What Do Neurodiverse People Want Neurotypical People To Know? #ABLE #Neurodiversity

by Dan Neill, MI Analyst, AXA Health Insurance

Nosing around twitter the other day I found a tweet from @neurorebel (twitter handle) asking, if we wanted Neurotypical (NT's) people to understand one thing what would it be?

But actually, there are loads of things on the list the NT’s need to think about so, here it comes,

1. You don’t grow out of it!

2. Some of us don’t find out we are until we’re adults.

3. YES we do have empathy, you just think we don’t

4. We perceive the world quite differently to you

5. NO! we are not all on the spectrum somewhere

6. We are neurologically different to you

7. Autism is not a mental illness

8. Our opinions are no less valid than yours

9. You have no idea what it is really like

10. We want you to listen to us, not tell us what we need.

11. We know more about autism than you ever will.

12. Studying autism is no substitute for being autistic. Someone who studies tigers still has no idea what it’s like to be one.

13. You can theorise, we actually know.

14. ABA is basically waterboarding to ensure compliance with your rules.

15. We need Autism Speaks as much as much as America needs Donald Trump

16. Inclusion means mutual acceptance not you telling us how to fit in.

17. Diversity means accepting everyone even if you can’t see the difference

18. Yes we do feel pain

19. Just because we aren’t non vocal doesn’t mean you can ignore us.

20. It has absolutely nothing to do with vaccines.

21. The society you have created really sucks

22. Do you realise how stupid you sound when you say I don’t look autistic, I am, So I do!

23. We’re a lot more honest than you are.

24. If we were the majority, you’d be the ones with the disability.

25. No I don’t want a cure.

26. Why can’t you see patterns?

27. We don’t want to fit in

28. You can be really patronizing

29. We aren’t all savants

30. There are things we are much better at than most people

31. We aren’t all the same, just like you aren’t

32. A lot of our mental health issues come from what you try to force us to be.

33. Yes, we can have relationships

34. Yes we can be very good at our jobs, when given the opportunity

35. We can even have children

36. All we really want is a level playing field

37. We don’t try to be difficult

38. We’d like to be accepted for who we are, not what you think we should be.

I think that will do for a starter. I have to admit it was quite a cathartic exercise and some of it is a little tongue in cheek. Ooo

39. “We have a sense of humour.”

Thank you, Dan for sharing your thoughts, and this inspiring list for everyone to consider.

Look out for the final episode tomorrow.