In the spirit of Autism Acceptance Month, I would like to share how in reality Neurotypical America has no acceptance of autistic people.
I am someone who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome Disorder. I can say from my own experience I have seen very few people actually tolerate autistic people. This is because autism can be very hard for neurotypical people and even other autistic people.
This is because many autistic people tend to be set in their own way of doing things and think more logically instead of emotionally. We tend to do things our way despite people telling us how “wrong” we are. Some autistic people give in to the neurotypical demands and do things the “right” way by masking symptoms of ASD.
Masking is painful sometimes and it is not just about doing things in an alternative way but it also comes to stimming. Stimming is similar to tics in people with Tourette’s Syndrome (and also ASD) but they are easier to suppress. Many neurotypical people get annoyed by stimming leading to many autistic people suppressing them.
There are other qualities associated with autism that a lot of neurotypical people are uncomfortable with. Despite a more logical way of thinking we can be highly sensitive. We also tend to be loners and bad in social situations, especially in terms of being a bit self-centered. Hating change, especially drastic changes is another big quality of autism. Also, we tend to be hyper-fixated on specific topics and will dump information about said topics to people and correct them when they are wrong about it which can be off-putting.
A lot of these qualities are also often stereotypes of people who are chronically online especially with the website Reddit. I have heard many people use the term “Redditor” to describe autistic people and qualities. It seems to me that calling someone a Redditor is just a politically correct way of insulting autistic people. It is a term used in place of previous slurs to demean autistic qualities. People who use the term might not even realize it. That is just how hated autism is in neurotypical society.
We can also be negative if you could not tell from reading this. However, autistic people can also defy stereotypes. While I often am a loner myself, I have gotten a lot better in social situations. Also despite everything I have written so far, I am actually getting more positive and optimistic. I also tend to think more logically, but I let myself experience emotions and think with them sometimes too.
Autistic people are not a monolithic group. The qualities I listed could be called stereotypes by many as well, even though they are all genuine qualities. I do not write this to further stigmatize autistic people, but to show well-meaning neurotypical people there are a lot of negative attitudes out there against autism.
The negative attitudes are so deep within society that I am positive most people are just ignorant to them and not actively trying to harm autistic people. This is why I write this to let people know of the biases out there so they can be aware of them. My hope is for neurotypical and autistic people to find a middle ground and stop constant bickering about things that do not actually matter.
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
