#autism misconceptions

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

You Can’t Be Autistic Because…Wrong Answers Only

Neurokinection

[perplexedpj]

[spectrumlife99]

Why do people keep saying this?!?!?!

Okay, so I’ve seen and heard people say this a LOT throughout my life: “AuTiStIc PeOpLe HaVe No ImAgInAtIoN!  If YoU’rE cReAtIvE yOu CaN’t Be AuTiStIc!”  Seriously people?  I like to IMAGINE (ha, see what I did there?) that people who say autistic people have no imagination have only met one autistic person in their whole life and that one person had this struggle...because this couldn’t be farther from the truth.  While I am definitely aware that yes, some autistic people do indeed experience that, I myself and many others (that I personally know IRL) are extremely creative and imaginative.  In fact, if I didn’t have my creativity, I wouldn’t be able to express myself AT ALL!  It’s just like the saying goes: “If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met ONE autistic person.”  Everyone’s experiences with autism are completely different.  It’s a spectrum for a reason...sorry in advance if this sounds rude (because I am unable to identify my tone), I didn’t intend it to be, I’m just tired of hearing this stereotype all the time.

[avivachayah]

[b-beams]

Hey guys, April is autism awareness month - an event that i mostly try to avoid (except for content made by autistic people) because of how saturated it is by people saying wrong and harmful things about autism and autistic people. 

I was sent a message asking if I could talk about some myths and misconceptions about autism though, and that sounded like a good idea! (spoiler alert for one point made in the video: lots of autistic people prefer autism acceptance month, instead of awareness.) 

 Useful links: 

 - Some things to look for in an organisation that claims to be for autistic people: http://alice-royal.tumblr.com/post/16... 

 - If you don’t know what stimming is and would rather read than watch a video about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimming 

 - Here is a really great video by Amythest Schaber explaining stimming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexCW... (Amethyst's username on Youtube and Tumblr is “Neurowonderful” - she makes thoughtful and informative content about being autistic, amongst other topics. If you'd like to learn lots of things about autism, her videos and blog are a great resource.) 

 - Here's the link to the original post of the Autism Spectrum illustration by Samatha Perry (username "alice-royal" on Tumblr): http://alice-royal.tumblr.com/post/12...

If you liked the video and would like to share it, I’d appreciate it! I hope all autistic people are doing okay this April <3

[spectrumlife99]

A PSA to NTs:  Please STOP using functioning labels!

Many, MANY autistic people, including myself, are against the use of “high” and “low” functioning labels, as well as the terms “mild” and “severe” to describe autism.  These labels are harmful, inaccurate, and invalidating to many autistic people, and I’m here to give some examples of why that is.  

First, let’s look at me:  I am a “Level 2″ autistic according to the DSM 5, and my family, doctors and therapists all agree that I fit the “Level 2″ criteria more than the “Level 1″ criteria that many autistic people who are considered “high-functioning” fall under.  “Level 2″ means I have “moderate support needs” which is much more true than the “high-functioning” label the general public likes to slap on me because I can speak with my mouth parts and am not intellectually disabled.  This label is invalidating because I DO need help and support with many things in order for me to survive, but the “high-functioning” label means I am unable to get the support I need because I’m not found eligible for it since I’m “too high-functioning” to qualify.  This causes many problems for me in daily life because of the way I’m seen in the general public’s eyes.  

Now, here’s something else the general public likes to do a lot: The general public likes to slap the “low-functioning” label on autistic people who are nonspeaking and/or intellectually disabled, which invalidates their strengths, the things these people CAN do.  Many people seem to think that the “low-functioning” autistics are incapable of doing anything, but that’s not true at all!  In fact, there are many nonspeaking autistic advocates out there!  There are nonspeaking autistic people who have written books, or are good at art!  While their support needs should ALWAYS be met (by people who know what they’re doing, of course), instead of putting the focus on what they CAN’T do, the focus should be put on what they CAN do.

These labels are also inaccurate, each autistic person has areas where they would be considered “high-functioning” as well as areas where they would be considered “low-functioning” and their “levels of functioning” will also differ from person to person, as well as from day to day.  This DOES NOT, however, make autistic people any less human, or any less worthy of a happy, fulfilling life.

NT’s, please listen to autistic people when they try to tell you something...we are people too, and we deserve to be treated respectfully, just like everyone else does.

(if anyone has any questions, please feel free to go to my ask page and ask them)     

[b-beams]

I’m the anon who asked about autism misconceptions. I don’t have any particular areas in mind, it’s just that because it’s autism awareness month and there’s videos being made about what autism is and what it’s like for autistic people, it’d be good to have a video that was about misconceptions and the way we are viewed and stuff like that

ah yeah, i’ve got a few ideas, just got to properly write them, so it’ll probably be towards the end of the month!

thanks for writing back + the great suggestion! (+ if anyone has anything they’d like to add, please let me know! (: )