In Part 5 of my autism series, I will be talking about things that I want you to know about autism going forward. From my experiences with autism, I have seen some misconceptions that people have about autism, as well as mistakes that people make when they talk about the topic of autism. I feel that by experiencing autism first hand, I am well positioned to talk about some of these misconceptions.
Every person with autism has had different experiences
I have heard the phrase that you will never have met 2 people with autism that have had the exact same experiences, and the phrase is so true. It is so important to realise that autism effects different people in different ways, and there is no one size fits all when it comes to autism. Firstly, autism is a spectrum condition, some people are on the mild part of the spectrum and therefore their autism doesn’t impact their lives as much compared to someone on the more severe end of the spectrum. Therefore, it is clear that the spectrum aspect of autism means that some autistic people will need more support than others. Furthermore, not all autistic people struggle with the same thing, some may struggle in social settings, some may struggle when it comes to adapting to change, whereas others may find understanding other people’s feelings challenging. It is really important that we recognise that autism is actually quite a diverse condition in that it affects everyone on the spectrum differently, as that will help us be more open minded and understanding when it comes to talking about the topic of autism.
People with autism have unique qualities and strengths
This point is essential to talk about, as it really helps with reframing our thoughts when thinking about the autistic spectrum. I agree that there are unique challenges and battles that people with autism face, and some of these challenges can be a big part of their lives. However, on the flip side, autistic people also have unique qualities and strengths that can help them in so many aspects of their lives, and is something we should never underestimate. For example, some autistic people are very good when it comes to routine and organisation, which allows them to thrive in any career they go into to. Others are excellent problem solvers which a knack of being creative when it comes to finding solutions to problems. The unique qualities that autistic people have is something special, and something that definitely shines a positive light on the autistic spectrum.
Autism may be considered a disability but that shouldn’t dominate your thoughts when you think about autism
It is known for a long time that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability, and the two words “disorder” and “disability” have negative connotations attached to them. However, although these two words may cross your mind when you think about autism, it certainly shouldn’t dominate your thoughts when you think about autism. The reason is because if these words dominate your thoughts, you will think about autism in a negative way. This means that even if you don’t want to judge autistic people when you meet them, you will inevitably end up judging them in some way or the other in the back of your mind. A lot of autistic people know that ASD can be classified as a disability, but they want to thrive in life, and they certainly don’t want their disability to define them as a person. You should remember that the disability aspect of autism is only a very small part of it, and definitely not the thing that should dominate your thoughts.
You can learn a lot from people with autism
In my opinion, this is the single most important reason why you should be open minded when interacting with autistic people. Autistic people learn a lot from others that help them become a better person, and I believe the converse holds as well. As I said in the second point, people with autism have unique strengths and qualities that allow them to thrive, and this also gives us a great chance to learn and improve some of our skills. Furthermore, some autistic people have different perspectives of the world, which gives us a chance to expand our own perspective when interacting with them.
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This is an interesting post. I don’t personally know anyone with autism. Thanks for sharing to help give light on a topic that not everyone maybe familiar with. But even if not everyone is familiar with autism, as you say everyone is different and unique. Whether or not they have autism. everyone has something wonderful to offer 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words! You are right that everyone is unique which is something we should embrace!
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I got to learn something new today 💟💟
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Aww I am glad!
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I love the mention of strenghts and qualities. I have written a paper on autism for university and a lot of the literature I went through still only focused on “challenges, deficits, problems, restriction” … I also love the focus on how it is a spectrum. You still find a lot of “autistic people ARE” – and then a list of symptoms that apparently have to be true for every autistic person. But it’s a spectrum and everyone is different, everyone has different experiences and I wish there would be more focus on that, like I am over-empathic to the point it hurts me physically and I never really find that in texts about autism.
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You are right, it is a spectrum which means everyone will have different experiences! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Great post Niraj! I enjoy reading the “Autism and Me” series and you being transparent in your journey and sharing your truths. Keep it up 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words!!
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I have a friend with autism and you would never know unless she told you. She’s a beautiful person inside and out so I think the negativity people associate with autism is unwarranted.
Ang | https://loseweightwithang.com
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I agree, the negativity people with autism is completely unjustified1
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I love your writings. You write very systematically and I believe that’s your strong point from experiencing autism first hand. I would like to read more from you. Greetings from Indonesia!
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Thank you so much for your kind words!!
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This was such a brilliant series – so informative. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Lexie
http://www.whatlexieloves.blogspot.com
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Aww thanks for reading 🙂
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I think it’s always super important to remember your first point – that people have different experiences. It’s something that can be related to any struggle or aspect of life. I also personally really dislike it when people use labels to define a stereotypical version of a type of person. We shouldn’t see other people through the lens of autism or anxiety or whatever they are dealing with, but see them through the lens as just a person living within the world. I think sometimes these sorts of things are misunderstood/wrongly portrayed in the media, etc. which is why it’s good to have genuine posts out there that say it how it is! 🙂
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Thank you for commenting onmy blog and inviting me to yours. My 7-year old son just got diagnosed with ASD and it’s really wonderful to read some first hand experiences to help me get to knowhis very personalized brand of autismas we embark on this journey together.
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I am glad that you find this blog post helpful, and I encourage you to read the rest of my blog series!
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Hello! I received my autism diagnosis last week so I enjoy reading blog posts to hear about the experiences of other autistic people. Are you sometimes worried about people not believing you’re autistic because you don’t seem like the stereotypical autistic person? That’s one of my worries since my mom didn’t suspect me to be autistic years ago, I have a full-time job, and I’m almost done with my Master’s degree.
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Thanks for reading! I do sometimes worry about people not believing I am on the autistic spectrum but over time I have accepted that not everyone will understand, and thats ok! Wishing you all the best!
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