Autism Awareness Day
April 2 is recognized as National Autism Awareness Day. What is autism, and how can you support the autistic community?
The rainbow infinity loop, used to symbolize autism and the autistic community, the gold infinity loop, part of the #LightItUpGold campaign, and a red background, to support the #RedInstead campaign.
April 2, 2021
What is autism?
Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, is a developmental disability. This means that autistic people are born with autism, and it starts developing at a very young age. According to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), autistic adults don’t act the same way autistic kids do. This is because adults might learn to act like non-autistic people, a term often called “masking.” Autism can be found in any gender or race, there is no one “look” to autism.
Why is it called Autism Spectrum Disorder?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in 2013, the autism diagnosis changed. Instead of multiple different types of conditions, such as “autistic disorder” or “pervasive developmental disorder,” the disorder is now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Non-autistic people tend to think of the spectrum like a bar, with “high functioning” on one end and “severe autism” on the other end. However, most of the autistic community prefers to think of the spectrum almost like a color wheel (see photo). Each autistic person is in a different place for each color. One autistic person might be stronger in their communication as compared to their motor skills. This means that there is no one “type” of autism, because every autistic person is unique.
How can I support the community if I am not autistic?
The best way to support the autistic community is by being an ally. Being an ally means you support autistic people and you help them fight for their rights. One of the biggest ways to be an ally is to respect autistic people. This can be done by asking them what their needs are, respecting their boundaries, letting them stim (According to ASAN, “Stimming is moving in the same way over and over again.”), and learning when you make a mistake. On top of that, donate to organizations supported by the autistic community, such as Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN) or Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), and research Autism Spectrum Disorder. Social media tags include #LightItUpGold, #RedInstead, and #ActuallyAutistic.
For more information, visit Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN), Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), or check out social media pages from autistic people.
