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You Can't Separate Me From My Autism, and I Wouldn't Change That

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Autism is my superpower. Because I am autistic, I see the world in an entirely different, magical way. I get to be a part of a delightful community. I have a solid part of my identity. It is a large part of who I am and something I am very comfortable with.

Yes, sometimes life can be difficult when I can’t communicate my needs, when my body can’t filter stimuli, and when people don’t understand that I can do things, just maybe a little differently than how they might perform them.

I love being autistic. I wouldn’t change that for anything. I would, however, change society’s view of autism. Each autistic person is different. I believe it’s a color wheel, not a spectrum. Society’s view on what an autistic individual can and can’t do seems to be based only on stereotypes that the mainstream media often supports.

Not all are nonverbal. Not all are amazing at math. We each have different strengths and weaknesses. We each like different things at different intensities. People might think a person and autism are two unrelated things, but in my experience that isn’t the case. You can’t separate me from my autism; it is mine.

If you don’t like autism, you don’t like me. It’s a simple as that. You can’t dislike a huge part of me. Autism influences my thoughts, feelings, interests, reactions and so many other aspects of my life. Autism is my superpower. What’s yours?

Image via Thinkstock.

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Originally published: December 21, 2016
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