RFK Jr. has gone full “useless eaters” about autistic people. Seeing autistic people as burdens is straight up eugenics, and yet Profound Autism parents are delighted. Let’s discuss why “profound autism” harms rather than helps autistic people and their families.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced that he would find the cause of autism in five months and “eliminate those exposures.” This kind of deeply disturbing statement can lead to real harm.
Needing assistance with daily life is more tolerated in our society when that assistance is in aid of making money than it is when it’s required for being able to live safely with basic human dignity.
The new cuts and push for disabled people to work terrifies me. Will we see an increase in suicide in the autistic community? Will autistic people be forced to mask and hide their disability so that they can keep their job?
Vaccines don’t cause autism. But even if they did, is being like me really a fate worse than death?
You may know that ABA is a questionable therapy for autistic kids, one many autism advocates think should be abandoned. But since not every parent can avoid ABA, what can those parents do to protect their kids?
Let’s talk about some great kidlit books with autistic representation. There are so many more that could be included—but these are some of my favorites.
Autistic people face enough suicidal ideation without being asked to think of themselves as nothing more than burdens to their loved ones, and I can’t support or contribute to any conversation that increases that risk.
We need to be careful about pro-vaccine arguments when autism is involved—because when we say “there is NO evidence linking vaccines to autism” without adding “and fear of autism hurts autistic people,” then we’re actually contributing to negative stereotypes about autistic people.
All the Noise at Once tackles so many issues with such care and thought, including racism, classism, and class segregation, the stress of excellence and being a “model citizen,” family expectations, ableism and neurodivergent treatment in a neurotypical world, police brutality, and power imbalances.
