Today is World Autism Awareness Day, but we don’t need Autism awareness—we need Autism acceptance.
April is World Autism Awareness Month, and, while many have opened up the conversation around Autism Spectrum Disorders , some may still carry implicit biases around the subject and for people with ASD. Historically, efforts to help autistic kids have centered on helping them think and behave like their non-autistic counterparts. However, one study has found that we need to be doing the opposite and focusing on promoting an understanding and acceptance of autism in non-autistic people.
"Previous work in our lab has shown that autistic people are often stereotyped as awkward and less likeable. Some might think that autistic people don’t want friends or don’t want to interact with people. We want to combat those ideas,” Jones said in a. “Targeting autistic behavior places the burden of social exclusion on autistic people, when we should really be challenging the attitudes that lead others to stigmatize autistic behaviors.
“The autism video presents autism facts and promotes acceptance. It gives tips on how to befriend an autistic person and talk to them about their interests,” Jones said. “It also discusses things to avoid, such as sensory overload and pressuring them into engaging.” In terms of moving to a place of acceptance, Jones said that autistic individuals are integral and need to be acknowledged, welcomed and listened to on what they like and what they want the research to be. “In our lab, we have several autistic master’s and undergraduate students who play a big role in our research, and they’ve taught me a lot," she added.
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