There's a video from Autism Speaks called "I am Autism." I'm not going to embed it, but you can see it here.
The video has stirred up quite a furor among the autism community, so you may have already seen it. I first saw it a little over a week ago when it was posted to one of the mailing lists I'm on. I'll be honest - I didn't like it. I really didn't like it. I don't like how it portrays "autism" as some kind of malevolent entity actively and purposefully trying to destroy our families, our children, our marriages, our lives. As if "autism" was the devil incarnate. That's how the voice makes it sound. The second part of the video talks about how the love of parents / families is stronger than autism, which is fine, but again, it's presented as the families fighting against some sort of evil entity.
I wasn't going to post about it - after all, much has already been said both for and against the video. And although I didn't like the message of the video (as I interpret it), I don't begrudge those who interpreted it differently and felt that this video spoke to them.
My main reason for posting on it is that I wanted to share this response that was posted to the same mailing list where I first saw the video. The woman who wrote it is a musician who has autism, and I really appreciated her perspective. The last part is especially beautiful. I share it with her permission.
"I have encountered many road blocks that are thrown in my path, many thrown by not just those who think I can't, but by those who are afraid I can (maybe better than they). It is true that autism makes for very frustrating days but not just because I struggle to speak. Often times it is because many don't listen to what the quiet in me has to say.
What about this "wall I live behind" does it need broken down? No, I just need people to be brave enough to climb the wall and see me. This wall is my protection from a world that is widely judgmental of the odd, but if you take the time you might see the world through my eyes. I understand that this gets harder to see in those where autism is louder than our personality traits but just like anything that requires faith in this life, you just have to believe that a vibrant personality lives inside those with autism ... and in those brief moments when personality and autism sing together in harmony, you the normal will learn from autism.
No matter how "well-adjusted" I am seem or how many social rules I have learned, I am still lonely and sad. Why? I learned to play by the rules I was taught was normal, so why am I so lonely? It is because social rules are nothing but a script of hollow actions for most of us with autism. We learn the rules because it looks better to the NT world and often gets us more of what we want. Yet the essential need is left empty because when people look at me, they see autism that ate me up and robbed me from my potential.
Listen to me play my song to you through my special interest and you will no longer be convinced I am the one in need of a cure. With autism, I can dance everyday even when there is no music playing. With autism, I can shut the world out and hear only the trees and the sky and the earth. With autism, I care about the world so much that pretending seems mean when I know I can be truthful. I am not autism. I am me and I have autism."
Comments (5)
WOW that was cool. Reminds me of the turtle story I wrote when I was about 14 or 15... how I wished people would just accept my shell as part of me and get to know the soft little turtle inside without trying to pry it out of the shell.
I found a few people willing to do that, and those people are still my friends today... 16 years later.
They are separated from me by distance, but we have email... and I write better than I talk anyway... so it works.
I like this.
"Listen to me
play my song to you through my special interest and you will no longer
be convinced I am the one in need of a cure. With autism, I can dance
everyday even when there is no music playing. With autism, I can shut
the world out and hear only the trees and the sky and the earth. With
autism, I care about the world so much that pretending seems mean when
I know I can be truthful. I am not autism. I am me and I have autism."
- brought tears to my eyes
I have Autism (at the moment it's still Asperger's) I have been married for nearly 30 years, I have only ever been unemployed for a few months in my working life. Every one of us is unique and no one can speak for us all except to ask that people listen to each one of us without prejudice. I may not always be accepted but if I am rejected let it be me who is rejected and not a label.
too often we look at others weaknesses, better to look at our strengths and work with how God made us.
god made everyone different for a reason.
i really like this post :)