At barely 14, H is already sensitive to what others are saying about autism and he often feels uneasy and personally threatened by representations of autism in the media that are framed as tragedy and epidemic. I have previously written posts about that – about the need to reframe tragedy – and about how these layers of autism stigma go deep and affect my child to the core.
So here is a little message of Awareness to consider, along with a request for empathy, as we make our way toward that month of April.
Image Description: Blue rectangle with text that reads: “All those blue lights are bothering me, Mom”… Be Sensitive… Autistic People process differently and may be bothered by sensory input and/or judgments that they are a tragedy that needs to be fixed… so please be sensitive and try to see their perspective.
Related Posts:
• Preoccupation with another layer of autism stigma: Crap…this goes deep!
• H and Ari Ne’eman: A Virtual Conversation
• 30 Days of Autism to ‘I Wish I Didn’t Have Aspergers’: a letter to my son #AutismPositivity2012
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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.
© Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism, (2013)
I’m living the experience of this this very week. It’s sad when I cannot make friends because of what I lack when I would offer my heart and loyalty in ways some NTs might not even think possible
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Sending you hugs… (((Gretchen)))
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Gretchen, what you “lack” is just an abstraction. What you are and have, is what is true and valuable. Keep your heart open, and your dreams alive, and one day you will find someone who finds in your heart-warmth and in your loyalty (and in all the other qualities which make you you), just what they need.
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Yes. That is beautifully said… Just yes.
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I remember when I was 14. That was when “Autism Every Day” came out. Luckily for me, I was freshly familiar with neurodiversity, so I saw how my fellows responded to that horrific video. When I told my bus driver about it, he said “whatever is in the news, is always going to be bad news.”
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