5th May 2018
The dictionary meaning of the word cliché is “1. a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. 2. a stereotype”. Within the history of Autism unfortunately there are a lot of stereotypes that suggest the average Autistic is male, a genius, loves mathematics, is obsessed about space travel and explorations and can not feel empathy. These stereotypes have come about for a variety of reasons which I won’t go into detail about but as an example let’s just look at one.
The stereotype that all Autistics are male has probably arisen as traditionally more boys and men have been diagnosed then women and girls. The statistics throughout history show this, but they don’t show the reasons why: which is because the criteria for diagnosing women is totally different to men, women and girls will mask Autistics traits to a greater extent and are less likely to get the support they require. So the statistics have been wrongly recorded.
As with most stereotypes, this creates a problem as it presents a false view of the whole Autistic community. The stereotypes and clichés can make people feel angry, frustrated, upset, annoyed, political and much more. Note that this list mainly contains adjectives that are negative. I tried to think of some positive ones but it is extremely difficult. This shows how damaging stereotypes can be.
Further evidence that Autistic people find clichés infuriating can be seen on social media within the community. I often come across discussions about the latest TV programme which involves a central Autistic character. Who always has one of the following features; is male, a genius with a high IQ, into maths, into science and has typical special interests such as space exploration. Normally these conversations follow the lines of “great another MALE autistic portrayal”, “most Autistics are not Savant geniuses”, “why are we always shown to lack empathy?” and “not everyone LOVES space”.
It is damaging as it reinforces the original cliché when in fact if you looked at everyone who is Autistic then you would find that only a small percentage would fit into this description. People who have no knowledge of Autism or a little understanding can make wrong assumptions if they read the stereotypes. For example, somebody may make the following statement “well you are Autistic, what is your special ability, maths?” The Autistic person may be offended by this or at least roll their eyes at having to explain, yet again, about what is correct.
It is harder for women and girls too as they are trying to get acceptance, support and understanding but could be faced with question such as “I thought only men could be Autistic?” These sorts of questions are formed from how the media portrays Autism as male, in nine out of ten situations.
Therefore, like any wrong stereotype or cliché, it is important that we try and correct them. This is not always easy though and takes a lot of patience sometimes. However this sometimes causes me a problem personally. I do fit some of the clichés. I am male, I love maths (especially geometry which is an intense interest of mine) and I also have an interest in space travel and exploration.
I cannot help this, it is who I am. I did have a situation once when I was explaining to a Neurotypical about Autistic stereotypes and they did note that “well you are male and quite clever – that’s Autism”. I did correct them, saying that this is just ME, as an Autistic but it made me feel awkward somehow.
I find this uneasiness sometimes on the internet when I am producing my online content and joining in with social media discussions. When I come across somebody talking about “did you see that Autistic programme last night where the character was a bloody maths genius yet again!! Why can’t they make accurate depictions of Autistics” I can feel quite guilty.
I shouldn’t feel like this and I won’t be ashamed of who I am. However, I am committed to also try and explain that this is me and I am just one person on the spectrum. The cool thing about the Autistic spectrum is that we are all different and unique. I can help break down these barriers by educating others but not at the cost of myself. It’s tricky sometimes and even writing about this somehow feels weird and difficult. I hope it is coming across well – I want to help break Autistic stereotypes and I hope that the fact that I fit some of the clichés does not make this difficult in anyway.
To conclude with I want to say that whoever and whatever you are, you are unique. Let your qualities, interests and character come across naturally and I think that in time this will help to prove that stereotypes should not be taken to be representative of any group or person.