Stacy Nalapraya’s chalking of the rainbow infinity design

The other day I came across a post where a Mother claims she will never refer to her child as AutisticThat he is more than that stigma and hopefully one day that will change.

People say all kinds of things. Over and over, again and again. Is it a type of thought “brand messaging” or, is it straight brain washing? Whatever you want to call it. It can be damaging to the way a person (a society) is conditioned to think and react.

We have all heard the old adage; if you say something long enough it becomes the truth. Even if it never was. Scripts people compose serve purposes, especially when seeking to control and domineer others perceived to be different. This is an insidious way to behave. Even more insidious is that this behavior is seen everywhere when you really look, in small ways and in very big ways. The running script concocted for Autism in particular has been way off of the mark. I for one, am sick of sticking to it.

There are scores of Autistic adults with powerful things to say about rewriting that bad script the world has been handed. They work passionately for a more complete understanding of these different Autistic and valid ways of being. We as a community could use a new script for the so-called ‘mainstream’ world. If we had our way here at AutismHWY.com these would be a few of the new head script writers: Ibby Anderson-Grace, Nick Walker, Kassiane Sibley, Amy Sequenzia , Alyssa , Paula C. Durbin Westby, Zach Richter, Emily Page Ballou , Lydia Brown, Ari Ne’eman, Jane Strauss, Matt Young , Judy Endow and many others I will CONTINUE TO LINK here by name.

What our heART is all about…

Why hope for the ableist status quo to just go away one day and in the mean time continue following their restrictive bad script? If “they” say Autistic is the big “A” word and no one will allow a son or daughter access to the real world with the word Autistic attached to them. Why not improvise? Why not strive to change that? Why should we just accept someone else’s oppressive script or tag concerning the word Autistic? Concerning Autistic people? When schools of thought aren’t that intelligent shouldn’t we deviate? Educate? The people that have decided the word Autistic is the big “A” word are not that informed, truly. “My child cannot have that word associated with them. People won’t see past it. Until things change, I will just whisper it to you that he or she is on the Spectrum.”

OUR Scarlet Letter of clarity!!

People are still looking past Einstein’s Autism. How about Isaac Newton’s or Nikola Tesla‘s, how many other’s past, present or future ? The Autistic mind is essential to technology. It always has been. So why are people afraid to be associated with the word Autistic? Why has my son’s condition been made into a dirty word to some people? I truly don’t understand.

How does that attitude help, coming from a parent advocate? Someone, who is supposed to be an ally. If we ourselves, whom live within the structure of Autism everyday through our amazing children and wonderful friends, are afraid to say the BIG BAD “A” WORD out loud….well then, will anyone else? Will the people in society allow us to be considered something more than a 1 trick pony Rain Man? Autistic people and allies need to break down those barriers that were built divisively against us. Familiarize people unfamiliar with Autistic ways and (comfort zone) means. Definitely, don’t continue to demonize the very word Autistic adults use everyday in reference to themselves. Can we please all agree on that and realize we must work together to shift the negative stigma that has been bestowed upon our lives? Can we be the change we want to see…?