It's Autism Awareness month, which means we can expect a lot of empty platitudes from politicians, celebrities, and news organizations. It also means the disability community has a unique opportunity to capture the attention of people already tuned in to information about Autism after hearing about Autism Awareness Month from a celebrity or politician, and impart some real Autism awareness. In that spirit, here are five things I as a disability activist would like everyone to be aware of about Autism:
1. Autistic children grow into Autistic adults. People who are Autistic don't disappear at age 18. Some people who are Autistic need significant help with daily lving as adults; others don't. Some write best-selling books and become known world-wide for their contributions to their field, like, say, Temple Grandin. Others don't.
2. Many of these Autistic adults blog. If you want to be aware ofAutism, try hearing it from an Autistic person, like Amanda.
3. As for the Autistic children, many of their parents blog, too. Check out S.L.'s blog, where she talks about her daughter and the realities of raising an Autistic chld.
4. Autism is a developmental disability, not developmental stasis. I'm loosely quoting Andrea, so go read where she said it first.
5. Autism isn't otherwordly, or scary, or alien. In fact, you might do some "Autistic things," too, even if you're nowhere near the spectrum.
