When I think about being autistic, I see it as a difference rather than a disability. However, if we treated it as a difference rather than a disability, would autistic people get the support they need?

Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay

Autistic people struggle to get the support they need as it is. My struggles are in the work environment. When I am not at work, I can work around my difficulties. When at work, the law protects me as I have a disability, and I can ask for accommodations if I need them.

Society caters to neurotypical brains, not autistic ones. The way I can describe it, I have an ideal world that would be great for me. A place where I could thrive, but I have to live in this world that is not suitable, a place where I have to work extra hard for me to survive. I have to adapt constantly to fit in.

However, everything about autism isn’t negative. I have positive traits such as high attention to detail, logical thinking, and I thrive on creativity. I have a strong focus on a few special interests such as writing, playing the piano and flute, and my latest interest is learning languages. I am honest and have deep empathy towards others. Finally, I can think uniquely to overcome obstacles, likely the main reason I have managed to survive without a diagnosis for so long.

People have different opinions on whether autism is a disability or a difference. The main point is we have to learn to live with this condition.