April is Autism Acceptance Month
4/2/2024 by Jessica Davis, M.D.
April is Autism Acceptance Month in the United States. World Autism Day occurs on April 2 every year and is observed by United Nations members. Both are times to celebrate the uniqueness of neurodiverse people and foster inclusivity.
These occasions are also a time to reflect more deeply on how we can improve care for our patients and this population in particular.
I have been learning how ableism — discrimination in favor of able-bodied people — has impacted disabled and autistic individuals. Humbly I am still educating myself on how to promote anti-ableism.
Ableism is the privilege of people without disabilities and a structural system of stigma, discrimination and oppression of people with disabilities. This can take different forms such as inaccessible spaces, language usage or bias that results in substandard quality of care and thus poor health outcomes.
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is an autism rights advocate who said, "different, not less" to simply describe fellow autistic individuals. Caregivers of autistic individuals can assist healthcare professionals with better incorporating disability-conscious best practices in many ways, including:
- Bringing up the unique and beautiful ways the child enriches their lives and other’s lives. It is incredibly important not to associate autism and disability with the idea of “something wrong.”
- Encouraging medical clinicians to examine autistic patients as closely as they would any other patient and assisting as needed.
- Providing information on the best ways to communicate and interact with the patient in ways that will help them feel more comfortable.
- Telling medical professionals if a patient prefers identity-first language (autistic girl) or person-first language (girl with autism).
It’s also very important to not underestimate autistic individuals’ quality of life. So let’s celebrate Autism Awareness Month with a renewed sense of purpose and work toward more inclusivity and anti-ableism.
Jessica Davis, M.D., is a pediatrician in Primary Care in Rochester and Kasson's Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. She has a special interest in the care of children with autism spectrum disorder.