Autism Acceptance Month

Some Quick Tips, and Why Autistic People Belong in Publishing

By: Lindsay Fortin

Hi! I’m Lindsay, one of the bloggers with the Secret Writers Guild, and I’m autistic. April is the annual Autism Acceptance Month. You might see it referred to as Autism Awareness Month (or day) as well. I didn’t think I would ever post about this since it doesn’t directly involve writing, but considering that there is a significant bias in publishing against neurodiverse individuals, I realized that I have the opportunity to shift people’s perceptions of autism within the writing and book community. I rarely see people talking about autism in the writing and bookish community. There’s so little representation in books, and I want that to change. I sincerely hope that you will read through this, keep an open mind, and maybe even seek out other autistic creators as well!

You may or may not have heard of Autism Awareness Month during the month of April, or Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd in the United States. Autism acceptance is generally the preferred term in the autistic community for this month. Acceptance is what we’re pushing for. Most people are aware of autism, but they just have a fundamental misunderstanding of what autism is. Our goal is to make the world a kinder and safer place for us to live, and that comes with acceptance. That being said, having a deeper understanding of what autism is and being aware of what it actually looks like never hurts either. So before we jump into biases in publishing and why autistic people belong in the writing community, let’s talk a bit about some things that are harmful to us and the basics of the issues surrounding autism.

What You Need to Know About Autism

1. Listen to #ActuallyAutistic people. Not parents, teachers, or caregivers. No one understands autism better than autistic people. We’re constantly being spoken over by people who don’t have autism, and even if you’re a teacher who works with autistic kids or are a parent to an autistic child, it’s crucial that you don’t talk over us.
   
2. Don’t support Autism Speaks. Many autistic people consider them to be a hate group, and they’ve contributed to harmful stereotypes and “treatments” for autistic people. They considered autism a disease until recently, and have called us burdens, tragedies, and believe that autism took people’s “normal” children away. They have also described autism as an epidemic. If you would like to see more of their views, search for their advertisement “I am autism.” Instead of supporting them, focus your attention on self advocacy groups, like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Autism isn’t a disease. Autism is a different neurotype, a different way of thinking and processing information. Autistic people don’t want to be cured. (And if you see anyone talking about finding the genes that cause autism or weeding it out, that’s eugenics.)
   
3. Don’t use the Autism Speaks hashtag “light it up blue,” use #RedInstead. Red Instead is an autistic led initiative in response to light it up blue.
   
4. The puzzle piece as the symbol for autistic people is considered offensive. It was initially designed (by non-autistics) to represent how autistic people have a piece missing, that we suffer from a puzzling condition, and that finding the missing puzzle piece will cure us of our affliction. Use the infinity rainbow neurodiversity ribbon or gold’s periodic table element instead.
   
5. Most autistic people prefer identity first language. So rather than saying “a person with autism,” which is person first language, most would say “an autistic person.” This isn’t the case for everyone, but it’s a good default if you’re unsure. Referring to someone who’s autistic as “autistic” isn’t insulting, I promise! Just don’t correct an autistic person’s preferred use.
   
6. There is no such thing as “high functioning” autism and “low functioning” autism. There is only autism. Functioning labels are harmful, and dismiss the barriers that autistic people face. Autism is different in everyone, and we all face different challenges.
   
7. Autism is considered a disability, and disability is not a bad thing! Removing the stigma from the word “disabled” is massively important. Being disabled is not a reflection on someone’s character or morals!
   
8. Girls can be autistic too! Women are underrepresented in autism statistics because they’ve been going undiagnosed. Up until recently, researchers didn’t believe that women could be autistic and all studies were done involving men, with no women present. The ratio of autism in men and women is slowly beginning to even out, and the ratio is very likely 50/50.

Myths and Stereotypes

Myth: Autistic people lack empathy.

Definitely not true. Some autistics struggle with cognitive empathy, which is the ability to understand the reason why someone is feeling a particular way, but we do not lack empathy. Most autistic people I know of would cite empathy among their greatest strengths.

Myth: Autistic people aren’t creative.

Autistic people are absolutely creative! Some of the world’s greatest artists were autistic. It varies from person to person, just like how not all non-autistic people are creative. But one advantage of not seeing things the way others do is the ability to be creative in different ways. There’s been a lot of research on this in recent years, and in many cases, autistic children (and adults) are more creative on average than their neurotypical peers. (x)

Biases in Publishing

Autistic people are often at a disadvantage due to the lack of understanding from agents, editors, and publishing teams. Even in other professions autistics are misunderstood, and disclosing that you’re autistic can lead to being “let go.” Autistic adults represent the largest percentage of disabled individuals who are unemployed. Just like any other personal biases, they can affect marginalized groups from the top down. A lack of awareness and understanding of what autism is directly impacts our ability to participate in the industry.

Publishers are less likely to be accommodating to neurodivergent individuals and our needs. Whether that’s working at a different pace, communicating in alternative ways, or feeling that they couldn’t represent someone who’s visibly neurodivergent, autistic people face barriers at every level. Not to mention that agents might not be willing to take on a book with an autistic main character because they think it won’t sell. Choosing to disclose that your book is an OwnVoices autistic narrative is not always met with enthusiasm. This is particularly true in YA and Adult categories. There is in general a glaring lack of disabled individuals in books, from visible disabilities, to chronic illness, to neurodivergence. And I can’t remember the last time I read a YA or Adult fantasy/science fiction book with a main character who was clearly disabled. (This doesn’t include characters who might wear a magical or scientifically advanced prosthetic that allows them to function the same way as an able bodied person.) It’s also important that their disability isn’t something to be cured or overcome. Rather, it’s simply part of the character. But apparently disability just doesn’t seem to fit into a fast paced adventure narrative, if the current market is any indication. And yet, tons of adults have one or more disabilities. 1 in 4 Americans are disabled, 1 in 5 Canadians are disabled, and about 15% of the worlds total popuation (as of 2011) has some kind of disability.

So, where are we?

Why Autistic People Belong in Publishing

• We’re detail oriented and notice things other people don’t, which is a very useful skill in editing positions.
• We’re very creative and come up with unique solutions.
• We are intensely passionate individuals, and generally won’t pursue something unless we’re completely invested. That passion keeps us going even when we’re tired.
• We communicate in very direct ways and can get to the root of an issue quickly.
• We’re independent thinkers and don’t care as much about what others think of us.
• We can become intensely focused on important tasks.
• We’re perfectionists, and strive for things to be the best they can be.
• We’re very reliable and consistent.

But most importantly…

We’re people with stories to tell, and we’re people who deserve to be heard. Our stories hold value and promise just like anyone else’s. We rarely get to tell our stories to a willing audience, and I want that to change. You can help us by supporting and listening to #ActuallyAutistic creators and writers, and boosting our voices whenever possible.  It’s time we acknowledge the lack of neurodiversity in publishing, and demand better.