and prioritise myself/ make sure I have… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
I didn’t know who I was behind the mask as I had masked for so long and it was really difficult for me when I was finally able to unmask around people I felt comfortable around such as my friends who were Autistic.
I realised I had lost myself completely whilst masking and trying to fit in with so many various people throughout my life. I’m still on this journey of learning/ discovering who I am.
Long term masking can also lead to loss of identity. This is what happened to me.
Long term masking can also lead to loss of identity. This is what happened to me.
About non-speaking Autistics/ Stigma👇🏻
Firstly remember the correct language to use is non-speaking rather than non-verbal. There’s a difference between them. Being non-speaking doesn't automatically mean they can't speak for themselves.
Firstly remember the correct language to use is non-speaking rather than non-verbal. There’s a difference between them. Being non-speaking doesn't automatically mean they can't speak for themselves.
There are other methods of communication such as typing or sign language, AAC devices. It's just that some neurotypical parents don't bother to learn sign language to meet non-speaking autistic children halfway, and make the harmful assumption that their child is too… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Some Autistic people have intellectual disability and others don’t. Some Autistic people need a lot of support in their daily lives and other autistics don’t need as much... But there are some Autistic people that have other disabilities in addition to autism who do need their… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
A great organisation to check out is @Communica1st !
It’s really important to seek advice from Autistic adults themselves too as they are experts on autism as they were once Autistic children. There are many “Ask autistics” Facebook groups that can be helpful for parents and you’ll be getting advice from someone with experience of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
When we campaign and speak out... WE ARE NOT forgetting those who require “high support” or those with learning disabilities, but majority of autistic people with learning disabilities get access to support services and there’s more services out there for them... where as if you… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
You might not believe it, but we are the group that is usually ignored and forgotten about or not included.... because it’s assumed we don’t need help.... which isn’t true and that attitude contributes to the lack of support service for us and the lack of understanding about us.
And this is also why functioning labels aren’t helpful and how they have a huge contribution to the high su*cide rate amongst autistic people and the reason autistic people are more likely to develop mental illnesses and struggles... such as Self-Harm, autistica.org.uk/our-research/r…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
So we have every right to speak out about this major issue with functioning labels and the harm it causes and all this so called “awareness” rubbish that goes round... we are the ones who often aren’t included or talked about.
So stop coming at us saying we don’t speak for all autistics because WE KNOW, and we NEVER say we do. But we need to help change things and stop the high suicide rate amongst autistic people.
ALL AUTISTIC PEOPLE DESERVE ACCESS TO SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED.
ALL AUTISTIC PEOPLE DESERVE ACCESS TO SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED.
I think if support actually existed for Autistic people without a learning disability then our lives would improve and most likely our life expectancy. We’d live longer and have a better quality of life.
I just wish things will change one day and ALL Autistic people get the support they need.
There’s also no support after being diagnosed either, no help with processing the diagnosis or understanding yourself and being Autistic. I think it’s disgusting and neglectful how Autistic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
There’s also no support after being diagnosed either, no help with processing the diagnosis or understanding yourself and being Autistic. I think it’s disgusting and neglectful how Autistic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
We get judged so badly. But they fail to recognise how debilitating executive dysfunction is, interoception struggles and communication difficulties. They don’t understand how hard it is for Autistic people to exist and live in a world where we are not understood and where our… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
This is an important thread about my experiences locked up in psychiatric hospital and how they are not appropriate or a safe place for autistic people. Mental health services need to change. We need a better support services for Autistic people that doesn’t include locking them… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
These are importance changes we need
ko-fi.com/post/Improveme…
ko-fi.com/post/Improveme…
Also it’s so important to recognise eating difficulties in autistic people. So here’s a great thread about it #autism #autistic #ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #AutismAcceptanceWeek #AutismAcceptanceMonth #AutismAcceptanceDay #worldautismday #WorldAutismAwarenessDay… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Links about ABA being harmful
A research review and explanation of why “behavioural interventions” are not appropriate for children, which includes details and a theoretical framework explaining how the field has failed autistic people.
