Chapter 1: Personal Journey with Autism

For over two decades, I have engaged with individuals on the autism spectrum while also navigating my own autism. Initially, encounters with autism were rare for me, but now, it’s hard to attend any social gathering without meeting someone on the spectrum or a parent of an autistic child. It appears that by now, many people should have some familiarity with autism. However, I was taken aback last week when a fellow participant at a bonfire homeschool event confessed they had no understanding of autism.

Learn more about autism through my experiences:

50 Autism Articles My top 50 articles about autism, shared from personal experience.

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While my circle includes numerous autistic individuals, they represent roughly 1% of the global population. That’s over 75 million people, yet it remains a relatively small fraction compared to the total world population. Thus, despite the widespread acknowledgment of autism, it is still feasible to encounter someone who has never heard of it.

Although I was surprised by this revelation, I felt a sense of appreciation. As a newcomer to homeschool groups, initiating conversations can be challenging for me. I often find myself either conversing with familiar faces or quietly listening. It was refreshing to share my knowledge and explain autism to someone who was unaware.

Most of my discussions about autism arise when other parents seek guidance, assuming I have faced similar challenges. This instance, however, marked the first time I taught someone about autism purely as a means of self-introduction.

Section 1.1: The Complexity of Autism

It might seem straightforward since I’m merely sharing my story, yet educating others about autism can be intricate due to its diverse manifestations. One of my opening remarks emphasized how he had to initiate our conversation. He noted that my son did not struggle to start dialogues, despite my assertion that both of us are autistic. This highlights the necessity of recognizing that autism is not uniform; there are traits my son lacks that I possess and vice versa.

Subsection 1.1.1: The Challenge of Understanding Autism

The depth of information regarding autism is vast, making it improbable for anyone to grasp the entirety of the subject after just one discussion. I have authored over 50 articles on autism featured here on Medium. Consider the challenge of starting with zero knowledge of autism and being expected to read and fully digest each article in that compilation. It’s unlikely anyone could achieve that in a single session. Nevertheless, I was pleased to impart whatever knowledge I could.

Chapter 2: Expanding Awareness

In the video titled "Could You Be Autistic and Never Knew?" we explore the often-overlooked aspects of autism awareness, especially during World Autism Awareness Week 2021. The insights presented can help broaden understanding and recognition of autism in society.

The second video, "Autism: The new view. The world is disordered," delves into the current perspectives on autism, challenging societal norms and offering a fresh lens through which to view the spectrum.