We need to chat!!

Let's have a chat about this!!

It seems like every month, nay every week, yep it happened again yesterday, that someone says the dreaded words "I just can't see their Autism," or a different version of it.

This statement is not okay to say to anyone - unless you are a walking MRI machine. And unless we have some android humans walking among us, this just isn't possible!

Saying "I just can't see their struggles," or "They don't look Autistic," or "Are you sure they are Autistic?" or any other version of this statement, you are implying that you don't think or believe that my children are Autistic.

It isn't a compliment. It isn't polite.

You are, in fact, questioning their ASD diagnosis. You are also failing to recognise that every Autistic individual is unique. You are also dismissing all of their struggles and the obstacles that they have overcome to get where they are today.

If you have an idea of what Autism is meant to look it, how an Autistic person is meant to behave, how they should sound like, please do a data dump from your brain, and get to know the Autistic individual that is in front of you.

There is no one look to Autism.

As the saying goes, if you've met one Autistic person, you've met one Autistic person. 

If you've taught one Autistic student, you've taught one student.

Every Autistic individual is different in their own way.