I’m a 48 y/o just realising and coming to terms with having ASD/ADHD (thanks to your videos amongst other things). The way I have described it to people is “I’ve found the missing puzzle piece I’ve been looking for all my life that explains everything that’s never made sense”. This was before I knew the puzzle piece was a symbol for autism!
For me the jigsaw piece seemed apt when I finally got my diagnosis, it was a missing part of the puzzle to understanding why I am the way I am (before I seemed to be going through so many different diagnosis'). Personally I'm fairly meh about it, though I do agree that autism awareness doesn't quite sound right.
Yeah same here. Like a piece of the puzzle missing. And when I finally got diagnosed accurately with autism I found the final puzzle piece and I felt complete and I felt at peace with who I am
I'm 65 and recently learned I am autistic. I thought the puzzle piece symbolized that realization, because it completed a lifelong puzzle of feeling broken and incomplete. Like many commenters, I feel whole for the first time in my life. Oh, and I love the rainbow infinity symbol. Thanks, Paul, for all of your videos. They have been so helpful as I start this new adventure!
At this point with the sorts of discussions around symbols, more often than not if any puzzle piece symbolism is present it's usually an indicator that there will be some level of ignorance in whatever information is associated. It's not the top issue by any means, but I respect and am sensitive to people's feelings about it. The original symbol for autism involving a puzzle piece also included a crying child - very much the narrative of tragic children that we are moving away from. There's also interesting research about how people interpret just the puzzle piece symbol in general and the meaning attached is quite negative. So there's lots of reasons to ditch it and move on.
Totally agree! the inherent definition is not as relative as the connotative one. The negative assosiations are much stronger and more relevant to this symbol. It would be helpful to drop this symbol from larger organizations in order to mitigate harm.
I mean they weren't wrong Autism is easiest diagnosed when a young child then gets much harder as the person ages... To the point that my mental Doctor acted like it wasn't worth it for me to get diagnosed in my late 20s as she was already treating me for focus and you can't fix autism... Even after telling her I got diagnosed at age 4 and we just forgot she sighed and she acted like it didn't matter... And other then understanding me better... It really didn't change anything.
@@GreenBlueWalkthrough I really wonder if the reasons it's harder with age is because people are masking more, or if it is mostly widespread ignorance among professionals. It's not as if autistic traits fade, I guess we can develop some pretty sophisticated coping strategies and as adults have more control over our environment. But on the other hand things like sensory sensitivities can increase, and the older we are the more life we've lived and so there's much more supporting evidence and clear patterns. That's true of my own adult diagnosis. Adult diagnosis means different things for different people. For some it will be similar to you and maybe not make huge difference. For others it can have more meaning, the validation it provides may be enormous, it may be necessary to overwrite misdiagnoses, and it can create avenues to support. I have professional support funded now that I would not be able to access without diagnosis so in my life it was a very important step. I strongly believe there should be access to adult diagnosis for all who want it, no matter what age.
Thank you. The puzzle piece makes me cringe, but how you reframed it as outdated somehow calms my brain a bit. Plus, love how short and sweet so I can save and share instead of mentally imploding and then over explaining to death to someone who is honestly trying to be helpful and just not informed. Then, place to start conversation & give my experience and input.
When I first discovered autism through Autism Speaks a few years ago, the puzzle piece felt right in some way. Now, I've seen it so much everywhere it's repulsive. So for me it just feels stereotyped, overused and cliché. It's not about what the puzzle piece means, per se-although knowing its origins doesn't help-but more about how it represents the still overly limited, narrow way autistic ppl are represented. It's like, SHEESH, expand your horizons a little more. At least TRY (to learn something new about us, about our experiences).
Being undiagnosed, there is a piece missing for a lot of us, but that piece IS Austim. So i can see how the puzzle piece can be relatable while going through that self discovery phase
@@Ma11Nas1y Yeah, I suppose that's how I viewed it too at the time. I am still undiagnosed, too, but hoping to change that soon. The puzzle piece, of course, isn't necessarily 'bad' or 'good' in of itself. But I think how people feel about it is a good marker for where we are and how much more we need to go. Chances are when there's more diverse representation of autism, the puzzle piece can simply go back to being a puzzle piece. (It won't have as much 'power' over us anymore, over our narratives whether 'good' or 'bad'.)
Autism Speaks is what it represents to me, and they want me to be quiet and not annoy the neurotypicals. They don't speak for me, and I don't like their symbol.
