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From Awareness To Acceptance: Changing How We Understand Autism

Sir Anthony Hopkins attends the LEAP Foundation in Los Angeles, California. He is the first openly autistic actor to win an Academy Award.
Sir Anthony Hopkins attends the LEAP Foundation in Los Angeles, California. He is the first openly autistic actor to win an Academy Award.

This April, the Autism Society of America, in cooperation with other disability organizations, tried something different.

Normally, the month would be branded as “Autism Awareness Month.” Instead, this celebratory and informative period will be known as “Autism Acceptance Month.”

The change represents along-held belief by autism advocates, specifically within the neurodiversity movement, that in order tocreate a more inclusivefuture, society must help autistic people lead more fulfilling lives rather than treat the condition like an illness. 

Autismhas often been misunderstood by those outside the spectrum. How should we be thinking about autism?

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Michelle Harven