As an autistic individual, you may struggle with the fact that autistic voices are not always heard in our society. I want to encourage you to take the initiative to influence the mindsets in a range of areas in small ways. You may fear rejection and wonder if you can be effective but remember that, overall, neurodiversity has grown a lot in the past couple of decades.
This post will examine seven areas where you can potentially make your voice heard. These are family, education, religion, business, government, entertainment, and media. You’ll see how these structures shape attitudes towards autism and how you can take simple steps to make your voice heard, countering these hurtful stereotypes.
Social change is slow, but one autistic strength you can leverage is perseverance. Small actions can create knock-on effects on how autism is perceived that can escalate, eventually leading to wider social transformations. Let’s begin by looking at one foundational area of society – the family.
1. Family: Shaping Understanding at the Core
I grew up in a family that didn’t understand me or my needs, which hurt me deeply. My mother’s constant criticism made it hard for me to accept or even understand myself. Experiences like this can impact your confidence and lead to a lifetime of suppressing your needs and trying to fit in. I never had the chance to fully share these struggles with my parents, as they passed away before my autism diagnosis.
As an autistic person, please consider sharing your experiences, if not with your own family, then with others, to help parents understand what it’s like from an autistic child’s perspective.
2. Education: Encouraging Schools to Value Neurodiversity
In my experience, education favours conformity over diversity. Although my creativity was sometimes celebrated, as I advanced, learning became increasingly about memorising facts and adhering to rigid procedures, which stifled personal exploration. Unfortunately, this made it harder for me to recognise my needs and articulate my opinions as I grew older.
While I performed well, I always felt I could have accomplished more if my uniqueness had been appreciated and if I’d been given more time to discuss my learning with my teachers. Advocating for more open-ended study in educational institutions is one small step you can take alongside other accommodations.
3. Religion: Challenging Stigma and Creating Inclusive Spaces
Faith communities often emphasise conformity, which can be difficult for autistic individuals. You may feel that you don’t fit if you think through ideas and arrive at different conclusions. You may be misunderstood and misjudged because of your body language. Criticism and correction, even if well-meaning, can hinder the development of a thriving sense of self.
I have found that initiating discussions about neurodiversity in faith communities is crucial. If you are part of such a community, consider proposing open conversations about issues that are often left unspoken, valuing different perspectives, and remaining open to various ways for people to participate.
4. Business: Advocating for Inclusive Workplaces
Starting a business like Autistic Heroes involved a significant amount of networking, which can be challenging for autistic entrepreneurs, as this process often values small talk and places socialising in neurotypical ways at the forefront. This focus can make autistic individuals feel incompetent, even if they excel in their work.
I discovered that I had the freedom to emphasise networking practices more suited to me as an autistic entrepreneur, for example online networking, one-on-one meetings, and seeking out opportunities for individual mentoring.
If you have the opportunity to suggest or facilitate more emphasis on options like these in your business or workplace this would be another great step to empower autistic individuals to play to their strengths.
5. Government: Pushing for Policies That Support Neurodivergent Lives
Autistic individuals face numerous challenges that may not be apparent to non-autistic policymakers or politicians. These difficulties can arise in education and training, within the workplace, during job searches, and in healthcare.
Neglecting to address these issues reinforces the harmful notion that those who are different must change and conform rather than the system adapting to accommodate such differences. This can lead to struggles, resulting in autistic masking and negative self-perceptions.
Sharing your experiences with policymakers regarding what has been helpful or unhelpful is vital for promoting inclusion. For instance, this could involve joining campaigns, sharing petitions, and participating in consultations at various levels.
6. Entertainment: Changing How Autism is Portrayed in Media
The way autism and neurodiversity are portrayed in media like film or TV is too frequently stereotypical. It may be the challenges are emphasised, and when strengths are seen, it’s in a savant genius.
This lack of nuance, where the full spectrum of autism is not shown, can be upsetting to autistic people and impede social understanding of the diversity within autism.
Please enter into discussions about such characters in positive yet honest and authentic ways and support media where you see autistic traits well portrayed. If you work in media, aim to be involved in projects that do this.
7. Media: Using Social Platforms to Shift Public Perception
Similarly, news and social media often portray autism negatively. The medical language of deficits is used too often, rather than a balanced view, including challenges and strengths.
For example, misinformation that autism is a condition that needs curing can be popular to share, but this produces barriers to full inclusion, making autistic people overly conscious of a perspective that says they are “broken”.
An important step is to use social media to boost neurodivergent voices, arguing for inclusion, challenging unhelpful reports like those that see autism as a growing threat and promoting positive news stories such as ones of late-diagnosed autistic people finally understanding themselves.
Change is possible
These small actions may not appear much on their own, but the more people are taking these steps, the greater the influence. As you begin to affect tiny changes in these building blocks of society, the closer we get to a shift towards a neuro-affirming culture.
Social influence is gradual, and each exchange, gesture, and critique of unhelpful thought patterns moves us forward towards greater equality and inclusion. Each action creates momentum that enables us to create a better society where all people, including neurodivergent people, can be themselves and thrive.