(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Disability Month Why I will never stop talking about Autism [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-08
The month of July is Disability Pride Month. This is the month where people profess how much they support disabled people and how each of us are “special and unique.” Though the intentions are good, they often feel hollow and performative. To explain what I mean, I want to talk about the history of Autism and a recent message I received regarding my openness about being autistic.
Autism is a neurodiversity, which essentially means our brains work differently. This is not a mental illness nor is it caused by environmental factors. It is caused by genetics. Brain scans have found autistic brains have more neuropathways than neurotypical brains. Because of these pathways, everything in the body can be effect. Many autistic people have digestive issues, connective tissue disorders, and mental illnesses. These, however, are comorbid conditions not autism itself. Autism is not an intellectual disability, not a mental illness, and not a gut disorder (though this area is a more complicated topic). This is important to state as many people do not understand what is part of autism and what is a separate condition that pairs with it.
First records of autism equate it with “childhood schizophrenia” and was considered part of the schizophrenia diagnosis. Eugen Bleuler, psychiatrist, racist, and eugenicist, coined the term Autism and started the original theory that autism and schizophrenia were the same thing. He, also, pushed for the practice of forcefully sterilizing patients. This is a practice still legal in 31 states including DC as of 2022.
The “type” of autism I have used to be diagnosed as Asperger's Syndrome. The term “Asperger's” was named after Dr. Hans Asperger, a Nazi doctor tasked with separating the “useful” autistic children from the “not useful.” Those he deemed useful were put to work, while the not useful were killed. Roughly 200,000 disabled people were murdered by the Nazis. The DSM-5 removed the term because of the history behind the name as well as further studies proving autism and Asperger’s were the same thing. Thus we now have the diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD.
Autism is a complex condition, but the media continues to put forward the two versions: the savant and the non-verbal. This leaves everyone else in a forgotten category. I fall under the forgotten. Though I was nonverbal as a child, I have hyper-verbal autism, a type many do not know exists. I am running for office because I can speak for myself and want to give a voice to the rest of us. When I received a Facebook message telling me to stop saying I was autistic, I knew it was because of lack of representation.
if you do not seem to be autistic but claim to be, many people will think you are trying to fake it or exaggerate it. It just seems inauthentic. Maybe you are autistic but if people think you are playing on that for pity your opponent will pick up on that and make fun of you. You should not give them that ammunition. Most people recognize severe autism but do not recognize end of spectrum autism. It like being 2% Black and calling yourself Black for bonus points. That just doesn't seem real.
He went on for several more messages talking about how I shouldn’t talk about it and insinuated I was faking my diagnosis. Let me be clear: I am diagnosed. Though self diagnosis is accepted in the autism community due to sexism, racism, and socioeconomic hindrances toward diagnosis, I was diagnosed at the age of 24. This isn’t an internet fad, no one wants to be autistic. Being diagnosed gives me the words to explain why I am the way I am. It is not a gift. I am not ashamed of my autism, but I often wish the struggles I have in life didn’t exist. You can be proud of your condition while also being aware that it is a disability.
RFK Jr claimed we do not pay taxes or contribute to society. I am married and have a house. Though I was laid off in January, I have been working since I was 12 as a full time nanny. Many of us want to work or do work. We are pushed out of careers because we don’t communicate exactly like neurotypicals. Often times, we are the overachievers in the work place, constantly striving to prove our worth. We do not have “super powers,” we are human beings wanting to be treated as such.
I am running for office as an openly autistic person. If I am elected, I will be the second in the entire country. We are 1 in 36 people, we should be 1 in 36 representatives. We do not need to be spoken for, we need to be heard. We can advocate for ourselves, we just need people to listen. So, this disability pride month consider how much do you listen to disabled people verses people who claim to speak for us. Give us a chance to use our voices and hear us as we beg for equality.
If you want to support my race, here is my ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/...
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/8/2332343/-Disability-Month-Why-I-will-never-stop-talking-about-Autism?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
