A lot of people have told me they are “a little autistic”. It’s usually when I’m losing my mask of “normalcy” because of a change, a sensory overload, or from socializing. I’m reaching out for help by disclosing my autism to a person I’ve deemed safe to help me find a place to regulate and get my mask back on before I really start melting down.
Then they say – they are a little autistic too, or – isn’t everyone a little autistic? And, I know I’ve been completely misunderstood… again.
Can all people be ‘a little autistic’?
A couple of questions first…
Is a person who wears glasses – a little bit blind? No, and hopefully not ever.
Is a person who broke their leg(s) – a little bit paralyzed? No, it’s temporary until it heals.
Is a person who wears hearing aids – a little bit deaf? Nope.
Is a person who is bothered by a change in their schedule, is shy around strangers, likes quiet, has a favorite sweater, and/or has a hobby they enjoy – a little bit autistic?
Here’s the key – were they born with an autistic brain? That matters… a lot.
No? Then they are not even minutely autistic.
Yes? Yep. It takes an autistic brain to be autistic. Period.
So, whenever that idea is presented to autistic people… start asking a couple of questions first!
About Lisa Morgan
After working as a software engineer for a few years in the mid-eighties, Lisa stayed home after her first child was born for the next thirteen years homeschooling her kids. Now, four kids later and a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching, she has taught in different school settings for 15 more years. After experiencing the loss of her husband of 29 years to suicide, Lisa authored, Living Through Suicide Loss with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Now, Lisa, an autistic adult diagnosed late in life, has become an advocate for other autistic adults who have had similar experiences. She has started a conversation with several nonprofit organizations in the US to help enhance the suicide prevention and postvention resources to be a better fit for autistic adults, as well as, to spread awareness of the resources available to the autism community.
