The Mighty Logo

Comic Redesigns the Autism Spectrum to Crush Stereotypes

The most helpful emails in health
Browse our free newsletters

Rebecca Burgess sees a problem with the way many people perceive the autism spectrum. Her resolution? The comic below. The Tumblr user debuted “Understanding the Spectrum” (below), which gets rid of the linear autism spectrum image (i.e. you’re either “not autistic, “very autistic” or somewhere in between) and replaces it with a round spectrum full of several traits or ways the brain processes information.

“I want people to understand that autistic people don’t all fit a stereotype, and show people the consequences of stereotyping,” Burgess, from the U.K., told The Mighty in an email. “[Stereotyping leads to] underestimating the skills of autistic people or not believing someone [who is on the spectrum].”

The comic, which she released in April for Autism Acceptance Week, has earned her messages from autistic people, parents and teachers, thanking Burgess for helping them explain the spectrum in a more accurate way.

Take a look at “Understanding the Spectrum” below, and let us know how you would describe the spectrum to someone unfamiliar with autism in the comments at the bottom.

explanation of how it's confusing to explain autism

 

graph of how autism used to be described as a linear spectrum

 

linear spectrum for autism doesn't work

phrases being yelled at a person with autism

 

introduction to colorwheel autism spectrum

further explanation of how to think of the autism spectrum

this spectrum explanation would lead to more acceptance

autism spectrum explained as a color wheel

Originally published: May 23, 2016
Want more of The Mighty?
You can find even more stories on our Home page. There, you’ll also find thoughts and questions by our community.
Take Me Home