Happy Autism Acceptance Month! April is when we celebrate the autistic people among us—our friends, our family members, our coworkers, our neighbors, and our fellow Seminole County residents. With over 21,000 Central Floridians having this diagnosis, now is a great time to learn more about autism from those with lived experience, to see the wide variety of strengths and needs of this community, and to find some good sources of information about a group of folks who’ve been stigmatized for far too long (the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, or ASAN, is a great place to start).
Recently, the CDC released a report showing that better screening is resulting in more autism diagnoses. More diagnoses lead to more support and better understanding of people’s needs, which leads to better quality of life. Importantly, the study also found an increase in diagnoses among children of color, who in previous decades had experienced barriers that led to underdiagnosis in this population.
Equal access to support is good news, but the Trump administration hates equality and sees this study as just one more opportunity to badmouth people. After the report’s release, RFK Jr.’s shameful commentary insulted the autistic community and parroted outdated, dangerous lies and stereotypes. Targeting the autistic community in any month would be a shame, but it’s particularly shameful that RFK Jr. is doing so during a month meant for celebration—and from a position of power. As the joint statement signed by ASAN, Autism Speaks, and other leading autism organizations insists, “Research must be guided by credentialed experts and inclusive of the complexity and diversity of the lived experiences of the Autism community—not redirected by misinformation or ideology.”
So many of us in Seminole County have autistic loved ones, are autistic ourselves, or both. Regardless of their abilities or needs, autistic people are whole human beings, full stop. We know that, when autistic people are respected and supported, there is joy.
Not only that, respect and support lead to real community—online or in person, spoken or using augmentative and alternative communication. Friendships form. Connection and community abound—and that abundance doesn’t need to look like sensory overload!
It does look like making space for everyone. It looks like compassion and understanding—and when we don’t understand, we stay curious and commit to learning more and treating each other well. It looks like appreciating everyone as complete humans, seeing the barriers we face and the strengths we bring.
Photo credit: "Autistic Services Team Development (72)" by Mike Cardus Organization Development is licensed under CC BY 2.0.