AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
It's World Autism Awareness Week.
The campaign, which was launched by the UN in 2007, leads up to World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April - when thousands of landmarks around the world light up blue, and autism-friendly events are held all over the world.
But despite so much effort being put into raising awareness, many autistic people continue to struggle against misleading stereotypes.
Everyone has different experiences, so we asked eight young people with autism what the most common misconceptions are.
From the assumption that they'll be great at maths to the belief that they hate being around others, all of the people we spoke to had been on the receiving end of some pretty offensive generalisations.
Below are some of the things that particularly annoyed them.
“You don’t look autistic”
...Is there is an autistic look?
“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh you look fine, Lianne’,” one woman told us.
Another woman added, “I think what they mean is: ‘I have these preconceptions and you’ve just broken them’. But, how it actually comes out is quite stigmatising”.
“What’s your special ability?”
“Everyone thinks all autistic people don’t speak, are rude and are geniuses - that simply isn’t the case!” one man explained.
Another man told us, “I am rubbish at maths, alright?!”
As one woman observed, “There are some people with Savant Syndrome who have these amazing gifts they’ve been given. But I think a lot of these ‘special abilities’ just come from being very, very interested in something.”
Some autistic people have highly focused interests, so they might know an awful lot about a certain topic - but it won’t necessarily be maths or science.
“Everyone is a little autistic”
Saying this does suggest that you might struggle to understand others - but that’s not the same as being on the autistic spectrum.
“We don’t have that instinctive understanding of body language that others have,” one woman explained.
Another woman told us she believes it’s wrong to claim there are only five senses. “There’s a sixth. The ability to understand everybody else’s thought processes,” she suggested. "We don’t have that ability.'”
“Autistic people can’t feel empathy”
“I actually believe that autistic people feel too much empathy,” one woman told us.
Another woman told us, “if anything, we feel things harder!”
It’s true that, although people with autism can sometimes struggle to relate to other people, a lot of the time, people with autism can find the world overwhelming and unwelcoming, so it certainly isn’t that they don’t get the feels!
“You could be normal if you tried”
One woman told us, “when I was a kid, I got really badly bullied, and my teachers said to my parents, ‘if she tried to fit in more, she wouldn’t get bullied’,” the clear implication being, 'she brings it on herself because she’s different.'
Yeah, this is just wrong.
“What’s the best thing about being autisic?”
All of the people we spoke to unanimously agreed that there were definitely some benefits and they wouldn’t change who they are…
“You want us on your general knowledge team,” one woman said.
“It’s like you’re permanently on a roller-coaster, because you see all these things that other people don’t see,” added another woman.
Another man put it simply by saying, “we have a genuine gift that we can bring to the world.”
We’ll take that. Now you know, people!
Watch the full video: Things Not to say to an autistic person
Want more? Check out more of our Things Not To Say videos.
Source: Some of the most annoying stereotypes autistic people have to deal with - BBC Three
Related: The secret to… raising a happy autistic child
Relating to Autism Awareness Week: #RedInstead ~ Autism Acceptance / Appreciation Month
It's World Autism Awareness Week.
The campaign, which was launched by the UN in 2007, leads up to World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April - when thousands of landmarks around the world light up blue, and autism-friendly events are held all over the world.
But despite so much effort being put into raising awareness, many autistic people continue to struggle against misleading stereotypes.
Everyone has different experiences, so we asked eight young people with autism what the most common misconceptions are.
From the assumption that they'll be great at maths to the belief that they hate being around others, all of the people we spoke to had been on the receiving end of some pretty offensive generalisations.
Below are some of the things that particularly annoyed them.
“You don’t look autistic”
...Is there is an autistic look?
“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh you look fine, Lianne’,” one woman told us.
Another woman added, “I think what they mean is: ‘I have these preconceptions and you’ve just broken them’. But, how it actually comes out is quite stigmatising”.
“What’s your special ability?”
“Everyone thinks all autistic people don’t speak, are rude and are geniuses - that simply isn’t the case!” one man explained.
Another man told us, “I am rubbish at maths, alright?!”
As one woman observed, “There are some people with Savant Syndrome who have these amazing gifts they’ve been given. But I think a lot of these ‘special abilities’ just come from being very, very interested in something.”
Some autistic people have highly focused interests, so they might know an awful lot about a certain topic - but it won’t necessarily be maths or science.
“Everyone is a little autistic”
Saying this does suggest that you might struggle to understand others - but that’s not the same as being on the autistic spectrum.
“We don’t have that instinctive understanding of body language that others have,” one woman explained.
Another woman told us she believes it’s wrong to claim there are only five senses. “There’s a sixth. The ability to understand everybody else’s thought processes,” she suggested. "We don’t have that ability.'”
“Autistic people can’t feel empathy”
“I actually believe that autistic people feel too much empathy,” one woman told us.
Another woman told us, “if anything, we feel things harder!”
It’s true that, although people with autism can sometimes struggle to relate to other people, a lot of the time, people with autism can find the world overwhelming and unwelcoming, so it certainly isn’t that they don’t get the feels!
“You could be normal if you tried”
One woman told us, “when I was a kid, I got really badly bullied, and my teachers said to my parents, ‘if she tried to fit in more, she wouldn’t get bullied’,” the clear implication being, 'she brings it on herself because she’s different.'
Yeah, this is just wrong.
“What’s the best thing about being autisic?”
All of the people we spoke to unanimously agreed that there were definitely some benefits and they wouldn’t change who they are…
“You want us on your general knowledge team,” one woman said.
“It’s like you’re permanently on a roller-coaster, because you see all these things that other people don’t see,” added another woman.
Another man put it simply by saying, “we have a genuine gift that we can bring to the world.”
We’ll take that. Now you know, people!
Watch the full video: Things Not to say to an autistic person
Want more? Check out more of our Things Not To Say videos.
Source: Some of the most annoying stereotypes autistic people have to deal with - BBC Three
Related: The secret to… raising a happy autistic child
Relating to Autism Awareness Week: #RedInstead ~ Autism Acceptance / Appreciation Month
