#but it was normal in my family
i feel like so many allistic people who consider themselves allies to autistic people are actually seriously lacking in both autism acceptance and even basic awareness of what autism means. like so many people call themselves allies but only seem to know about autism from like. autistic memes online, which tend to either fall into the “so relatable” category or the “autism rules! hate autism moms™!” category, or like the interminable discourse about irredeemable media and cringe special interests.
anyway, if you’re allistic and you want to be an ally to autistic people, actually learn about autism beyond like. flapping and encyclopedic knowledge of steven’s universe. seriously consider whether you know anything about echolalia and pronoun reversal, or uneven cognitive profiles, or types of AAC, or common commorbidities (such as eating disorders, epilepsy, and GI disorders), or intellectual disability, or why ABA therapy is abusive (not just that it is, but why), or “wandering”/“elopement”, or inability to read other people’s emotions, or the fusiform face area, or perseveration and cognitive rigidity, or scripting, or sensory accommodations, or self injurious behavior, or selective mutism, or processing speed, or routines, or common misdiagnoses. like. don’t pretend you accept us and support us without even knowing who we are.
- pronoun reversal: using second or third person to refer to yourself, often goes hand in hand with echolalia
- fusiform face area: a part of the brain that is dedicated to recognizing faces. may be underactive or used for other purposes in autistic people. part of why so many of us can’t recognize people
- perseveration and cognitive rigidity: getting stuck on certain ideas or rules and concepts, unable to move on or look at alternatives
- routines can be part of perseveration, for example i always have to have my coffee from the same cup and use the same spoon. if i can’t find my spoon, i start to fall apart and it ruins the rest of my day.
- AAC: alternative and augmentative communication, aka ways of communicating that aren’t talking verbally. please look this one up to see the full range of what it can mean
- uneven cognitive profiles: having very high skills in some areas and very low skills in other areas
- processing speed: is one of those areas that’s often much lower in autistic people. same with language comprehension being lower than visual reasoning.
- selective mutism: becoming unable to speak when overwhelmed. not the same thing as being always nonverbal. also happens in anxiety disorders.
- wandering/elopement: leaving the place you’re supposed to be (for kids), getting lost. not the same thing as premeditatedly running away from home (please stop mixing them up. that’s why i included this in the list. an autistic seven year old who wanders away from a school field trip because they got overwhelmed and didn’t know how to ask to go home is not intentionally trying to run away forever). i used to do this because it didn’t occur to me to tell people when i wanted to leave when i was overwhelmed, and would just walk away from my grandparents’ house or my sister’s soccer games and my parents would have no idea where i was when they noticed i was gone.
anyway, this is just a couple of things to get people started. please don’t make this post the be all and end all of learning about what autism actually entails! autism is a really broad label for a lot of different experiences. you can’t be an ally if you have no knowledge beyond “flappy hands and talks funny”
“fusiform face area” - what. WHAT. You mean this isn’t just semi-faceblindness I have? It’s an autistic thing? D: The things you learn!
