Understand this:

Autism is not an illness, a disease or a curse.

It can’t be “caught” or “triggered” or developed later in life. A person is born with autism.

Autism is not caused by chemicals or parental style. It is 100% genetic.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder — a mental disability. It is life-long and cannot be “cured” or “trained” out of a person.

It’s who we are. Don’t try to make us “normal” — it won’t work — instead try to understand our difficulties if you really want to help us.

Dismissing an autistic advocate as “not autistic enough” because they can type or communicate understandably is a missed opportunity to gain insight about autism. It’s a disservice to autistic people who can’t understandably communicate their internal experiences.

Dismissing an autistic advocate because their described internal experiences don’t fit the tragedy narrative you’ve built your nonverbal autistic child’s life on is an even greater disservice.

No two autistic people are exactly alike, but autistic people know what being autistic is really like. A neurotypical can only guess what it’s like, and they often guess wrong.

Please stop making us the sidekicks in our own stories.

When someone tells you they are Autistic (when you're allistic)

(This also goes for some mental illness, but it will be autism specific)

What to say ● “Cool. So where you want to get lunch?”

The only correct way to react is by first, acknowledging it, and second, going on treating them like you were before you knew, if they need something, they will ask, otherwise, leave it at that.

What not to say: ●"Really, you don’t look like it"

●"My sister’s has autism too, she does/is [insert stereotyped characteristic]“

●"Oh, I have an Autistic cousin, so I know how it is”

●"but you’re high functioning, right?“

●"Oh! Have you tried [insert random “cure” or therapy]“

●"Oh, so you’re retarded?”

●"Oh yeah, I had an Autistic person in my class last year, he was so [insert a patronizing remark, ussually masked as a compliment]

●"Autistic people are angels on earth! (Or other extremely patronizing attempt to make us “feel better” about being Autistic)“

●"you mean you’re a person with autism.”

This is not a complete list, please add your own.

other good things to say:

“is there anything i can do to help you?”

“i’m glad you felt comfortable telling me”

autistic lgbt+ people are valid

your autism doesnt automatically make you unable to know your gender or sexuality

“Autistic people’s capacity to determine our own fates is only as good as the choices that are given to us as a direct result of policy decisions and culture.”

- Autism does NOT make an autistic person’s opinions any less valid.

- Autism does NOT make an autistic person “mentally deficient”, “crazy” or “delusional”.

- Autism does NOT make an autistic person incapable of having their own thoughts.