THE A WORD
This Carrd was created by an actual autistic person to educate and inform people about autism!
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that impacts how a person interacts with the world around them, as well as how they understand and communicate with other people. A common misconception that people have is that autism has a fixed list of "traits" or "symptoms" that everybody with the disorder will exhibit. Autism affects each person differently, with people fitting into different places on the AUTISTIC SPECTRUM.
THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM?
The definition of the spectrum has changed a lot in recent years to become more accomodating to people on both ends of the spectrum! Previously you may have heard of "Level 1-2-3" autism used to describe how impaired an autistic persons social interaction is. You may have also heard of a label for "high functioning" autistics called Aspergers Syndrome. This isn't used anymore!
The reason why these terms are no longer used in both diagnosis and among autistic people is because it creates a harmful divide between us! We also show different traits from the same spectrum, and dividing people by their "function level" can be unhelpful - even if you think it's a compliment!
SO WHAT ARE THE TRAITS OF AUTISM?
They differ from person to person, but this is a list of the most common ones!
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION:
1. we may appear to be insensitive
2. we tend to seek out time alone when overloaded by other people
3. we do not seek comfort from others
4. we can appear to behave 'strangely' or in a way thought to be socially inappropriate.
BEHAVIOURAL RESTRICTIONS:
1. we struggle to function without specific routines, and get very distressed when our daily routines are disrupted
2. highly focused and specific interests
3. either heightened or underdeveloped sensory sensitivity
HIGH FUNCTIONING? LOW FUNCTIONING? MASKING?
High functioning and low function are terms that have also stopped being used. This is because autistic people, especially girls, are constantly doing something called "masking". This is when an autistic person hides their traits in order to conform with society - also known as high functioning. When you (as an able person) call someone who is masking high functioning (or say something like "you dont seem autistic"), you diminsh their struggles. It's a polite way of saying that you're glad our autism isn't affecting you, and a reminder that we don't fit in with everyone else :) We know you mean it as a compliment, but don't do it!
Masking is super difficult. It's tiring and takes up so much energy to maintain. It can be something as simple as feigning interest in something popular, or trying to keep yourself from talking about something you feel passionate about (this is a fixation, we'll get to those later). As we have to constantly mask to act "normal" and appease our peers, it leaves us feeling exhausted and emotional as soon as we are in a situation where we don't have to mask. This is why a lot of autistic people typically spend a lot of time by themselves, to recover from the energy and stress of having to mask.
SO HOW DO WE FIX AUTISM?
If you ask this to an autistic person, please be prepared to get punched in the face :)
Autism is NOT a bad thing. We would not be the people we are today if we didn't have our disability. It makes us who we are, and so the implying that there is something wrong with us that needs to be fixed incredibly harmful and upsetting to us, as it would be to any able person. It can also be a big point of insecurity for us, because we feel like people will see or judge us differently because of it. Just because we don't express our emotions well, doesn't mean that we don't feel them. Be kind! We are also trying to make the best of our lives in the same way that any able person is, we just have more difficulties than most!
also dont support autism speaks theyre a company that wants to "cure" autism and dont care about the opinions of people that they claim to represent
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AUTISM
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND AUTISM
Did you know that people with autism are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, adhd and ocd? 40% of autistic people have anxiety alone, and a shocking number of us also suffer from depression. It's thought that this is caused from multiple factors, including vulnerability and stress, and our inability to process some of these correctly. People with autism are also more likely to have decreased self esteem as they are more likely to be bullied and socially isolated.
FIXATION
Many autistic people will have intense and focused interests from a young age, called fixations. They can change often, or not at all, and could be anything from music to trains. They vary in how severe they are, too! These interests may be unusual, but they can be channeled into their studies, their occupations or their volunteer work. This is fundamental to our happiness, and lots of people report they couldn't be happy without their fixation.
THE SPECTRUM, EXPLAINED
A lot of the time you will see people refer to the spectrum as linear, and people sit on each end of the spectrum depending on their "autism level". Its not like this! Its easier to describe autism as a bubble, with lots of bubbles branching off (like in this diagram)! You won't show all of these traits, but they all make up your experience with the disorder.
IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE AUTISM
then welcome! this is probably a scary time for you, so don't worry - we're here to support you!
it's super common to get your diagnosis later on in life, especially if you're a girl or female-aligned! it is up to you to decide whether or not you wish to receive a diagnosis - a lot of people are very adverse to the label. the only way to know for sure is to get a formal diagnosis from a medical professional. you should do some more research on the topic, and then if you still feel like the concern is big and you're very sure that you might be one of us, contact your GP or discuss it with your counselor/therapist - they will be able to point you in the correct direction!
A TUTORIAL ON HOW NOT TO BE ABLEIST
1. DONT USE THOSE SLURS
the r word (r*tard) is a reclaimed slur for DISABLED PEOPLE ONLY. if u want to respect us, dont use it! dont use autism/autistic as an insult either. calling a hyperfixation 'weird' is also a little bit ableist, so be aware of this! ^-^
2. DONT TELL US YOU'RE SORRY
imagine saying to someone "gosh, i'm so sorry that you're (INSERT PHYSICAL TRAIT)".. you wouldn't, right? so don't do the same to us. it makes us feel like our disability is something to be ashamed of (which it isnt) and its super harmful.
3. DONT CONSTANTLY INSIST ON HELPING US
its okay to want to help out someone whos struggling, but having a disability doesnt automatically mean we are struggling! if we say we dont need help, listen! our voices are just as important as yours, and we know ourselves best - we'll ask if we need it!
4. DONATE TO CHARITIES THAT SUPPORT US
not autism speaks though. fuck autism speaks
5. BE KIND!
be patient, listen to us, and treat us like any other able person! we're all humans at the end of the day, and we want to be seen as the people we are, not as our disability!!