Is autism a superpower?
Are we now belittling ASD instead of advocating it?
I began this blog to raise awareness of autism in today’s society. Although there is so much more knowledge and awareness out there today, there is still a long way to go. For people who don’t have a direct connection to neurodiversity, there is still a lot of stigma, stereotypes and judgement. I feel it every single day. Even if people aren’t even aware they are doing it, I see the stares, I hear the thoughts going through their heads and I feel the judgement. People often say things meaning well but in truth, it can be belittling and pitiful, uneducated and stereotypical and sometimes, just plain rude. There are some very loud whispers out there on social media or in the news from just the average Joe voicing their unwanted opinions to presidents speculating reasons why so many people now have a diagnosis of autism. Yes, there are a lot more people with autism today compared to 10/15 years ago. That is a fact.
Is it because there is more awareness now so more people are getting diagnosed?
Is it because our children are included in society and not banished to an institution to be forgotten and ashamed of?
Or is there something happening in today’s environment that is making more people autistic?
Is it just down to a growing population?
Truth is, who knows?
Scientists who are leading in their field studying autism don’t even know a real cause so why would we? But facts are facts and with the ever growing amount of people being diagnosed with autism and other neurodivergent disorders, it’s making me wonder if it is now becoming a trend to hype up and the true nature of autism is becoming almost complicit?
If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you will know that my 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with pre-verbal autism almost 2 years ago. I am an advocate in raising awareness and her biggest cheerleader. Every milestone, every accomplishment she achieves, I am singing and dancing from the rooftops! But at the same time, I am also a realist. I talk about the good and the bad and I don’t shy away from any topic. Which is why today, I am writing about what people may see as a controversial topic from someone who is an advocate for Autism.
I think it is amazing that more and more people in the public eye who are neurodiverse are coming out and talking about it, raising awareness and normalising the “abnormal”. However, with this happening, it seems to be making the neurodiverse into a trend, the latest fashion accessory or the latest TikTok reel. Is labelling autism a “superpower” , which a lot of celebs are doing, just dimming down the truth behind the label. It is giving autism spectrum disorder a pedestal that it doesn’t belong on?
Yes, autism can come with a lot of positives and that is something I will not stop talking about but it also has a lot of negatives. People who have autism, struggle through aspects of life every single day. The simplest things to you & me could be the biggest challenge to them. By hiding that fact with words such as “superpower” and sayings such as “everyone is a little autistic” (which i despise by the way) is just taking away everything we’re trying to achieve with spreading awareness. If everyone was a little autistic, there wouldn’t be individuals with a diagnosis would there? Just because you like your house ordered a certain way does not mean you are autistic just as it doesn’t mean you have OCD. Just because you don’t like loud noises, doesn’t mean you are autistic. Just because you don’t have a lot of friends or you are very good at maths does not mean you are autistic. It is not a trend. It is not fashion. It is not a funny skit for your latest TikTok video. This is real life for thousands of people every day and by glamming up the word autism just takes away the realness of what life means to some people with ASD.
Autism is having a disconnect from reality. Struggling in crowds, new environments, making relationships, not being able to talk, struggling to eat and nurish your body, physical and mental health problems, loud noises affecting your ability to function, being labelled as strange or weird because you don’t share the same interests as others, not having the ability to control your emotions, unable to get a job or go to university…. The list goes on and on. That is the realness of autism. The cold, hard truth behind someone having a high IQ or being able to name every city in the world or every train that has been created, behind someone who is good at art or can play the piano. If someone without autism could do any of those things I’ve just listed, would you say they have a superpower or would you just say they have a talent?
Should we celebrate all of those things? Absolutely we should! I’m not taking anything away from that but what I am trying to say is, should we stop glamourising those things for likes and shares and taking away the objective of what we’re trying to achieve when it comes to awareness. For me, raising awareness is to make society think a little more when they see my daughter struggling in public and understand why she is doing certain things. It is not to show how great her memory is or that she is a walking encyclopaedia for “Hey Duggee”. That isn’t going to benefit her. What will benefit her is people not judging her if she is overwhelmed in the supermarket or people understanding that she needs space or that she isn’t rude when she doesn’t talk back to them.
We should continue to spread awareness in the right way and remember why we’re doing it and who we’re doing it for! It is a disability so why do we treat it like it’s a “quirk”? Behind closed doors, there are thousands of autism families struggling with daily life, doing everything they can to make their child’s life that little bit easier and that should be known. We’re not sat at home counting out DLA money, buying designer clothes with it or going on fancy trips- we’re hoping for a full nights sleep, researching the latest AAC systems, filling out mountains of paperwork, trying to get them into the best school for their needs, hoping they try a new food or buying supplements, vitamins, items for the home to keep them safe. This is the stuff that people need to be aware of. The fear parents constantly live in when you have a child with a disability, the struggles and the hope.
I don’t want to come across all doom and gloom and making autism into a pity party, but I feel that a reminder of the truth of autism is needed. It’s not for clout, it is real. Hopefully my next blog will be one of celebration, but until then, have a think about how you see society and their relationship with neurodiversity. Even think about your own perceptions and opinions on having ASD in 2025.
As always, let me know! Love reading your comments and messages.
Until then, speak soon, xo
Oh my goodness!!! So glad I'm not the only one who hates hearing people say, "it's not a disability" or it's a superpower! I'm a respite worker for a young man with level 2 autism. His area of specific interest is wild animals of all kinds. He can spit out facts about whale sharks, but can't tie his shoes because the process of tying laces just doesn't stick with him. He wants to be a zookeeper but never remembers to feed his cat.
He definitely has the disorganized brain of autism. It's not that he, himself is disorganized; it's that his executive function is impaired and it can't coordinate the other parts of his brain the way that it should. He has very little impulse control....and none of his impulses are good.
But, get him on the topic of critters and he sounds like a college professor. In fact, I'm in the process of scheduling him to give a talk at our local library.
So I completely agree that refusing to acknowledge the disability side of autism does in fact belittle it. It also cuts people off from the resources they so desperately need. However, that hyperfocus and bottom up thinking can produce some remarkable gifts. I believe a balance between these two is what we should strive for.
AuDHDer: I agree with you, autism is not a super power. Indeed you can’t get an autism diagnosis without demonstrating that it currently impacts many aspects of your life. In fact I have yet to meet an autistic person that doesn't have a ton of other issues going on such as anxiety, stomach issues, insomnia, learning differences or ID...really the list goes on and on. It is almost always autism AND...
In some autistic people there can be real strengths in some areas. It is often described as a spiky profile. This is where an autistic person might be really good in things like music or math, but be really weak in others like executive functioning. I'm not talking about autistic savants here, just people that would be called gifted in some area.
From my experience it is most often from this group that I have heard some refer to autism as their super power. Many of these lower support needs autistics have very low self-esteem because they never fitted in and some were bullied growing up. So it makes them feel better about themselves to refer to autism as their super power. And there can be some good aspects to autism. Some of us have the ability to hyperfocus, have great pattern recognition, or experience physical sensations such as listening to music more intensely.
As far as why more people are getting diagnosed you mentioned a lot of the reasons, and I personally think that they are all contributing factors. Understand that the very first person diagnosed with autism, Donald Triplett back in 1943, just passed away 2 years ago. Donald was a low support needs autistic, who was a banker and was also great at music...he had perfect pitch. Many people were not diagnosed when they should have been back in the 1950s-80s because so few people knew anything about autism. Science and training of professionals have finally caught up and they do a much better job now of diagnosing. But the autistic people have always been there. A piece of paper saying that you're autistic doesn't suddenly make you autistic, you have always been.💛