April is autism awareness month in most of the world. Many adult autistics are trying to reclaim this month and promote acceptance and not just awareness. I want to take this a step further and take the time to celebrate autism.
Some people may stop reading at this point, thinking about a child or adult they know or know of, assuming that there is nothing to celebrate in that person’s life. Don’t get me wrong, I am not claiming autism is all great, there are some serious difficulties involved in living well on the autistic spectrum. However, for this month of April, all my blog posts will relate to aspects of autism that should be celebrated by the wider community as being able to provide valuable contributions to society through various avenues. I will introduce aspects of autism and give practical examples of the usefulness of these attributes should society chose to celebrate the skills that autistics have.
It is okay to laugh at some of these ideas, though if you do, just try and remember that some of the richest people in western societies make their money by kicking or throwing a ball around. I imagine that a century ago the idea of this would have been pretty funny too.
1. Our ability to hear sounds without filtering
This would be really useful in testing sound proofing and/or building design. No one enjoys living in a home where they can hear their neighbours conversations at all times of the day and night.
2. Our ability to focus on the details
This is useful in a myriad of working situations; checking computer coding, proof reading, research and development of medicines, accounting, quality control etc
3. Our strong sense of social justice
Imagine a world where everyone believed in social justice and behaved in ways that promoted this. Conflict would diminish and possibly disappear, bullying would cease to exist, communities would work together to ensure fairness and equity. Workplaces would focus on goods and services that promote social justice and would enhance the quality of life of their staff.
4. Our logical thinking
Valuable for careers in science, technology, engineering and a desirable trait in the creation of policies and laws, to eradicate unintended illogical consequences.

Finally for today’s posting I would like to celebrate the caring autistic community. Thank you to all those auties and aspies out there who have made me feel welcome and valued. I really do appreciate it.