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You know all of those autism awareness ads everywhere?
Please, at least for a few moments, forget them. And perhaps you should even forget all of the parts of this book you may have read.
Because I have something to say about autism and Aspergers...It's not always what you think it is.
If you've met one person on the spectrum, you've met one person on the spectrum. Just remember that. Autism is not a cookie-cutter thing. That's why it's called a spectrum. People can have varying degrees of autism.
Autism is not always (or perhaps ever) caused by vaccines. Who knows why people think autism is linked with vaccines! Could be mercury poisoning. Food for thought. All I know is that my parents could tell I was different before I was ever vaccinated. I'm not going to get caught up in the autism/vaccination argument. All I'm saying is I can't blame the cause of my Aspergers on vaccines. Hahaha. ;D
Not everyone has the same degree of autism. Every person on the spectrum has their own set of idiosyncrasies. I am on the high-functioning side of the spectrum. I have sensory processing disorder. I color-coded my closet, but couldn't care less about my food touching. I can quote movies and songs all day long, but I won't because I can tell when I'm boring you ("nine times out of ten" - Robots of Death, Doctor Who...Sorry, I just had to do it.). Anyway, all that to say this: don't base your assumptions of autism on what you know - or think you know - about one person with autism. Trust me - you can never "understand completely." But you can simply understand. And that is good.
We're not all from a narrow-viewed Autism Speaks ad. This goes along with the point above. Not all of us were/are nonverbal, sensitive to sounds and lights, or what-have-you. Autism is very outside-the-box, so naturally we won't all fit completely into the autism box. Oh, the irony.
You're not autistic just because you are quirky. There are plenty of people out there who think they (or their kids) have autism or some other disorder/syndrome...when really, they don't at all. There are plenty of things aside from quirks that go into having autism. Think of it like this inductive reasoning: all people who have autism are quirky, but not all quirky people have autism.
We're not all socially awkward. OK, yes, I am pretty socially awkward at times. But I am still capable of making friends and living a high-functioning life in society.
Anyway, that's my two cents on autism awareness. Goodbye for now and...
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