Autism Pride: Celebrating Neurodivergence
In April I attended the Minnesota Autism Conference hosted by AUSMN. It was an awesome (pun intended, thanks AUSMN!) two days of connecting with other practitioners, neurdivergent-affirming organizations, and the community at large. I walked away feeling empowered, refreshed, and with some new ideas to infuse Neurodivergent Pride not only into my work, but into my day-to-day life. Here’s a quick look at my biggest takeaways:
Recognizing Wholeness. “If you’ve met one Autistic person, you’ve met one Autistic person.” This great quote from keynote speaker Dr. Devon Price is a wonderful reminder of individualism within Autism. You cannot generalize Autism or Autistic folx — each person must viewed in accordance with their own needs, wants, desires, preferences, and characteristics.
Importance of identity-first language. While many disability advocacy organizationsprefer person-first language ("a person with Autism," "a person with Down syndrome"), some research has found that the majority of the Autistic community prefers identity-first language ("an autistic person"). It’s important to ask each individual what their preference is.
Embrace the Autism Pride Movement. There is major movement away from “brokenness” and psychiatry/clinicalization of Autism. Although Autism is categorized in the DSM-5 as a “disorder”, it should not be viewed as such. It is not a deficit, or something that should be “fixed”. Instead it should be embraced, and we as a society should be revisioning what’s “healthy and normal”.
Move toward Collective Liberation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion issues are inherently intertwined. We cannot find justice for one group while ignoring or invalidating another. This means that we should, to quote Sins Invalid, “move together as a people with mixed abilities across multiracial, multi-gendered, mixed class with a vision “that leaves no bodymind behind.