well, we're back again.
I was checking twitter this morning, which is a common thing for me to do, as it's the one platform that doesn't supress Autism advocates when we're trying to explain something outside of platforms we ourselves make, such as this one, which eventually landed me on a post by the user "AutisticSciencePerson (@AutSciPerson)" about the definitions of Autism when you simply Google it.
before we start, I feel obligated to add a trigger warning for Ableism here for any Autistic readers.
the first definition I'm going to discuss (I won't discuss all of them, only a few, then I'll just list the others) is the definition provided by google via Oxford Languages...
"[Autism is] a developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour"
this definition definitely isn't the worst. It doesn't call Autism a disease, doesn't ask to cure Autism, doesn't recommend ABA, etc. however it does specifically single out Autistic traits that will not be present for everyone. These are the stereotype traits that lead Neurotypical people to claim "you don't look Autistic"
now onto the actually triggering answers. (Many of these do not have sources and since there's so many, I did not want to go and google each one for ages)
one of the worst by far I saw was:
"Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited & repetitive patterns of behaviour. The term 'Spectrum' in ASD refers to the wide range of symptoms & severity. ASD begins in early childhood and *EVENTUALLY CAUSES PROBLEMS FUNCTIONING IN SOCIETY* - socially, in school & at work, for example. Often, children show symptoms of Autism within the first year. A small number of children appear to develop *NORMALLY* for the first year, then go through a period of *REGRESSION* between 18 & 24 months of age when they *DEVELOP* Autism. While there is no *CURE* for ASD, intensive, early treatment" (also known as ABA, I have a post coming on ABA soon) "can make a big difference in the lives of many children" - now a fun fact for you, this is the quote from the Mayo Clinic for defining Autism.
long, isn't it?
how many times did I put something in all capital letters there?
there were 5 different key sticking points I had there.
causes problems functioning in society - this implies that Autistic people, no matter how severe or what traits they have, will not function in society, period.
develops normally - this implies there is a "normal" way to develop.
period of regression - implying that Autistic traits showing through is a step backwards for the person
they develop Autism - you're born with Autism. You don't just randomly develop it one day. This implies to some that there is something between birth and traits showing that causes Autism, when this just isn't true.
cure - I've spoken at length about my problem with this multiple times before.
now this is one of many answers. Out of 32 tweets in the thread, this only took 3.
I'll share a few more that really caught my attention, and then I'll conclude.
"ASD is characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties & restricted, repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behaviour"
"a neurodevelopment disorder that causes social, communication, and behavioural challenges"
"people with ASD often have problems with social, emotional & communcation skills. They might repeat certain behaviours & might not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASD have different ways of learning, paying attention or reacting to things"
"Autism, or ASD, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the CDC, Autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the US."
okay, now, what do all of these definitions have in common?
they:
all disregard the benefits of Autism (only focused on the "challenges" or "problems" that come with the disorder)
almost always use person-first language (people with Autism) instead of the generally preferred identity-first language (Autistic person) - this is because many Autistic people don't like treating Autism as if it's a condition we have, unlike the part of our personalities that many treat it as.
stereotyping - they're all focused on the same few stereotyped traits. They don't go into the intricacies of stimming, or hyperfocus, or sensory overload. They only focus on the social issues & repetitive behaviours (very surface-level definition of stimming)
so what would a perfect definition of Autism be?
you see, that depends.
the saying "if you've met one Autistic person, you've met one Autistic person" is very true here, as everyone would define Autism differently. My personal definition would be something along the lines of
"Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition which may affect a person's social skills, ability to focus, and general communcation skills. It can also have many positive effects including but not limited to: hyperfocusing & hyperempathy, the former of which is an incredible talent allowing an Autistic person to devote themselves entirely to their work with zero outside distractions, and the latter of which causing an Autistic person to care, sometimes too much, for people other than themselves.
ASD cannot be easily classified under any one definition, as every person will be different, depending on what support they have recieved in their life, what traits they have, and the severity. It also changes by gender, which leads to women being heavily undiagnosed, due to the diagnosis criteria focusing on the male traits only.
The best way to care for an Autistic person in your life is to actually ask them what they want and need. Obviously don't just get them everything (don't spoil your child to calm them down, or they'll grow up demanding and expecting everything on a silver platter) but if they're finding focus hard without something to keep their hands busy, get them a fidgeting toy or a stress ball. If they're finding an environment too loud, get them some noise-cancelling headphones (not necessarily headphones that play music, you can buy ear protectors as well that have the same effect)
Autistic people are fully capable of love, empathy and all other emotions a neurotypical person is capable of. Just because an Autistic person expresses said emotions differently or doesn't show them as much, does not mean they are not present.
Finally, make sure to have patience with Autistic people. Society needs to change in order to better help Autistic people, but until it does, you're just going to have to be patient with them, and work with them to help make their life better."
a very long definition, sure, but that's my personal definition of Autism & how best to handle it.
with that, I'll conclude this post. Remember, not everything you read online is correct, even if it claims to come from a source aimed only at helping Autistic people. Do your own research. Is there anyone Autistic on the directing board of the charity you're looking at? Do they support ABA/finding a cure? If the answers to that are no and yes in that order, you're looking at a fake charity aimed at eliminating Autistic people.
stay safe everyone, my next post will be on ABA, and whether it's abuse or not. That's coming on June 2nd, so feel free to subscribe to my mailing list to be notified when I post next.
- Josh.
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