#apsie

autism may be the seed from which our personalities sprout - we wouldn’t be who we are without it. but we are also more than our seeds; we are stems and leaves and petals, and some of us are blue while others are yellow or pink. we are all beautiful and unique, even if our seeds are not the same as people without autism’s are.

and in the end we need the same things to survive as they do. we need love and care and sometimes just a little bit more water than the average flower. but by insisting on treating us differently than they would treat each other, they end up smothering us until we no longer have beautiful petals for them to admire as they do their own. they will only have pity left to give as they keep burying us deeper in their misunderstood attempts at making us beautiful yet again.

i don’t tell people about my autism because i don’t need their pity or their misguided help. i do however want to be loved and understood for who i am, without having to fear the destruction that help born out of ignorance can cause.

This is a matter that is under a lot of debate. There are people who would say that it is ableist to refer to yourself as an aspie while there are others who would disagree. 

Personally, I think it’s best to avoid the use of Asperger’s and aspie when possible as these terms are often used in lieu of functioning labels as a way to separate autistic people into categories that ignore the needs of some while dismissing the abilities of others. For more on my thoughts on the matter, check out this post. 

However, if it is for your safety that you wish to use aspie, I, personally, don’t have a problem with that as your safety is more important than community politics. I would just advise that you are careful not to use the label as a way of separating yourself from those autistic people.