Autism Facts Everybody Should Knowу
1. Autism is diverse.
“If you know one autistic person, then you know … only one autistic person.”Every autistic person is different, and you cannot make any assumptions about him only on the basis of his diagnosis, except for “Probably, this person has problems with communication and social interaction.”
2. Autism does not define a person’s personality … but it is still a fundamental part of human nature.
“I am autistic, but I also have huge problems with organizing my actions and switching to a new task, which people usually have with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I read well, but there are serious problems with arithmetic, but not with counting. I’m an altruist, an introvert, a Christian, a student, a scientist … Autism is not just some kind of supplement. It’s the very basis for the development of my personality.”
3. Having autism does not make life meaningless.
Limitations in communication and social interaction, coupled with learning difficulties and sensory problems, do not mean that the life of an autistic person is worse than that of an ordinary person. Regarding autism, tragedy is not autism itself, but the prejudices associated with it that prevent it from being part of their family, part of their community, and a person whose life is of inherent value.
4. Autistic people are as capable of love as any other people.
Love for other people does not depend on the ability to speak fluently, understand the expression of other people’s faces, or remember that when you try to make friends with someone, it’s better not to talk about wild cats or gavial subspecies for one and a half hours without stopping. It is possible for autistic children to copy other people’s emotions, but they are capable of the same compassion as everyone else. They just express it differently. Ordinary people first try to express sympathy, and autists rush to fix a problem that initially upset a person. One is no better than the other. It just happens.
5. Having autism does not prevent a person from learning.
Sometimes parents state that their autistic children are “recovering”. However, in fact, their children grow, develop and study in a suitable environment for them. This is the focus of autism research: how best to teach autistic children what they need to know about the modern world, which is not suitable for them.
6. Autistic people can be happy without healing.
And we are not talking about some kind of second-rate happiness according to the principle “something is better than nothing.” Most of us will never notice the beauty in the location of cracks in the asphalt, or how beautifully the colors play on the spilled gasoline after the rain; he will not understand what it is like to forget about everything because of the sensation of cat fur. Happiness in autism does not boil down to “courage” or “overcoming”. This is just happiness. It is not necessary to be normal to be happy.
7. Autistic people want to be a part of this world.