Besides the fact that it disrespects those formally diagnosed with autism, it is also a disgrace to those who seem to be less or not autistic but, on the contrary, do have this condition. Those people who said that I’m not actually autistic are not only wrong, but also set a dangerous precedent. Actually autistic, not less or severely autistic However, I struggle in interpreting social communications and tend to repetitively walk back and forth while thinking or murmuring. In addition, I’m not sensitive to certain sounds and flashing lights. It somehow made me realize that the autism community is diverse in nature, wherein each autistic person like myself may have different ways of thinking, acting, and communicating, but nevertheless are affected by most or all the areas of development.įor instance, in my case, I can easily process written information in literary texts, not just by reading single paragraphs, but also whole novels with minimal to no pictures. This belief had drastically changed my initial view regarding autism.
And to have autism, you should be affected in not one or two areas but, rather, most or all the areas. In a rainbow spectrum, you can’t claim that yellow is more “blue” or blue is less “red.” Rather, you have to shade each color since each of it corresponds to specific areas of development such as, but not limited to, sensory processing, neuro-motor differences and skills, pragmatic speech, social awareness, and repetitive behaviors. But it is not like a tint of color wherein it is just about “a little blue” or “a strong blue,” but rather, a rainbow spectrum. The said movement claims that autism is a spectrum. This was because I have relatives who have autism and most or almost all of them have intellectual impairment. I admit that before I received the label “autism,” I once thought of autism as intellectual impairment.
They think that those who have autism are like the ones portrayed in Philippine television shows like Little Nanay and My Special Tatay wherein it is just about intellectual impairment. “You don’t necessarily look autistic.” “ Hindi ka naman mukhang special child ah!” I’m always told these whenever I admit that I’m officially diagnosed with autism. It is not simply because of denial but rather, the so-called “severity level” of the symptoms that is widely perceived as a basis in determining autism. However, there are still some people who cannot believe that I have autism. For myself, this label was extraordinary, for I had already known the reason why people could not understand me. Ever since I received a diagnosis from my developmental pediatrician back in December 2018, I felt a bit confused about what autism spectrum disorder really was.
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