California Autistic Self Advocates

Literally sitting in my super uncomfortable office chair behind a baby gate because I need space from my daughter. I am COMPLETELY touched out and over parentin...g today. If I attempted to chill in the living room, I'd have little fingers tugging on my shirt wanting to nurse nonstop and I just can't. Parenting sensory overload is real! If you're feeling the same way, know you're not alone. *Air hug* (because please don't touch me right now)

Who is she to say people with autism can’t handle the pressure.

I love how Hannah Gadsby opens up about her autism in Douglas, by reflecting on a hilarious lesson she had as a kid at school.

Ideas for activities

10 Autism Facts Everyone Should Know (sources added now!) 1 It's genetic. It doesn't suddenly appear or get caused by anything environmental. It should be noted... environment can impact the degree to which genes are expressed, though. Epigenetics (how factors affect gene expression) is fascinating but deserves a comprehensive post of its own. Autistic patterns of brain development are observed to be atypical even from infancy, though diagnosis rarely occurs until later. Autistic people very often have autistic family members. I was diagnosed later but I can retrospectively identify tons of autistic traits in my childhood. It's not vaccines. It's not toxins. It's just how our brains are wired. 2 It can't be "cured" and we* don't want it to be cured anyways! My autism is as important to who I am as my gender or my national identity. I wouldn't want someone to take it from me. I'd be a completely different person! 3 Autistic people* don't approve of ABA. ABA= Applied Behavioural Analysis. Both people who've gone through ABA and people who've practiced it have come forward to denounce it as ineffective and extremely harmful. It increases our risk of PTSD and anxiety disorders, and it's been likened to "conversion therapy for autistics", because the goal is often to make us appear less autistic and suppress autistic traits, instead of learning how to live and thrive as an autistic person. 4 Autism Speaks doesn't speak for us*. They have few to no Autistic people in their leadership and use only a minute fraction of their funds to help autistic people. They participate in genetic research which furthers the goal of a prenatal autism screen (eugenics), and consistently demonize and dehumanize autistic people in campaigns in order to gain donations. 5 Most of us* prefer "autistic" to "person with autism". Each person may have their own preference and that should be respected, but if you aren't sure what someone prefers, or you're talking about autistic people in general, please use "Autistic". The main reason behind this is because 'having autism' sounds much like 'having cancer' or 'having a cold'- that's the phrasing we use when we have a temporary illness or ailment. Autism isn't temporary, and it's not an illness or ailment. It's not an accessory. It's part of us. One comparison I like is that we'd say someone is a woman, not a person with womanhood. 6 Most of us* DON'T approve of the puzzle piece symbol. It was first designed by non-autistic people who thought autism was a 'puzzling childhood disorder', and it's used by Autism Speaks and by many other organizations that seek to cure autism. We* prefer a rainbow (or gold) infinity symbol to signify the infinite variety of autistic presentation. 7 Functioning labels hurt us more than they help us. When you call someone 'low-functioning' it dismisses their skills and abilities and is often used as a reason to deny people autonomy and respect. 'High functioning' dismisses someone's struggles and is often used as a reason to deny them accommodation and support. Additionally, functioning labels are an observation about how much someone's autism affects outsiders, not anything to do with how it affects the actual autistic person. It also treats a spectrum as a binary, which is really never accurate. 8 A LOT of us are LGBTQIA+ (aka queer). It's important to note autistic people often face several kinds of discrimination. We are significantly more likely to be trans or nonbinary, and many of us have other queer identities. If you want to support autistic people, you should learn about LQBTQIA+ issues, too. Autistic and queer identities and communities have a lot of overlap. 