Not being much of a blogger, I am going to leap into this feet first. My plans for this blog are to share information and resources related to autism, twice-exceptionality, LGBTQI+ concerns, and my personal beliefs in the importance of the current (and long overdue) social justice issues surrounding black and brown lives. Not surprisingly (or maybe a little), there is a lot of intersectionality between these groups.
Given that much of my counseling work is with parents of children on the autism spectrum, as well as with children, adolescents, and adults with ASD, I do a lot of reading and receive a lot of material focused on this topic. I also work with many twice-exceptional children and adolescents and have years of life experience and study in this area. I have been an active accomplice for the LGBTQI+ community since the 1980s and for black and brown lives for as long as I can remember. (Please see my upcoming post on what it means to be an “accomplice.”)
Today, I would like to share some articles I have recently read or received on the subject of autism and giftedness/twice-exceptionality (2e). This morning I read a very interesting editorial in the New York Times written by a young lady on the spectrum and addressed to parents of autistic children. It is called “Dear Parents: Your Child with Autism is Perfect,” and can find the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/parenting/autism-children.html?referringSource=articleShare
Being on the spectrum presents challenges (and successes) for many individuals, but for people of color, the challenges are exponentially heightened. Black and brown adolescent and adult individuals on the autism spectrum are at higher risk of being harmed by the police due to officers perceiving their actions to be threatening, rather than manifestations of stress or emotional disregulation. Teachers and school administrators unfamiliar with how autism presents differently in different individuals, are more likely to suspend or expel children of color–both those with ASD and those without. This article, from NEXT for Autism (a GREAT resource!) discussed being “Autistic While Black” and is definitely worth a read: https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/viewpoint/autistic-while-black-how-autism-amplifies-stereotypes/?mc_cid=20697f6024&mc_eid=907c082fcd
On a slightly lighter note, NEXT for Autism has a great interactive movie for families to watch with their children. It is called Up and Away and can be found here: https://www.nextforautism.org/news/community/up-and-away/?mc_cid=9847088eba&mc_eid=907c082fcd
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