by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, no cure, no prevention |
I do not accept that society cannot change. Society constantly changes, albeit sometimes rather laboriously and slowly. I believe our societal views on autism—and on accepting others’ differences at large—will improve. I believe that each time we...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays, no cure, no prevention
We don’t need to cure autism. Autism and those of us who are autistic don’t need to be pathologized. I don’t need or want my autism cured. I don’t need or want my daughter’s autism cured. What the autistic community wants and needs is acceptance....
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths
It’s Autism Acceptance Month and so many of my dear ally, autistic, advocate friends are already aching and it’s only the 5th day in. Many of the loud messages out there, by sometimes well-meaning (sometimes not), but often misinformed people (because they...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays, no cure, no prevention
A hallmark of autism is extreme sensitivity that can be expressed in ways that don’t appear socially “acceptable” or typical. This tends to be through movement, silence, or sound. We may become agitated or overwhelmed/overstimulated and begin moving or...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays |
An autism specialist and I were talking about the prevalent idea that if you love someone who is autistic (especially if you’re a parent of an autistic), then you’ve earned some kind of award. You’re a superhero. You’re a super-person. There are...
by Rebecca Cavender | acceptance & inclusion, autism & girls, autism writings, debunking myths, essays, no cure, no prevention
Here’s the thing with autism and those of us who are autistic or have autistic kids: We’re taught (or forced to) “normalize” our experiences and bend to fit into a “neurotypical” society … a society which does not, mostly, have acceptance or compassion for...