Such nonsense can also be attributed to some of those neurotypicals of whom may to varying degrees work in a supportive capacity with a few autistic people. I had one female say in front of others that she's worked with a couple of autistic people in the past and I'm not autistic, as well as being perfectly healthy. She was and is wrong on both counts. I've not only been officially diagnosed as on the spectrum but I have several health issues in my advanced years. Both qualified and unqualified people can be a problem.
The problem with therapists is that they are '"educated" for it and will start believing and stop challenging their education, while the facts they learned have a half life of less than 5 years (for normal facts it is about 7 years, but in a field with so many unproven assumptions, unanswered questions and inherent subjectivity problems in getting any answers as psychology and even neurology...). Whereas the patient HAS to learn about himself every day and keep an open mind.. Else he wouldn't be in therapy.. It is only logical the well-read patients will be a little ahead of our therapists and you have to give them credit for doing their best to tag along. And even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so.. filter it, I guess. The system isn't perfect, but it's not without its uses.
Personally I have come to hate the obsession with symbols or “which symbol is correct.” I mean you don’t have to treat it like a swastika just because you don’t prefer it. I’m angry that some advocacy groups are more concerned about using the right symbol than actually helping other autistics in practical ways. I noticed this problem on a local college campus.
This right here!!!! So much effort wasted on anti-puzzle protests which, I'm sorry, but do NOT help me, an autistic adult, in the slightest. I'd take it a step farther and say, because resources and time are wasted on these protests, being anti-puzzle piece actively HARMS me, prevents those resources and time from being used on things that could help me.
I have autism and think it is fine for me or anyone else with autism to share their experience. But I also think that autism is a real diagnosis that should remain tied to reality. Autism should not simply be what the person feels it is. Because then will lose all its meaning. I also think this is dangerous because people with autism are prone to delusions and psychosis. UMCG is a medical center in the Netherlands and they use the term fragmented perception. So this should not be dismissed as untrue just because of your personal experience. I personally have a problem with the idea that people with Autism have less empathy. But I know there's a scientifically different perspective on this. I know from an article by The Scientific American that about 50% of people with autism have Alexithymia.( Alexithymia does have to do with empathy.) And that a study has been done where people with Autism look at a face in the same way as people without Autism. People with Alexithymia do this differently and there it is thought that the emphatic difference lays. So not autism. They also showed that people with autism look less at faces. It is therefore logical that because of this reason, many stimuli, and in my opinion also fragmented perception some things can pass us by and make social interaction more difficult. Edit: I have also read that psychosis is often misdiagnosed. And if you worry that autism symptoms will be misconstrued with psychoses i share that worry. I can think in broad terms, often have anxiety and when i am overwhelmed i can't think clear. That a psychotic person can also experiance these things does not mean i am psychotic. In fact most people with autism are really good in rational and factual thinking. But according to the data there does seem to be a link between psychoses and autism.
It's the whole 'no, but..' versus 'yes, and..' discussion. It is way more effective to utilize the good will of people than trying to force them to use certain language. Gate-keeping and tone-policing are not something I want to see more in this movement.
You mention the swastika but here's what you need to remember, the swastika had its origins in Sanskrit (it's a Sanskrit word) and was associated with peace. The Nazis turned it on its side and used it for a sinister purpose.
This is the "confusing the menu with the food" disorder, that most "normal" people seem to suffer from :) Symbols and rules have so much power that people tend to forget what the issue even is, when they find a strong one.. Even the swastika was a nice symbol, before the Nazi's flipped it in more than one way, anything you research will be richer in context than you imagined, nothing is just one thing. But it's just so darn handy to go with your first emotion about things and never look beyond that.
What I struggle with is that there will always be someone who is offended by something. There will always be someone who will be able to put a negative slant on anything. So, how does one find a symbol, label, insignia etc that is universally inoffensive?
But there are puzzles out there that are not made for kids, they’re made for adults, also you’re including Legos as well, when there’s plenty of adults who makes things with Legos.
I'm not opposed to the puzzle piece in general, I'm opposed to the Autism Speaks version of it. Personally, to me, its not that a piece of me is missing but rather that autism is my missing piece that when added to the equation (description of me) makes me whole explaining all my "abnormal" traits. Personally I would love to use a gold outlined rainbow puzzle piece and/or infinity symbol to represent my autistic self.
problem is, they've actually done studies on this, and found that use of the puzzle piece symbol increases people's association of autism with children and childishness.
