Autism Acceptance vs Awareness: what does it all mean and why does it matter? We've reached a point in the Autism world where people are most certainly aware of the existence of Autism. This doesn't mean they understand it, can recognize it or even know much about it. There are words associated with it now that weren't really discussed before: Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Neurotype, meaning a type of brain, possibly different from the majority. Being aware doesn't mean its understood that back in 2013, the DSM 5 got rid of the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (the name itself was problematic, but that is for another day) and divided the Autism spectrum into 3 levels. Most people aren't aware these levels indicate nothing about Autism itself, but rather indicate severity of the accompanying learning, language, communication and sensory disorders. Most people aren't aware the terms "high functioning" and "low functioning" are ableist terms (Ableism refers to the discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities and/or people who are perceived to be disabled. Ableism characterizes people as defined by their disabilities and inferior to the non-disabled). Acceptance means just that- Regardless of who you are, there is a place for you in the world that embraces you wholly and unreservedly, where you can think and act without shame of any perceived deficits. Acceptance means you aren't automatically assumed by others to require fixing. Acceptance means being able to hyper focus on things you're really passionate about and others actively try to connect, communicate and/or collaborate over them. Acceptance means recognizing stimming is engaged in by all of us as a way for our nervous systems to calibrate and calm and that foot or finger tapping isn't somehow more appropriate or different than hand flapping. Acceptance means seeing each individual human as worthy of dignity, respect, confidentiality and autonomy with the right to define how they are spoken to, addressed as. It's simple on a micro level. It's the macro, systems levels where real change needs to happen. Educational, occupational, political, medical, social- these are all systems requiring acceptance of Autistic individuals so they may move within as they need to be as successful as possible. Without judgement, oppression or suppression.
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