What do Lionel Messi, Chris Packham, Ladyhawke, the creator of Pokemon & Jessica Applegate have in common?
Their autism may not be the first thing you think of when you think of them ~ it's not what they're "known for" ~ & that's OK, actually; that's how it should be.
But I wish more people knew they were autistic too. I wish more people with autism were known about ~ that more autistic people would "come out" about their autism.
Why?
BECAUSE WE NEED MORE AUTISTIC ROLE MODELS!
There must be more out there, in all walks of life. How do I know this? Because more than
There must be more out there, in all walks of life. How do I know this? Because more than
1 in 100 people in the UK are thought to be autistic*.
In the US it's 1 in 59**.
Yet where are they? Who are they?
Some deliberately keep their diagnosis secret. And I understand why: they worry about how others will react, they don't want it to define them; so much focus is on what autistic people can't do, rather than what they can do, on the negatives rather than the positives, or celebrates the very small percentage of autistic savants who exhibit extraordinary skills in one particular area of specific interest.
And people tend to fear what they do not understand & that fear is heightened by the myths & misinformation that abound about autism. And what people fear they flee from ... or fight against.
Some deliberately keep their diagnosis secret. And I understand why: they worry about how others will react, they don't want it to define them; so much focus is on what autistic people can't do, rather than what they can do, on the negatives rather than the positives, or celebrates the very small percentage of autistic savants who exhibit extraordinary skills in one particular area of specific interest.
And people tend to fear what they do not understand & that fear is heightened by the myths & misinformation that abound about autism. And what people fear they flee from ... or fight against.
But if autistic people remain "hidden" or below the radar ~ if we only see the extremes of the condition ~ how can people learn what autism truly is? How can people understand the full autistic spectrum?
And, more importantly, how do more autistic people learn to feel good about themselves? Because many need help in that regard, believe me, much more than most "ordinary" people.
But, I hear you say, what about Mozart?
What about Einstein?
Yes, yes, they're all well and good. And, actually, I know one child who was very happy to have their brain compared to that of Einstein because they like science.
But that didn't work for another child I know.
They need, as any X-Factor judge worth their S.A.L.T. (in joke) would say, role models who are more "relevant", more "relatable", more "current" & recognisable.
And this is where Lionel Messi, Chris Packham, Ladyhawke, the creator of Pokemon & Jessica Applegate come in, to name but a few (actually most of the few "relevant" I've been able to identify).
There is no one good reference point I've found of such role models. And I wanted one ~ to put in front of those close to me who I see suffering with low self-esteem, feeling like they don't belong anywhere, feeling that they're somehow "less" because of their diagnosis.
So a few months ago I created a board on Pinterest called
A resource that's accessible to anyone who passes by but created, at the time, for one person in particular who also uses Pinterest & might see my pins & begin to think, well, if they can, so can I ... maybe this autism thing can be quite cool after all ... maybe I do have some very special talents & unique insights that I can put to good use ~ that make me stand out for all the right reasons.
There aren't a lot of pins on this board yet! But I will add to it & I'm appealing now for any suggestions you might have too!
There aren't a lot of pins on this board yet! But I will add to it & I'm appealing now for any suggestions you might have too!
*There is no exact figure for the number of autistic individuals in the UK as it's not something this country formally records or tracks. The 1 in 100 figure is derived from the results of a couple of recent prevalence studies applied to the 2011 UK census figures which indicates that 1.1% if the UK population are autistic (source: National Autistic Society).
**In the US the figure is 1 in 59 (according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
And as understanding of the condition grows, as more people are diagnosed, often later in life, it's highly likely the prevalence is greater than these figures suggest.
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| Lionel Messi via Pinterest |
