Over the past years, you may (or may not) have noticed that there has been a dramatic upswing in the popularity of discussing Autism. Newspapers, Charities, Magazines, Web, all with a huge number of Autism-related debates, issues, and questions.
I have seen the articles and discussions, and I have stayed out – until now.
I have never been diagnosed as Autistic. My brothers have never been diagnosed. My parents decided, at a time when it was the popular thing to do, not to have us tested. They treated us no different. My mom’s sister has three children, two of whom are autistic, one severely. If you were to look at the list of core behaviors, my brothers and I have fully 2/3 of them. That, in and of itself, does not mean that we are Autistic, merely that our behaviors match with many displayed behaviors of Autistic people.
I was very disturbed to read an article earlier regarding the group “Autism Speaks”. First, a few facts:
1. Austism Speaks has 0 (Zero, zip, nada) people who are Autistic employees or board members.
2. Austism Speaks recently threatened a 14-year old Autistic woman with legal actions for creating a parody website.
3. Autism Speaks has also threatened legal actions against an Autistic man with legal actions for creating a tee-shirt design that says: “Autism Speaks can go away. I have autism. I can speak for myself.”
Autism Speaks, at first glance, seems to be focused on helping people with Autism to become more self reliant. However, as you dig a little deeper, it starts to resemble something else entirely. They have a bunch of Baby Boomers (parents) who are so focused on making sure that *everyone knows* how hard they are working to cure Autism, that they have lost sight of the real issue. It’s not about finding a cure. It’s about making sure that people with Autism are healthy, happy, and enjoying what they choose to do with their life. There is no reason that people with Autism cannot speak for themselves, stand up for themselves, and the rest of the world had better listen!
Autism Speaks can GO AWAY. I may or may not have autism. With or without it, I can speak for myself. So can ANYONE who has autism. Just because you don’t like what they say, don’t try to shut them up.
So, the relevant links.
