Category: autism

A celebration of difference and a thundering thesis on the transformative power of being yourself.

This film isn’t about changing autistic people to better fit into the world. It’s about demanding that the world change to fully appreciate and celebrate the wide variety of neurodivergent minds that exist within it.

We’re not just concerned about disappointing story arcs – we’re talking about real, visceral impact on real people, people who are already devastatingly underrepresented on television and in life.

Society does not treat disabled people with the compassion, respect or listening ear with which it treats our abusers.

These hashtags should not be seen as harmful to the NHS. Instead, they should be seen as an opportunity to listen to patients, listen to disability activists, and instigate reform that could change the NHS for the better.

After the dim spiral I had been on in the previous months, which I now recognise as a mixture of depression, and anxiety, and the last sputterings of autistic burnout, this show was exactly what I needed to see.

I shudder at the thought of it being an option to other vulnerable young autistic people, never giving them the chance they deserve to come through it and learn a sense of pride in who they are. 

‘Autism Awareness’ has been created without autistic people, and even though the door is being nudged open to let us in, we’re still stuck at the back of the room whilst the rich powerful neurotypical people hog the stage

Cooperation between autistic and neurotypical people is important. But we must be vigilant against the attitude that autistic people are obligated to educate.

A year ago, I had the privilege of joining three other autistic women to film a segment for a Channel 4 documentary.