By: Jon Fettig, The Arc Minnesota Marketing Intern
Every April, we hear the same phrase: Autism Awareness Month. But for many autistic people, awareness is not the goal anymore.
Awareness means people know autism exists. But knowing something exists is not the same as understanding it. And it is not the same as accepting people for who they are.
For many autistic people, the conversation needs to move forward.
Why Awareness Isn’t Enough
Autism is often talked about in simple terms. But it is not simple.
There is no single way to describe what autism means. There is no short sentence that explains what people should understand. And there is no one experience that represents everyone.
Autistic people are often expected to explain themselves in ways that fit neatly into short
answers. But real experiences do not always work that way. Autism is not one thing. And autistic people are not all the same.
The Problem with Common Symbols
Many people recognize the puzzle piece or the “Light It Up Blue” campaign as symbols of autism.
But these symbols have a history that matters.
The puzzle piece was originally created to represent autism as something confusing, incomplete, or broken. It was chosen by non-autistic people, without input from autistic individuals. Over time, it became connected to messaging that framed autism as a problem to be solved.
For many autistic people, this is not just a symbol. It is a reminder of a time when autism was described with fear, tragedy, and stigma.
As a child’s toy often depicted in bright primary colors, the symbol reinforces the harmful stereotype that autism is solely a childhood condition, effectively erasing the existence and needs of autistic adults. “Puzzling” condition, originally depicting a crying child to symbolize suffering and incompleteness.
The idea that autistic people are a “puzzle” suggests they are something to figure out or fix.
But autistic people are not puzzles. They are whole individuals.
A Shift Toward Acceptance
In response, many autistic people have moved toward different symbols and messages. The #RedInstead movement, along with the use of gold and the infinity symbol, represents
a shift away from awareness and toward acceptance. These symbols focus on:
- Pride instead of shame
- Community instead of isolation
- Acceptance instead of “fixing”
They reflect the idea that autism is part of human diversity, not something that needs to be
cured.
Challenging Misunderstandings
Autism is often misunderstood.
Research shows that many autistic people think in ways that are deeply logical, detailed, and innovative. They may process information differently, often focusing on details first and building toward a larger understanding.
This can lead to:
- Strong pattern recognition
- Creative problem-solving
- Deep knowledge in areas of interest
- Logical decision-making that is less influenced by bias
These are strengths. But they are often overlooked when autism is only discussed in terms of challenges.
Different Does Not Mean Less Than
As one contributor shared:
“Different does not have to mean ‘less than.’”
Too often, autism is framed as something negative. Messaging has focused on what autistic people cannot do, instead of recognizing what they can.
There has also been a long history of decisions being made about autistic people without including them.
But autistic people are the experts in their own experiences.
Moving Forward
Acceptance is not something that can be reduced to a checklist or a simple answer.
It is not about saying the right thing once. It is about changing how we think, how we listen, and how we include people.
It means:
- Moving beyond outdated symbols and messages
- Listening to autistic voices
- Recognizing that there is no single autistic experience
- Understanding that complexity cannot always be simplified
Most importantly, it means recognizing that autistic people do not need to be changed in order to belong.
A Final Thought
The conversation around autism has been repeating the same ideas for a long time. It may be time to move past awareness—and toward something more meaningful. Acceptance.