What Acceptance means to me.

My name is O and Mummy asked me what acceptance meant to me because this month, April, is Autism awareness and acceptance month worldwide.

The word acceptance to me means accepting and respecting other people's differences. Acceptance means that people are embraced by others - differences and all. Acceptance means that I belong - as I am - in the community that I live in. Acceptance means that we shouldn't have to change who we are just so that we can fit into what other people think is normal, even though there really isn't a normal way of being.

When people accept others as they are, they are saying "You are you and I am me, and that's okay. Different is good."

When people accept me and my little brother for who we are, they've made a conscious effort not just to know what we do but also to understand and accept us for who we are and the things that we do. My friends who accept me know that I wear my headphones not to stand out but because too much noise hurts my ears and my brain. They know and understand that sometimes I hide under my desk because my classroom is too busy for my brain.

I want to live in a world in which acceptance is not just a goal, but it is an actual reality. A world in which neurodiversity is just another way which makes people unique. A world in which everyone will agree that diversity is a part of what makes our world a beautiful place. A world in which everyone who is different in some way, feels like they belong. There are too many people and not just people who have Autism, who don't feel like they belong or don't feel like they are welcomed by the communities in which they live.

I think that acceptance will take time. Everyone needs to practice acceptance, especially adults because some adults have forgotten what it is like to be different. Kids, when they are really young, are good at accepting other people for who they are but some adults don't like differences. And some adults are really good at projecting their thoughts onto kids, even the negative thoughts. When this happens, the kids don't accept others when they are different. I've felt this from some kids that I go to school with and it makes me really sad and worried for the future.

I think that everyone, but mostly adults, needs to consciously practice acceptance for it to become part of their everyday routine. Because every time we practice acceptance towards something that makes us uneasy, we will create new neural pathways and strengthen the old neural pathways that are in our brains that tell us difference in others is a good thing. And if kids see adults practising acceptance, then they will also be more accepting of others.

That's what acceptance means to me.

Neurotypical, Neurodiverse, Atypical ..... What does it all mean?

When talking about Autism Spectrum Disorder, there are generally a lot of terms thrown around. Neurotypical, Neurodiverse, Atypical and Neurodiversity being some of them.

The term Neurodiverse was first coined in the late 1990's by two individuals - by an Autism advocate and sociologist, Judy Singer, and by a journalist, Harvey Blume.

Judy Singer first used the term in her not well read sociology thesis that she presented in Australia (go you good thing!) in 1998. As Judy states in her book, "Neurodiversity: The Birth of an Idea," 

"I am generally credited with coining the word and Harvey for being the first in print."

Harvey Blume is credited with popularizing the word! In the September 1st 1998 issue of The Atlantic, Blume wrote -

"Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general."

But what do all these terms mean?

In the Autism world, Neurotypical refers to those individuals who have not been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Atypical refers to those who have a different way of thinking, feeling and being. Those who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Now let's talk Neurodiversity!

Neurodiversity is short for Neurological Diversity and it refers to the diversity that is present among us all in regards to our brains and minds.

To me, Neurodiversity is the idea that having differences in the way that we think and process the world around us is natural and this diversity is a valuable asset to the world in which we live.

When you think about it, there is a great deal of variation among human brains and human minds. No two people think alike. We all process the world around us in a different way. We all learn differently.

The way in which we think and process things is in part due to the differences in our cultural backgrounds and our personal life experiences. But it is also due to the fact that our brains are wired to work differently from individual to individual.

Neurodiversity should be considered as a natural form of diversity in much the same way that there are diversities among us in the forms of our ethnicity, our race, our cultural backgrounds, our gender and so on. And just like other forms of diversity, Neurodiversity can enrich societies and communities all over the world.

But unfortunately, just like other forms of diversity, individuals who are Neurodiverse are often met by hostility by those who think that there is a right and a wrong way to think, act or feel.

But and here is the kicker for all those who think that being Neurodiverse is a bad thing, Neurodiversity, just like Autism Spectrum Disorder, can be viewed as a spectrum. We're all Neurodiverse, regardless of an ASD diagnosis or not, as we all think differently from the next person.

It is important to recognise and remember that Neurodiversity doesn't only refer to Neurotypical and Autistic. There is a lot of different ways of thinking and being between Neurotypical and Autistic as well as on either side of both. 

Neurodiverse simply means that everyone's neurology is different and unique. No one person is more important or less important than the next due to the way that they think.

Let's embrace Neurodiveristy. It can only make the world a better place.