to end on a more positive note, here's an amazingly adorable drawing by
autism sketches about how i, and many other self-advocates, feel.
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this is a fascinating point of discussion because i think there is merit to wanting to choose either version of how you describe your neurodiversity, although i totally understand the reserve against describing how our brains are from a relative aspect of "normalcy," assuming that normalcy can be clearly defined and then referenced against for comparison's sake to what must then be "not normal" or "atypical"
i think the root of the issue is assigning a value of
good to the idea of normalcy, because then, that same value cannot possibly translate to anything atypical or "not normal" as something that is seemingly unlike normal must also be unlike
good
this is the power of words and their association, and is a pervasive issue in anyone's attempts at self-expression or self-identification. the reason i vouch for saying something like "i have autism" is because saying "i am autistic" is a statement that can immediately dictate the personality someone might project onto you, given only the statement "i am autistic." (i know no one said or wrote what's in the art who will be in this thread, i'm just responding to that idea directly!) this is a school of thought i was taught at my last job in childcare, where children of "all abilities" were enrolled for like, kind of a special day care that made sure your child didn't die while you were at work and also was cognizant of different things they could do to promote your child's development based on their age and their specific needs. kids were aged 0-5 years.
one of my favorite little boys there was a boy named Ethan who has
treacher-collin's syndrome, which actually means that he has a set of disabilities rather than a single one. my work made sure that everyone treated these kids like they were your average little monster growing up (monster is my word lol) and learning about the world, only
some had this syndrome, some had that, etc, same way someone has red hair or maybe someone likes pickles too much. i think the idea is that you want to allow people to learn about an individual organically, rather than treat people as already having labels with those labels meaning they would have certain personality traits pre-defined inside them
there is identity in saying that you
are this or that, and because this is the
neurodiversity thread, it would be conflation to include stuff like physical syndromes or otherwise tangible indications for behavior into the conversation of how we should feel about the ways that our mind functions and fosters personality, as there is so much that happens which we cannot ever conceivably measure (how do you calculate the degree of an emotion?)
SO, all of that to say, i think how people approach their own self-acceptance/identity is, like most things, unique to their personal journey! but it is
crucial to remember that society is the most well-meaning hive mind in existence, and even if they have a majority opinion on something, that does not make it correct!!! people ultimately fear what they don't understand, and reject that effort of understanding because they're a) lazy or b) not interested. or, they embrace the understanding and are probably better for it, because they've gained knowledge.
so whether you're autistic or you have autism, the point is that there is SO much more to you than the single slice you can fit into a statement like that, and when you consider the different parts of what make you whole, they are all
you in the end, and learning that
being you is enough is the most difficult part... but only because it's worth it!