“The Problem With endseclusion.org/research/the-p…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
A research review and explanation of why “behavioural interventions” are not appropriate for children, which includes details and a theoretical framework explaining how the field has failed autistic people.
“The Problem With endseclusion.org/research/the-p…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Respondents of all ages who were exposed to ABA were 86 percent more likely to meet the PTSD criteria than respondents who were not exposed to ABA.” There were also drastic discrepancies in the reported experiences of ABA of autistic people versus researchgate.net/publication/32…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
reflections from people exposed to this “treatment”, who recommend against behavioural training due to the harm it causes later in development.
One participant said “The therapeutic goal was presented as learning social behavior - in retrospect, this was autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/upl…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
One participant said “The therapeutic goal was presented as learning social behavior - in retrospect, this was autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/upl…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Review found that Conflicts of Interest where the study facilitator has a vested interest in the result are present in 70% of studies that examine ABA therapy, and those COIs are only acknowledged in 6% of the studies.
“Research Review: Conflicts of onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jc…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
“Research Review: Conflicts of onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jc…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Compliance-based therapies have been found to cause harm, and according to this team could be considered abusive.
“How much compliance is too much compliance? Is Long-Term ABA Therapy Abuse?”
Sandoval-Norton & Shekhi, 2019
∞researchgate.net/publication/33…
“How much compliance is too much compliance? Is Long-Term ABA Therapy Abuse?”
Sandoval-Norton & Shekhi, 2019
∞researchgate.net/publication/33…
Training by repetition (a basic tool of most ABA and other behavioral conditioning) actually impairs learning for autistic people, according to this study which examined the positive and negative responses to this method of teaching.
“Standard Approach to medscape.com/viewarticle/85…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
“Standard Approach to medscape.com/viewarticle/85…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Nearly half (46 percent) of the ABA-exposed respondents met the diagnostic threshold for PTSD, and extreme levels of severity were recorded in 47 percent of the affected subgroup. Respondents of all ages who were exposed to ABA were 86 percent more likely emerald.com/insight/conten…… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
An advocate’s response to the common claim that this or that ABA program is somehow “different” or not like those bad ones we are talking about in the research studies mentioned above
“5 Reasons Even the “New ABA” Is Problematic” George, 2019
autisticmama.com/even-new-aba-i…
“5 Reasons Even the “New ABA” Is Problematic” George, 2019
autisticmama.com/even-new-aba-i…
Watch this amazing TED talk about why everything you know about autism is wrong!
Post about autism speaks …loopaboutneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/the…
And a recent research paper about how person first language (“he had autism”) is the most problematic when referring to autistic people. link.springer.com/article/10.100…
Preference for language “I’m autistic” “I have autism” for example. (I’m autistic is preference)
Survey by Autistic Not Weird and it includes eg preference for identity first language, more people against ABA etc autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/
Preference for autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Survey by Autistic Not Weird and it includes eg preference for identity first language, more people against ABA etc autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/
Preference for autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Recalling hidden harms: autistic experiences of childhood applied behavioural analysis (ABA) - scholarly journal article from 2020:
emerald.com/insight/conten…
emerald.com/insight/conten…
This document includes links to research studies on why ABA is harmful. And also an explanation on ABA docs.google.com/document/d/11_…
This is to all those trying to gatekeep the symbol. The Neurodiversity movement is something positive and doing a lot of good. Autism is a neurodivergent condition and comes under the symbol… it’s not like the symbol isn’t for autism. As it is. Stop gate keeping. If you continue… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
This is to all those trying to gatekeep the symbol. The Neurodiversity movement is something positive and doing a lot of good. Autism is a neurodivergent condition and comes under the symbol… it’s not like the symbol isn’t for autism. As it is. Stop gate keeping. If you continue… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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