Auroral Autistic

Video transcript: “April is Autism Acceptance Month! That’s right, we’re moving on from simply being “aware” of Autism. We are working on ACCEPTING autistic people!

And yes, I say “autistic people” instead of “people with Autism” because a majority of us prefer what’s called Identity-First Language!

Let’s talk organizations. You’re probably familiar with Autism Speaks, but did you know that most autistic self-advocates strongly advise AGAINST supporting them, including boycotting their #LightItUpBlue campaign?

My community has been shouting into the void about this for years, and sometimes I feel like no one is listening.

Autism Speaks talks about us WITHOUT us. Their board of directors is NOT made up of a significant number of autistic people, but rather senior executives of major corporations like PayPal and Goldman Sachs.

In 2018, only 1% of their budget went directly to families in need, but some of their salaries exceed $600,000 a year.

Autism Speaks has a long history of using toxic rhetoric in their so-called “awareness campaigns” that promote stigma and even hatred of Autism (and therefor Autistic people!)

The autistic community and its culture is beautiful, vibrant, and diverse...and we deserve better.

2 Awesome organizations that you can support include the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network.

Here are some autistic-led organizations you can support instead. (Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network.) Happy April!”

Link to this TikTok:

Video transcript:

“What if I told you that everything you know about Autism is wrong?

Pro tip: Important terms you might google will be in ALL CAPS.

For as long as Autism has been a word, (and certainly much longer than that) the main framework for thinking about us has been the deficit model or medical model as opposed to the SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY.

Under the medical model, our body movements...our communication...our very personhood has been rendered pathological, disordered, and stigmatized because of ABLEISM.

ABLEISM works hand in hand with WHITE SUPREMACY, EUGENICS...it’s all connected.

This might be news to you because there is a massive rift in public discourse on Autism. Most of the Autism “awareness” organizations who take up the most airtime tend to be...awful.

Looking at you, Autism Speaks!

So, this April, listen to #ActuallyAutistic people! We are the best experts on our own lives, I promise!

Some autistic-led organizations out there making vital and intersectional change include the AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK (ASAN) and the AUTISTIC WOMEN & NONBINARY NETWORK.

Give them a google! They have *tons* of resources for you!”

Link to this TikTok:

Video transcript:

“We know that queer conversion therapy is traumatizing and dangerous, but did you know that many Autistic children are subjected to a practice sprung from the same ideology, called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?

In 1970’s, psychologist Ivar Lovaas was a key player in the Feminine Boy Project, which has strong ties to what we now call “conversion therapy.”

Lovaas is also considered to be the main founder of ABA therapy. The premise of both queer conversion therapy and ABA-based "interventions" for Autistics is the same: make “broken” or “sick” kids “normal.”

The goal of ABA therapy, according to Lovaas, was to transform an Autistic child into one that was “indistinguishable from their peers.”

A child being coerced into making eye contact & suppressing their self soothing and self-expressive behaviors like hand-flapping or rocking are considered successes in ABA practice.

But these “successes” often have deadly repercussions. In the Autistic community, this is called “masking” and it can cause significant mental health problems over a prolonged period of time.

In fact, there are emerging correlations between Autistics masking their Autism traits and suicidality. It's simple: if someone suppresses who they are authentically (whether they are Autistic, gender non-conforming, or both) ...Bad things happen to our sense of self.

Autistic voices are by far the most important part of this conversation.”

The link to this TikTok is below: