Autism Needs To Be Respected - Tumblr Posts

Please, please don’t refer to autism as a mental illness (or any other type of illness for that matter).

Mental illness, while often incurable, are disorders that can be treated with medication and therapies. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that cannot be treated, only accommodated for and supported.

I see a lot of well-meaning allistics listing autism as a mental illness and it really worries me. There is nothing “wrong” with an autistic brain - it’s just a brain that is developed in a significantly different way to an allistic one.

As soon as we start allowing this mix-up of language, we also let people try to “cure” us with fake miracle pills, organic toothpaste, and abusive behaviour therapies. Please think about how you word these things.