New Conclusion I have come to
So, I’ve been watching a lot of interviews with high support needs neurodiverse folks and their caregivers, and; ‘neurodiversity is a good thing that should be celebrated,’ and ‘we should study treatments to help neurodiverse people achieve what they want to do in life,’ are statements that can and should exist.
The way I’ve been thinking about it is: fun fact about me, although I am low support needs, I take daily medication to prevent meltdowns. Without it I would EASILY be at least in the higher support need end of msn (medium support needs,) and my quality of life would be terrible. The way I would describe its effects is that I still receive all the sensory input I would otherwise, but it doesn’t bother me as much. I love being autistic, but without it I doubt I would.
So in my opinion: curing autism = bad and would have dangerous effects, treatments that help autistic folks live how they want = please.
Just my POV, and I understand it’s from a limited perspective.
Also, you know, autonomy trumps what other people want.
Thing I realized recently:
Sherlock Holmes has care needs. Low support needs, but support needs none the less.
There’s a whole running plot point that he’s willing to put himself in reckless situations for the sake of a case, and hyper fixates to the point of having to be reminded to eat.
And once again, Watson is a cinnamon roll.
So are we just going to ignore how creepy it is that Immanuel Kant is being considered to be an autistic icon?
Okay, let’s get this out of the way real quick, I am strongly in favor of retrospective diagnosis if it’s done correctly, and I do understand the perspective of people who think there might be something there with him. Additionally, just because we’re about to get into that territory, Just Because A Person Thinks A Historical Figure Could Be Neurodiverse Does Not Necessarily Mean They Think They Were A Good Person.
With that being said, Immanuel Kant had some downright scary beliefs surrounding neurodiversity. And before you say that this was before neurodiversity was a concept, I am specifically referring to those who cannot pass as neurotypical, aka. Nonverbal, semi verbal, high support needs, etc. Basically folks who, regardless of cultural context, a person would meet and recognize that there was something extremely unusual about them.
He believed that mental illness is often caused by bad behavior, and that those with memory issues and certain neurodiversities (to use modern terminology) were not mentally human.
With that being said, I do not think that people should not have an interest in Immanuel Kant’s life or work. In fact, I understand why an autistic person completely unaffiliated with Asperger’s Supremacy would want to that kind of thing. I just think it’s something we need to acknowledge.
source
What people think is problematic but ahead of its time neurodiverse representation: Rain man.
What is actually problematic but ahead of its time neurodiverse representation: Frankenstein’s Monster from the universal films.
Seriously, I could argue that the monster is canonically neurodiverse in this film, due to all the logic surrounding how his brain was placed in him. In the first film, he definitely acts like a child, but in Bride of Frankenstein, he feels more like an adult neurodiverse person: far more mature, aware of the world around him, and complex.
Honestly, I’m sure he was meant to behave a little more grown up in the sequel, but the way he learns to talk strikes me more as a person who struggles to process language as apposed to a young child learning how to talk. and nobody judges him for it! The blind man makes it clear that he is completely unaware of the monster roaming the countryside, but he tries to assist the monster based on how he acts.
Dr. Pretorius, however, who probably knows more than any other character except for Frankenstein about the situation, treats the monster’s low language skills remarkably. I love how he speaks in plain language that sounds almost like AAC, and bases his sentences off of the language the monster uses, and therefore understands.
In general, these two are so patient, and as always; what the hell Victor?
So, I just watched Bride of Frankenstein, and I don’t know what vibes Septimus gives off, but they’re not completely straight, cis, or neurotypical.
Okay, hot take, but the way The French Revolution as it is being used in US politics right now is uncomfortable and misappropriating.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand and agree with the ‘eat the rich’ sentiment, but I think a lot, if not most people are missing the full context and meaning of The Reign of Terror.
