I Am a Strong, Autistic Woman. My Feelings Are Valid.

Is there something about being autistic (Aspie, as I identify) that tells certain people I don’t have solid feelings or thoughts of my own? It sure seems that way. I would like them to know it is quite the opposite. While I might seem more child-like at times, it does not mean I am a child who needs someone else to dictate my thoughts or emotions. And I certainly do not need my own feelings invalidated. No one does. It is, in fact, a very dangerous thing to do. Especially to young children!

Where does this idea come from, I wonder? Our differences as autistics do not make us “wrong.” No, they don’t; they mean we are in the minority, which is not wrong.

I would like more people, in general, to be aware of the fact that autism is a “different operating system” and not a defective one. It is not a disease. I have no business telling someone else how to form their morals and values, and I do not need them to tell me how to form mine. They are formed, and it is my business. I am a strong, autistic woman.

The next time anyone thinks it is their business to tell an autistic person how they should think or feel (or anyone, for that matter), think again. Is it your business? Why is it your business? Might you have something to learn from the person you are trying to change? Think about it.

 

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