The New Debate Around Autism Awareness

When my son was diagnosed with Autism 16 years ago, I never thought there would be so much controversy over a word or phrase.

Of course, 16 years ago I never thought we’d be living in a society where literally every single word you say is turned against you in such a way that you become an unwitting evil-doer in a total stranger’s narrative.

Yet, here we are.

To be fair, over the years Autism has sparked controversy. From pseudoscience that convinced certain people that immunizations caused Autism, to Asperger's no longer being a diagnosis because for... reasons.

There has even been - just a few short years ago - a huge controversy around a celebrity by the name of Sia, who partnered with Autism Speaks - an organization known for its barbaric outlook on Autism and its promotion of such practices (like electroshock therapy to "cure" Autism - Imagine putting children through that!). There is much more with Sia herself but I’m not getting into that here.

Years ago, when my son was first diagnosed, people on the spectrum were called Autistic. Then it was changed to “The have Autism” which I used most of the time as did my son. The reason for the change was the debate back then calling a person with Autism Autistic took away everything else that they are as human beings.

It “Otherized” them. That made sense to me as a parent. My son is so much more than Autism. He is an individual. Nevermind the fact that we parents and educators worked tirelessly to make others understand that Autism didn’t make them all the same.

I found myself saying the phrase, “If you’ve met one person with Autism, You’ve met ONE person with Autism.” I stand by that to this day and I do not apologize for it.

At the end of the day, we humans are all individuals. No two people are exactly the same, nor should we be.

However, that belief/narrative has changed. “To Have Autism” to some, says that a person has a disease. Like a person who says they have Cancer or diabetes. I have PTSD. My sister has Bipolar disorder.

I understand why and how people have reached that conclusion about the wording. My thoughts are this: I have PTSD but I don’t see that as a disease. It is a part of me, yes. I will always have it, yes. But it’s not all of who I am as a person.

However, I can see the other side too. Not everyone who has PTSD will have it for the rest of their lives. To the point though, not everyone who has Cancer will always have it either. My sister is a Cancer survivor.

But with Autism, it seems different, doesn’t it? A person with Autism will ALWAYS have it. I get why this is a conversation that people are having.

But I don’t like anyone telling me - or more importantly, my son - what he should think, how he should feel, and what he should refer to himself as. When you get right down into it, it is an individual choice.

When push comes to shove, I believe wholeheartedly that NO ONE has the right to tell ANYONE how they should identify. That belief I have goes way beyond Autism too.

I am not going to tell someone else how to live their lives, what they should believe, or how they should identify because of MY POV. My POV is mine and mine alone. I fully believe that I have no business telling someone else what kind of human they should be.

And I EXPECT the same in return. Absolutely! You can tell me your opinions but at the end of the day how I or my son choose to live our lives is completely up to us.

Commentary from the peanut gallery need not apply.

People say that Awareness is no longer needed because people are aware. Well, not everyone. I can tell you first hand there are still people out there who are hella ignorant, mostly they are willfully so, which in and of itself is so frustrating.

Acceptance, though, is also necessary and perhaps, now, it is more so than awareness. I see that argument. We now need to work on accepting others who are different from us. Not just those on the Spectrum but across the board.

Autism though definitely deserves its own spotlight in the sea of important necessities in society.

Me, as a parent of someone on the spectrum, I honor his wishes. I respect his thoughts and feelings on the matter and will always let him lead the way in how we move through this life addressing these issues around Autism.

Really, when I take a good look at it and a good look at society today in general, if we stopped seeing each other as the enemy and started seeing each other as fellow humans just trying to live our own lives on this planet, wouldn’t the world be a much nicer place to live?

I sure wish it was! For my son. For both of my children. For the world’s children.

So whether you say Autism Awareness and/or Autism Acceptance, April is the month for Autism to be in the spotlight.

Awareness is important because people still need to be educated on the subject.

Acceptance is important because we all know this world is seriously lacking in that department.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, I wish you all the happiness and I wish for a better world for you.

Thanks so much for reading!