When I first heard that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was claiming that Tylenol was a definite cause of autism, I burst out laughing. It is a claim that is pretty absurd, right? After all, we already know what causes autism: genetics. It was extremely easy for me to brush it off and not think about it much more than that. Then, I came to a dreadful realization: there are people out there who believed RFK Jr.’s claim without hesitation.
It certainly does not help that autism has consistently been in the center of the public’s eye for decades, with sentiments that it is something that needs to be avoided or cured. As someone on the autism spectrum, I can only hope that those who are neurotypical can understand how dangerous this kind of rhetoric is. Because of the potential consequences of such statements, it is extremely important to not just bring attention to how we should accommodate those with autism, but to also try and inform a larger audience about what it is as well. In fact, it would be equally as important to have a more accurate, positive representation of autism in television (TV) and movies, too.
Most people have a general idea of what autism looks like in an individual, whether from personal experience or from seeing depictions of it. However, it is easy to forget that it is referred to as a spectrum for a reason – there is no “one size fits all” to whether or not a person has autism.
Unfortunately, this uninformed perspective tends to be at the root of the idea of autism being something to avoid or cure, or that it is a burden upon themselves and others. There is even a term for this approach to disabilities of any form: it is referred to as a “medical model of disability.” This perspective, even if someone has good intentions, inherently says that those who are disabled – or in this case, have autism – are not normal and need to be changed to be as close to normal as possible. It involves forcing an individual to try and fundamentally change themselves to fit the standards of others, just because of how they were born.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a very relevant example of this. According to NeuroClastic, neurotypical people may sing ABA’s praises as an effective tool of helping those with autism adapt to navigating the world. However, autistic individuals who have gone through ABA have described it to be utterly traumatic.
It is also worth bringing attention to autism representation in media, and the damage that can come from it. The TV show “The Good Doctor” is a prime example of this. Time Magazine points out that the protagonist of the show is a caricature of autism and a collection of autism stereotypes cobbled together. It is easy enough to just write this off as insensitive writing at its worst, until you find out that there are people who believe this to be a genuine portrayal of autism.
I have had my own experiences of people being genuinely surprised to find out I am on the spectrum because I do not act like what they’ve seen on TV. Having these exaggerated, stereotypical representations of autism is genuinely harmful to those who are on the spectrum, because it is exactly that: a spectrum.
I consider myself to be very fortunate to be on the higher functioning part of the spectrum. I will not beat around the bush either, it can be strange or awkward to interact with those on the spectrum who may require more help to function. But it is especially important to keep in mind that these are still people, with very real thoughts and emotions. We should not be framing them poorly or thinking of them as less than human. Instead, we should be looking for ways to understand and accommodate them in good faith.