Speaking as an autistic person who is seeking a career in history and, if possible, neurodiverse history, I consider The Reign of Terror to be the most important historical event for autistic people before The Holocaust began. Because of this, Robespierre has become a symbol for autistic pain. The reason for this is that is because many of the things cited as evidence he was ‘suspicious,’ include descriptions that indicate stimming, monotone facial expressions and voice, an obsession with birds, etc. that, combined with other Revolutionaries wanting to scapegoat the deaths of the period, (which, as a reminder, were often ordinary people who did nothing major wrong,) made him be blamed as the dictator pop culture sees him as today, and killed. The ripple effects of that, such as The Napoleonic Wars, are easy to research from there. Additionally, after Robespierre’s death, there was a huge stigma surrounding his patterns of behaviors that led to more people getting hurt and sometimes killed by ordinary citizens.
Also, I will be the first to admit that this post is oversimplifying, but I am confident in saying that the description I’ve given is a huge part of it. I would also be shocked if other minority groups weren’t hugely negatively affected by The Reign of Terror, so feel free to chime in. This is just one angle.
I’m just saying that historically, demonizing autistic traits and discussions of guillotines have been a horrific combination, and I am reminded of that every time I see guillotine earrings at a protest.
Sources: Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life by Peter McPhee, the autobiography of Bertrand Bararre, Robespierre had a paranoid state with autism spectrum disorder by Michael Fitzgerald, and Those They Called Idiots by Simon Jarrett
Sorry to trauma dump on y’all, but I think the reason I like Paganel so much is because he describes the adult I wanted to be as a kid pretty much exactly. Like, when I was little, it was my life’s mission to become a ‘childish adult’ meaning a grown up that’s still filled with the whimsy and curiosity that little kids have.
unfortunately, when you are infantilized for a good portion of your life, that goes away pretty quickly, and the pressure to act mature for your age is strong. (I’m an ABA survivor.)
Listen, I didn’t cry while reading A Kind of Spark, but as someone who wants to pursue a career in neurodiverse history, specifically focusing on how autism may have affected historical events, I came pretty freaking close.
I honestly can’t believe how the subplot about Bonnie didn’t get axed by the publishers.
Okay, I’ve said for a while that at this point, your autistic character should not have a special interest in trains. I am not saying that trains aren’t common, but it’s so cliched that at this point it’s a harmful stereotype. Also, if the character’s special interest is planes or cars, you’re on thin friggin ice.
What I have noticed, is that in real life, some kind of animal is a super common special interest, especially birds. Seriously, I can name a bunch of historical figures with autistic traits who LOVED birds, I know several people personally with a special interest in birds, and I just started the Master and Commander series, and as soon as Stephen started excitedly talking about birds, my autism radar started going. Seriously, the only people I know of who have/had a species of bird that lives 30+ years and take good care of them are people with long term special interests in birds that are psyched about the commitment.
Therefore, if you absolutely have no idea what special interest to give your character (which is ridiculous, because you can literally make it anything,) give them some sort of animal, and if somehow that’s STILL too broad, switch things up from friggin trains and do birds.
Okay, we’re obviously against the ‘but autistic people can write poems,’ logic in this house. So instead, let’s dust off the I Robot ‘can you’ meme and go from there. Have RFK jr write a poem. Then, all of us autistic folks will rip that poem to shreds. Everything wrong you can think of, from ‘your theme is bland and there is little language to support it,’ to ‘line five has a spelling mistake’ to, ‘It’s just not my kind of poem.’
Then he has to write another one. Because clearly JFK struggles with an essential life skill and needs to work on that. He needs to keep writing poems until he can write the best poem ever created that can please every autistic person on this entire planet.
What’s he going to say? ‘You’re trying to force me into a box?’ ‘My brain isn’t built for this activity?’
Welcome to our world!
As someone who really likes poetry and has been a judge in kids writing competitions, this sounds really fun. :)
So, changing Autism $peaks ‘awareness month’ into ‘acceptance month’ always felt like a band-aid solution for me. Also, it doesn’t fix the fact that I basically spend the entire month of April trying to avoid PTSD triggers,
My idea is to make autism acceptance month in September because Autism Autumn.