Here is the last in my ‘Autism is not an illness’ series. I’m thinking about the problem with the way we speak about Autism. What do I mean by “the way we speak about Autism”? First I’ll say that when I use “we” I am referring to society in general. Let’s look at some examples. Continue reading →

So far in this series I have talked about the fact that I do not think Autism is an illness, despite the way the dominant discourse around Autism runs. I have also talked about how I think the diagnostic process for Autism contributes to the damaging illness discourse. Next I’d like to tell you where I am at in my thinking about the popular treatments for Autism. Continue reading →

Every day I see people sharing the story of their child’s Autism diagnosis. And every day I see this phrase, “From very early on I could see there was something wrong.” One word in that sentence makes me really uncomfortable. “Wrong”. And it brings to mind some questions. Continue reading →

The discourse of Autism as an illness is a common one. Frequently used phrases such as “suffers with Autism”, “lives with Autism” and “child has Autism” perpetuate this discourse, as parents of Autistic children and professionals who work with Autistic people strive for ‘political correctness’. Continue reading →