I am writing about autism spectrum disorder as an autist
(level 1) who was diagnosed as an adult at age 40 in the US.
Looking at the existing write-ups, the majority of them are
close to 25 years old and reflect the understanding of autism of the 80's and
90's.
Much of what was said about autism was at that time were out
of date ideas being pushed by the medical field and organizations like Autism
Speaks who do not have autistic peoples’ best interests in mind.
Autism Speaks pushes doing research for "curing"
autism.
There is no cure for autism.
Follow the money.
Autism is not something
you catch. If you ask the autism community,
most of them will tell you their brains are just wired differently.
Their puzzle piece does not represent us.
Autistic people aren't missing something or incomplete or a puzzle to be
solved.
Vaccines do not cause autism.
More and more people are being diagnosed with ASD because the tools to find autistic
people are better.
We have always been here.
Nothing about us without us.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASD is a developmental condition characterized by
differences in communication, social interaction, and behavior.
The term “spectrum” reflects the wide variation in how it
affects everyone. If you have met one autistic
person, you have met one autistic person.
Each person’s challenges and strengths can range from mild to more
complex needs.
Some of the older Autism write ups that gave figures on how
common autism is said it was 1 in 1000.
Now in 2025, the CDC says it is 1 in 36. They also say it is 4 times more common among
boys than among girls, but after spending 5 years in the autism community, which
appears to be inherent bias in the way that autism is diagnosed. It is probably closer to 1:1 or 2:1 at most
in my personal opinion.
Over the years, our understanding of Autism has evolved. For example, recent editions of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders group what used
to be separate diagnoses—like Asperger’s Syndrome—under the umbrella of ASD. Asperger's Syndrome is now called ASD Level 1
in places that use the DSM-5.
The DSM-5 lists three support levels for ASD.
Level 1 (Requires Support): Individuals can function
relatively independently but may struggle with social cues or organization.
Level 2 (Requires Substantial Support): Individuals often
require more structured assistance in daily life; social and communication
deficits are more pronounced.
Level 3 (Requires Very Substantial Support): Individuals may
have profound difficulties with communication and self-care, requiring
significant daily support.
Something to note:
The support that autistic people need varies day to day and week to week. Many autistic people use the spoon theory metaphor to describe the mental energy they have to spend on daily activities and tasks. Depending on how one feels at that time, they might not have the spoons to do everything they need to do that day.
Some one who was diagnosed as "level 1" may look like level 2 or level 3 if they have had a bad day.
Neurodiversity
Over the past 25 years, understanding of autism has evolved. Where older definitions sometimes assumed
autism was a rare condition marked primarily by severe impairment, current
perspectives recognize a broader range of traits, abilities, and support needs. This shift has been influenced by increased
advocacy for neurodiversity—a viewpoint that neurological differences,
including autism, are natural variations in the human genome and deserve
acceptance.
https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/index.html
https://neuroclastic.com/autism/what-is-autism/
https://psychcentral.com/autism/levels-of-autism
https://neuroclastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Heres-Why-Most-Autistic-People-Hate-the-Puzzle-Piece-Symbol.pdf
https://theconversation.com/how-our-autistic-ancestors-played-an-important-role-in-human-evolution-73477
https://autisticadvocacy.org/inclusion-acceptance/