@@robokill387 i also agree w ur point too! people believe only children can have autism and there's hardly any resources for adults. even sensory tools and activities, etc. are aimed at children and it's not cool. autistic adults struggle a lot too and are often having our struggles downplayed aswell as being infantilized.
@@feasting.on.christ One of the most annoying things is when my husband insists that I have “beat” autism. Then one day he insisted that my Aspergers diagnosis from when it was a separate thing should have remained separate because it isn’t the same as “classic autism”. I do agree with that last point that the diagnosis shouldn’t have been combined. That said I don’t think I have “beat” the Aspie diagnosis either. I’m just “normal” enough to blend in.
@@feasting.on.christ yes agree with you. It pisses me off that governments have more programs for autistic children than programs for autistic adults. I’m 18 so I’m technically a autistic adult now that I’m 18. It should be equal for autistic children and autistic adults. I really don’t understand why it’s not equal. Like ,does the government think that people are only autistic when they are children? I’m serious they need to fix this #ActuallyAutistic
It is just another way NT's define autism from their point of view, not ours. We are a puzzle the Them. If I were to choose our symbol, it would be more like a beautiful fireworks display, portraying the way our minds work and how excited I feel about that.
I am not a puzzle piece and nor am I a mystery. I am a human being and want to be treated as such. I want the neurotypical community to understand that autistic people do NOT want to be cured.
I have autism and if i had the choice i would have chosen to be born without it! It would spare me a lot of suffering and discomfort. Maybe a cure would be a different story because my autism has also shaped me into the person i am today. But i know there are people with more extreme forms of autism that can't communicate or handle any kind of stimuli. How scary must it be to be a prisoner inside your own head! In that case i would take the hypothetical cure in a heartbeat.
@@2xmachine True, people always want to emphasize that all people with autism are different. But if they experience autism different than they are wrong, or in this case apparently don't exist! We should not censor scientific data or experiences of other people. You probably already know this but if you don't i would advise you to check out Elon Musk his Neural Link.
@@2xmachine I don't "have" autism, I am AUTISTIC. Okay, I accept that some people prefer person first language, BUT, if you were told by some obnoxious kid you went to school with, "Imagine if you had a bump on the head and you changed," and that kid later DELIBERATELY aimed a softball at your head during PE and a quick-thinking teacher yelled out, "DUCK!" and it landed centimetres in front of your lowered head, you might understand it. As I see it, that kid's actions and words and scientific searches for a cure are almost like a comparison of the work of Staff Sergeant John C. Woods when he hanged Hans Frank et al on October 16, 1946, and the execution by lethal injection of Timothy McVeigh. Woods did not follow proper protocol as in a long drop rather than a standard drop, and nor did he shackle the legs of Hans Frank et all so they couldn't go down kicking and in two cases, the top ten Nazis took 19-24 minutes to expire. What was ghoulish was, after the bodies of the men were cut down, the US Forces present photographed the corpses on stretchers! In McVeigh's case, the execution was televised, which is actually quite sickening. Not only is it the crudity it's also the fact that in the kid's case it was HIM wanting to change me into a clone of him. Okay, on a physical level, it was as if he was Danny De Vito and I was Kramer, but that's beside the point!
@@peterwynn2169 What are you even saying in that dissertation? Seriously. Also, whether you say 'I'm autistic' or 'I have autism', it's the semantics. It refers to the same thing, and you're infuriated because someone like me preferring to say I *have* autism makes clear that I don't see it as this inherent part of me I'd keep if I could not. You want to deny that someone could ever feel that way on their own terms, which is honestly messed up.
@@2xmachine What am I saying? I'll tell you what I'm saying, I'm saying that if an NT tells you that they don't accept you for who you are and want to change you to someone you're not, when you're happy to be who you are, it can feel like the NT has won if a cure is found!
Great Video Paul (as always). I like the topic notes, which you blend in. Beside the fact I personally hate the colour blue, I think the puzzle symbol has nothing to do with my "autistc experience". I don't feel fragmented, don't feel a peace is missing, don't feel that I'm a peace that has to fit in etc. I like the infinity symbol much more, because it's inclusive. English is not my motherlanguage, I hope I could transfer, what I want to express.
