life
I’M AUTISTIC, WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER?
As it’s Autism Awareness Month, I was asked to write an article about Autism and what it means to be Autistic. This article won't reflect the views or experience of all autistic people, that would be impossible (just like it would be impossible to cover the experience of all neurotypical people), but I hope you find it informative! BY JOEL FRANCIS
J
ust a note in this article I will be using Identity First Language (Autistic Person) rather than Person First Language (Person with Autism). As it tends to be preferred within the autistic community.
A better way to think of Autism is as though it were a colour wheel, where every shade represents a different aspect of Autism. Autistic people may mix different colours depending on how they are doing that day, creating their own colour. Or they might be one colour.
What Exactly Is Autism? The most basic definition of Autism is that it's a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person interacts with the world around them and their peers. Autism is a spectrum that goes from ‘mild’ to ‘severe’, although these terms can be misleading and problematic. This is because a person can shift along the spectrum week to week, day to day, or even hour to hour. Usually, these terms are also used by nonautistic people (neurotypicals) to define how the person's autistic traits affect them rather than the person themselves. 38
Life as an Autistic Person Living as an Autistic person means that we have a unique view on day-to-day life. Our experience is different from most people, and it comes with its own sets of challenges and ‘quirks’. One of the main struggles comes from sensory processing difficulties, which means that usually, we experience the world more intensely than our neurotypical counterparts. It could be too bright, too loud, tastes could be too strong, or we might dislike being touched! (I walk around with headphones on all the time so take a guess what I struggle with.) To deal with this, we might wear
Think of Autism as though it were a colour wheel, where every shade represents a different aspect. sunglasses when its cloudy, wear headphones or ear defenders all the time, and we might have very restricted diets. Also, when we get overwhelmed, you might see us stimming. Stimming is short for selfstimulatory behaviour, and it helps us calm our sensory system down, so we don't have meltdowns. The most typical stims include flapping, rocking, spinning or vocal noises - a little common fact is that neurotypical people stim too. You know when you tap your foot or click your pen when you're nervous - you're stimming! GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE APRIL2020
