The Importance of Autism Acceptance Month

 

 

Image Description: A rainbow infinity symbol with the words “Autism Acceptance” on the infinity symbol. 

April is Autism Acceptance Month! While being accepted should be a priority throughout the year, autistic people dedicate the month of April to spread awareness about autism and highlight different issues that the autistic community want others to know about. To honor and celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, I would like to share with you all some pieces of knowledge that you may not be aware of. I encourage you to share this information with your family and friends so they can learn more about autism and demystify some of the myths surrounding autism.

 

High, Medium, and Low Support Needs

Instead of using “high functioning” and “low functioning” when describing autism, we prefer the terms high, medium, or low support needs. Using the support needs model is more appropriate in the community. Using “high functioning” and “low functioning” can be a harmful stereotype because autism is a spectrum and not simply two categories. One autistic person might thrive in one area but need help in another. Using high, medium, or low support needs is more appropriate when describing an autistic person’s need level. 

 

 

Sex and Gender Differences with Autism

Did you know there has been more studies in men with autism then women with autism? A lot more boys are diagnosed at a younger age than girls. That is because boys show more signs of autism while girls may display “masking.” Masking is a term in the autism community that refers to one hiding their autistic traits to be accepted in a neurotypical society. Masking can be overwhelming and sometimes lead to a meltdown. Girls mask more for different reasons. One of the reasons is that girls and women have different traits that are not as obvious as the traits boys and men have. This causes girls or women to not receive the help they need early on and not get a diagnosis until later in life. This can prevent girls and women from getting the support they need. 

 

Acceptance vs. Awareness

While some neurotypical individuals don’t have a full understanding of autism, they do know what autism is overall. Awareness can be good, but it’s not something we autistics want. We just want acceptance. There are a lot of negative stereotypes about having autism. Just like everyone else, we would like to be accepted by our peers, family, and community and included in all aspects of everyday life. That is why we prefer acceptance instead of awareness. 

 

In friendship,

Michelle Yoshimine

YLC Member, California