As many of you are aware I am somewhat passionate about allowing society to understand and to accept Autism more in the adult population. It would be good one day to have people not think twice about Autism nor question it in the adult population. It would be good to break down the social isolation and to be accepted and understood by those around you rather than distanced and made to live in social isolation. Throughout my life the most difficult aspect has been to make friends between to 18 to 40 age break. I either seem to not fit in, stand out, be misunderstood, judged wrongly or forced into social isolation which has been more of a hindrance than a help. I do not see it as the fault of people but more so the lack of awareness I endured at an early age. The keys phases of growing up were periods of frustration and non acceptance for me. I was not good at sport nor was I good at mixing with people my own age. I struggled with finding and maintaining relationships and I hope soon that such barriers will break down. It would be good to live in a world where you could be accepted more so than isolated and in some cases remain on the outer and having to constantly defend yourself for just being the way you are as a person.
I cannot understand why society often has to be so harsh in its treatment of those of us who are different and may see the world around them differently and respond in a way that may not fit the normal conventions of mainstream society. Often for regular people, especially younger people understanding Autism in adults may just be too difficult and furthermore sometimes seen as impossible. However there are some strategies that may help in overcoming some barriers.
Friendship is not really a big requirement. Just being a friend can make a person's life different on the Autism Spectrum. For a regular person you may need to define boundaries more clearly as to how much or how little you can be a friend. Also just some understanding of the person's special interest or eccentricity may need to be required. People with Asperger Syndrome including myself are not always aware of what we may do, say or behave when we are around other people. Quite often we are at the mercy of anxiety which controls our thoughts and actions and we may appear akward but just being tolerant and perhaps guiding us where we may be doing something wrong or which is irritating may be more helpful than just simply writing us off. I often find NT's (Neurotypicals) challenging but I don't think adopting an us and them mentality is always helpful. All that is required is for an acceptance of eccentricity more so than an intolerance of it. Just see a person on the Autism Spectrum as perhaps being like a migrant in that we may not always understand the culture which exists around us but if you take the time to see how we think and feel about the world you may be quite interested in what we have to say or what we may think. It is not really fair that adults with Autism should have to suffer social isolation and rejection as we are not really isolated dwellers. We do want friends just that we don't really know how to go about making or keeping them. Large periods of social isolation does not mean that we dislike you or do not want to be your friend. It is just that we need more time to recover from excessive social interaction or the use of large amounts of mental energy.
It would be good to see Australia as a country which starts to embrace Autism in a more positive manner. This would be better than the alternative of living in social isolation and people never really taking the time to understand how exactly Autism affects an adult. Over the coming days, months and years, I intend to get more and more of the message out there about Autism in adults. I would like to see adults with Autism in employment and to be given and afforded the same opportunities of the general community. I do not want or wish to seek popularity but I do want to be liked and of course have friends. I do not understand why in this world that people pursue endless materialism but fail to take the time to build, find and nurture friendships. The common excuse of being busy is common nowadays but interaction cannot all be one way. There needs to be a common ground for both Aspie and NT alike to find common ground. We need to build a society which stops seeing Autism as a disability but more so a means of change and a tolerance of eccentricity and diversity. People need to shirk their ignorance and embrace Autism as something new, and a different way of thinking from the boring normality which exists in life. I know of children who also are the same. If we take the time to learn what it is that they like about their special interest you may find it an alternative to trappings of society.
I really hope 2011 will be a better year and a more progressive year than the one just passed. We need to move Australia forward to embrace Autism in adults and let us begin with the very moment to allow such progress to begin.
What you can do to enrich a person with Autism and their life
1. Try to be a friend and let the person know your boundaries
2. Be honest to the person with Autism and do not lie to them
3. Realise Autism is not a bad thing and the person with Autism may not always be responsible for how Autism affects them
4. Keep an open mind more so than judge at first sight
5. Try to understand the person with Autism
6. Accept eccentricity as a means of creativity and change from boredom
7. See how you can help to lower unemployment rates in adults
8. Try to include a person with Autism into a planned event or activity
9. Embrace Autism as a positive
10. Just be tolerant and do not judge the person with Autism too quickly.
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