On World Autism Day 2021 which was observed on 2nd April 2021, ACRSS pushed for acceptance and not mere awareness about autism and how neurotypical people (who are not neurodiverse) can be better allies.
Our first post was about what are the sets of do's and don'ts that neurotypical people should keep in mind around neurodiverse people.
We need to educate ourselves about certain do's and don'ts to keep in mind around Autistic people.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in: Social interaction difficulties; communication challenges and a tendency to engage in repetitive behaviours. They often find it difficult to maintain eye contact. If we learn about these behaviours properly and do not take them personally, our well informed actions can make them feel comfortable and loved.
Let us be kinder and try to eliminate the anxiety and stress our actions might cause to individuals with autism. Maintaining a healthy balance between their special needs and normalizing the atmosphere will go a long way.
Our second post was about various movies and series recommendations that one could watch to get to know autism better.
CHILDREN AND FAMILY
1. INSIDE OUT (2015)
Riley's emotions turn upside-down when she and her parents move to San Francisco.
2. A BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND (2015)
A mathematically gifted British teen on the autism spectrum prepares to compete in international math Olympics.
3. TEMPLE GRANDIN (2010)
A stigmatized, young woman learns to channel her unique gifts into a brilliant career.
4. SNOW CAKE (2006)
A friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man traumatized after a fatal car accident.
YOUNG ADULT
1. NATHAN'S KINGDOM (2018)
A 25-year-old autistic man struggling with his teenage sister's addiction.
2. JACK OF RED HEARTS (2015)
A teenage runaway forms a bond with an 11-year-old autistic girl and the child's mother.
3. ADAM (2009)
Beth is a writer who meets Adam, suffering from Asperger's syndrome.
4. WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE? (1993)
Gilbert is caught between his love for Becky and his responsibilities towards Arnie, his brother who has an intellectual disability.
ADULT
1. THE ACCOUNTANT (2016)
When the accountant, Dana Cummings, finds an embezzlement of 61 million-dollars, Christian is hired to audit the company by the owner and his sister.
2. RAIN MAN (1988)
An abrasive wheeler-dealer discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed virtually all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond, an autistic savant.
3. CUBE (1997)
A group of strangers, each one of them gifted with a special skill must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
SERIES
1. ATYPICAL (2017)
Sam, an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, decides it's time to find a girlfriend.
2. THE GOOD DOCTOR (2017)
An autistic doctor relocates to a hospital in San Jose, unable to socialize with colleagues. However he uses his skills to treat his patients and prove himself.
3. THE A WORD (2016)
When their youngest son is diagnosed with autism, the Hughes family don't feel like the usual family anymore.
We also tried to highlight some extremely inspiring people on the autism spectrum.
SATOSHI TAJIRI
A Japanese video game designer and director, best known as the creator of Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.
BILL GATES
A technologist, American business magnate, author and philanthropist, he is the co-founder of Microsoft and currently has a net worth of 12, 730 crores USD.
STEVEN ALLAN SPIELBERG
With movies like Saving Private Ryan and Empire of the Sun to his credit, he is a revered American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Composer of ultra famous compositions like the motet Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165 (1773), the operas The Marriage of Figaro (1786) and the Jupiter Symphony (1788), Mozart was a prolific musician of the Classical Period.
MICHELANGELO
He was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art, with notable works including The Last Judgment, David, etc.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
He was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809.
JIM BURTON
He was a middle relief pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1975 and 1977 seasons.
CHARLES DARWIN
Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who proposed the theory of biological evolution by natural selection. He is best known for “The Voyage of the Beagle” and “The Descent of Man”.
EMILY ELIZABETH DICKINSON
She has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Considered an eccentric by locals, her poems were unconventional and sentimental, often using slant rhyme, unusual capitalization and punctuations.
DAVID BYRNE
He is a Scottish-born Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and cofounder of Talking Heads. He has received an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
ALBERT EINTSTEIN
He was a German-born physicist, a “genius” who developed the special and general theories of relativity and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
He was an Irish poet, dramatist, prose writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature and founded the Abbey Theatre.
Every autistic person is different, but changes in routine, sensory differences, anxiety and difficulties in communication are common triggers for all of them. Common signs of meltdowns include hand flapping, head hitting, hyperventilating, pacing, kicking and completely withdrawing into themselves.
Under these circumstances, one must utilize the mentioned resources to calm him/her down and comfort them. With this last post on Autism Awareness Day, we wish to promote the spirit of understanding, accepting and loving autistic people, just like any human being deserving of it.
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