Autism Acceptance Month

April is Autism Acceptance Month! For a primer on this topic, check out the post written in 2021 for LGC by clicking here! Although autism has a large breadth of published material including what it is and how to support our friends and family who identify with autism, here are some key points to help us lean in as allies and supports to celebrate the contributions of Autistic individuals.

First, according to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, “Autism is a developmental disability that affects how we experience the world around us. Autistic people are an important part of the world. Autism is a normal part of life, and makes us who we are…There is no one way to be autistic.” As a result, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network notes a few ways autism shows up in the lives of autistic people whether an autistic person subscribes to some or all of the listed ways below:

• Thinking differently This can show up as being a great problem solver and paying close attention to detail while it might take longer to think about a question, decision or situation. Autistic people may also have very strong interests that others might not understand or care about.

  
  

• Sensing differently Some autistic friends and family may experience their 5 senses more vividly like being sensitive to bright lights or loud sounds, having trouble understanding what is being heard and missing physical cues like  pain or hunger. Sometimes, coping with stress can be recognized through stimming to regulate the senses - i.e. doing the same movement over and over again.

  
  

• Moving differently The ways this can be expressed include challenges with fine motor skills or coordination, a felt disconnect between one’s mind and body, difficulty starting or stopping one’s movement or control of either one’s volume in voice or being unable to speak at all despite awareness of a situation.

  
  

• Communicating differently When communication with an autistic person is different, they might either use echolalia (repeating things we have heard before), plan out what to say in a social situation via a script or using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate like a keyboard on a device or pictures.

  
  

• Socializing differently In this area, socializing can be challenging and show up in ways like being more direct than other people, avoiding eye contact in social interactions and having challenges controlling body language or facial expressions. Autism can also be present by having difficulty understanding how people feel to the point of needing people to communicate how they feel or being extra sensitive to other people’s emotions.

  
  

• Living differently Lastly, some autistic people may need help with things like cooking, working or going out where at times one might want to do things on their own while other times needing help or needing to take more breaks to recover energy.

  
  

Our community members who are autistic are wonderful and diverse. This one article doesn’t cover it all. As we navigate accepting people in our lives who are autistic, read up and be a support by learning and celebrating all of the people in your life!

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Lou Lim, LMHC, REAT is a licensed mental health counselor and registered expressive arts therapist (REAT) with a master's degree in Expressive Therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. He is a member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and on the committee for REAT credentialing. He has 13 years of experience in counseling and expressive therapy working with children, adolescents, teenagers, adults, and retirees.

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