You Don't Look Autistic.
Read now (1 min) | Uh huh...
February 27, 2023
Them: You don't look Autistic.Â
Also them: You do look…
‘Distracted’ by your phone
‘Arrogant’
‘Annoyingly’ nail biteyÂ
‘Irrationally distracted’ by background noises
Like you wouldn't want to come to our social event
‘Picky’ with food
‘Way too emotional’ about little thingsÂ
‘Dominating’ the conversationÂ
Going ‘on and on’ about ‘yourself’Â
‘Overly focused’ on your work
Upset for ‘no reason’
Me: What do you think Autism looks like?!
How do you LOOK AUTISTIC? Tell me about it in the comments!
*Background note: Most people only have a vague (often, highly stereotyped) version of autism in their minds and believe that autistic children need (traumatic) ABA therapy to "overcome" their disability and appear "normal."  After receiving an autism diagnosis in her thirties, Dr. Angela Lauria realized that she too had been mostly unaware of what it means to be Autistic.  Like so many people, she started her journey by first gathering information and resources from the omnipresent (and problematic) Autism Speaks, but eventually moved away from the 'autism community' in favor of the 'Autistic community,' where she found kinship with other Autistic individuals and learned to let go of pathologizing language like 'autism spectrum disorder' and 'Asperger's Syndrome.' This autism blog (and her autism podcast, "The Autistic Culture Podcast") is meant to share her lived-experience insights to support others on a similar journey of diagnosis, understanding, and community. Embrace Autism--differences are not deficits.