Watching the news this morning and something about autism came on. I think it was on the Sunday morning special. During the report the turn autism spectrum disorder came on... and my youngest was watching. I’m always a little nervous about what his reaction will be when autism comes on the news. There are just way too many times that autism is either blamed for some bad behavior or the most severe portions of the spectrum are highlighted.
To show autism on television the most widely known possible behaviors are chosen and exaggerated to create a character that meets the description watchers think is autism.
My youngest who is 2e instead comes off as quirky, has friends, and is a wonderful loving boy. His reaction to the news report was that it shouldn’t be called a disorder. Personally, I’ve seen some people that are pushing to remove autism from being considered a disability. Individuals with autism do have a difficulty interacting with people that are neurotypical. The question really is equate to a disability. If people from two different cultures try to interact, is one or both considered to have a disability? Take an individual out of the amazon and put them into New York City, not knowing the language or social conventions… Does that mean they have a disability?