9 Autism is not an intellectual disability. You can be autistic and have an intellectual disability (as many of us do), but they're not the same thing. We're not all geniuses, and neither do we all have difficulty learning. There is a wide range of skills, and abilities among autistic people. (Contrary to what TV would have you believe). Some of us might be like Rainman or Shaun Murphy, but most of us are pretty average. Don't place unusually high or low expectations on an autistic person you meet- just treat them like an equal and get to know them. 10 "Nonverbal" people still communicate. The word 'nonverbal' or 'nonspeaking' brings a lot of stereotypes with it. Most of them are wrong. Nonspeaking does not mean 'doesn't understand speech'. People can be nonspeaking and intelligent. People can use technology to communicate and be independent adults. AAC (alternative and augmentative communication) is just as valid and important as spoken words. For far too long, nonspeaking people have been marginalized and ignored. It's absolutely not okay. ** Not all autistic people will agree on all issues. We're not a homogenous group. My statements are based on statistics from polls of autistic adults. More info below. -KitAut Further reading: 1 https://www.spectrumnews.org//analysis-sequences-pegs-102/ https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/autism-spectrum-disorder https://www.spectrumnews.org//autism-brains-show-widespre/ 2 (scroll about 1/4 way down in article for relevant graph, but the whole thing's worth reading in my opinion) https://autisticnotweird.com/2018survey/ https://autisticmama.com/why-dont-autistics-want-a-cure-fo/ https://www.nbcnews.com///cure-autism-not-so-fast-n1055921 3 https://www.emerald.com//10.1108/AIA-08-2017-0016/full/html https://sociallyanxiousadvocate.wordpress.com//why-i-left/ http://unstrangemind.com/aba/ 4 https://autisticmama.com/do-not-support-autism-speaks/ http://boycottautismspeaks.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez936r2F35U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0vCz2KWMM0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UgLnWJFGHQ 5 https://autisticadvocacy.org/about/identity-first-language/ https://autisticnotweird.com/autistic-person/ Even autism speaks' own poll! (despite the fact that AS uses PFL) https://twitter.com/edgyspirit/status/1153542107275153408 6 https://intheloopaboutneurodiversity.wordpress.com//the-a/ https://www.disabilityscoop.com//autism-journal-aba/24668/ https://twitter.com/soundcube/status/1093585191518568448 7 https://autisticmama.com/the-problem-with-autism-functioni/ https://www.ncmh.info/2019/04/04/fallacy-functioning-labels/ 8 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29159906/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24619651/ https://www.spectrumnews.org//need-respect-sexual-orienta/ https://www.heraldextra.com//article_58f4c198-84e8-504e-91 9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4185273/ https://iamcadence.com//understanding-the-difference-betw/ 10 https://researchautism.org/i-have-nonverbal-autism-heres-w/ https://iaminmyhead.com//ryans-list-of-the-eight-best-thi/ Ask Me, I’m an AAC user! (24 Hour Rule!) *hashtag garble below* (Aspie is used only for tagging purposes) #autisticwomen #autisticgirls #femaleautism #ASD #girlswithautism #womenwithautism #femaleswithautsim #femaleASD #aspergirls #femaleaspies #autismingirls #aspienwomen #autism #aspergers #autistic #actuallyautistic #aspie #autie #autismawareness #ABA #AutismSpeaks #AustismSpeaksdoesntspeakforme #autismacceptance

I can't possibly understate how exhausting it is to have parents of Autistic children completely dismiss Autistic adults. And they do it while they have a profi...le picture frame saying they're for autism awareness, acceptance, and inclusion. Spoiler alert, parents: If you want your Autistic child to be accepted and included, it starts with YOU accepting and including Autistic adults. If you dismiss what Autistics tell you... If you say that our real life experience must just be "one negative story" instead of truth... If you ignore us when we tell you that what you are doing is causing real harm... You are NOT an autism advocate. You are NOT for autism inclusion or acceptance. You are NOT an ally. And you're actively harming the Autistic community and your Autistic child. If you want *your kid* to be accepted and included in society, you need to start accepting and including us. And if you don't, you're part of the problem that will continue to oppress your child. I'm sorry this is blunt. I'm sorry this is not fluffed up to sound more neurotypical. Normally I have the spoons to do that. But I've calmly and patiently educated someone only for them to completely dismiss what I have to say and tell me that I should be ashamed of myself one too many times today.