Of course! Autism is part of our regular life as our ten year old granddaughter is autistic. We spend time with her nearly every day.
You will hear a lot of talk of "lighting it up blue for autism awareness." May I ask that you don't? Light it up blue, that is.
You see, this campaign was started by a group called Autism Speaks. The problem with this group is that it does not speak for our girl nor does it speak for autistics in general. The blue is representative of the fact that the majority of the people with autism are male. My girls prefers pink.
Notice I did not say "children" with autism. Children with autism grow up to be adults with autism. Autism Speaks doesn't speak to that.
Also, Autism Speaks wants to "cure" autism. Have they ever asked adult autistics if they want to be cured? Where does their voice come in?
Jess over at A Diary of a Mom explains this so much better than I can. This blog post speaks specifically to the reasons why Autism Speaks no longer speaks for us.
Why don't we light it up purple? Doesn't blue plus pink = purple?
Blessings, gail
Great idea! As a nurse I know that Autism doesn't just affect boys and not just children. There are also all different ranges of Autism. Here's the thing, the hospital I work at actually has an Autistic doctor, but not just any doctor, an Orthopedic Surgeon. He is proof that Autism doesn't have to be an end all and be all of your personality and life for everyone. Thanks for sharing! Cassie from Mommy, RN
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