Thanks Paul. This is a really excellent explanatory video for all members of humanity. 😍. I've been working in this space as an neurodivergent person and am intent on creating pathways for other Autistic people to navigate their emotions with greater ease and peace... Much of what we are dealing with still is being misunderstood and misheard, being required to conform to a society that was created around non autistic people. The frustration and anxiety that this causes is very real. But awareness is key... Awareness of self, and of our own needs first, then awareness of how we can speak for ourselves with compassion for those who are learning what Autistic means. I believe the tide is turning and that there are many genuine non autistic people doing their best to upgrade their interpretation of support to work with us rather than for us. I'd also love to know your thoughts on the term neurodivergent too. I personally like this... Whilst it still vaguely implies we are divergent from "normal" (ha! What is normal anyway these days!?)... to me this term is closer to the reality that we are wired differently and also allows embracing of the amazing diversity and gifts that our wiring affords us when we are embracing of our essential nature. Would love to open this dialogue here too for other people's thoughts 😍
I like neurodivergence as term because it points out the difference without pathologizing either side. When I walk into a room full of computer programmers I feel way more confident in my ability to communicate than when I walk into HR. If a neurotypical works with a room full of autists, then they’re going to be the ones feeling neurodivergent. The great thing is that I’ve worked with some really awesome neurotypical people who really have a knack for bridging the divide. The amount of harmony they create very naturally among various thinking and communication styles is absolutely invaluable. They seem to be able to understand both sides of neurodivergence and they’re quite often just delightful personalities in general.
@@LeeHawkinsPhoto Thanks for your insight Lee... you articulated that really nicely - yes, in essence, ALL humans are divergent from something! No person is without their idiosyncratic behaviours and histories regardless of how they're wired! Nice. I too have experienced many people who are excellent communicators and able to sense the needs of others and weave a conversation with precision... it's quite a talent to behold! Much respect for that from me too. What's your job Lee... you mention IT and Tech!
@@myholisticnurse7914 I’ve worked in IT...still do, but very rarely. I’m a commercial photographer as well, but lately I’m running a TH-cam channel quite by accident. 🤷🏻♂️ It’s been really fun though when I don’t burn myself out!
A puzzle piece has always had a very personal negative connotation for me. Twenty-two years ago, before I understood why I was different, I was fired from a job. When I asked why I was told, "You don't fit here." As I recounted the story to friends and family I would say that it made me feel like a misshapen puzzle piece.
Interesting video :) I did a drawing with the puzzle piece symbol about a year ago and I feel bad about it even though I'm autistic myself just because so many people feel so strongly about being against it. I guess I just never associated it with autism speaks, to me it felt more like a symbol of how I feel like I don't fit in to the world, but I'll avoid using it for autism-related drawings n stuff in the future
I have autism and think it is fine for me or anyone else with autism to share their experience. But I also think that autism is a real diagnosis that should remain tied to reality. Autism should not simply be what the person feels it is. Because then will lose all its meaning. I also think this is dangerous because people with autism are prone to delusions and psychosis. UMCG is a medical center in the Netherlands and they use the term fragmented perception. So this should not be dismissed as untrue just because of your personal experience. I personally have a problem with the idea that people with Autism have less empathy. But I know there's a scientifically different perspective on this. I know from an article by The Scientific American that about 50% of people with autism have Alexithymia.( Alexithymia does have to do with empathy.) And that a study has been done where people with Autism look at a face in the same way as people without Autism. People with Alexithymia do this differently and there it is thought that the emphatic difference lays. So not autism. They also showed that people with autism look less at faces. It is therefore logical that because of this reason, many stimuli, and in my opinion also fragmented perception some things can pass us by and make social interaction more difficult. Edit: I have also read that psychosis is often misdiagnosed. And if you worry that autism symptoms will be misconstrued with psychoses i share that worry. I can think in broad terms, often have anxiety and when i am overwhelmed i can't think clear. That a psychotic person can also experiance these things does not mean i am psychotic. In fact most people with autism are really good in rational and factual thinking. But according to the data there does seem to be a link between psychoses and autism.
A rounded puzzle piece trying to fit harsh, square holes in the other puzzle pieces would symbolise that feeling of being the odd one out to me.. Don't feel bad. Whatever you do or say, you will be able to find somebody that feels strongly about it either way. This doesn't mean anything.
@@yannickm1396 To be fair... all perception is fragmented. Neuroscientists generally agree, that what people consider reality is just the model that is built up from all these fragments in the brain and that most of the inconsistency and gaps in the input is ignored or filled in. So reality IS a form of hallucination.. It is just that "normal" people are very good at ignoring their own senses in favour of their expectations, which makes reality feel more consistent to them. Being prone to delusions and psychosis (and aware of that fact), just means you perceive reality differently, which can also mean, that you have a better understanding of what reality is or at least are more careful considering what you find to be true, automatically true for others. One of the big problems with autism is that there is no homogenous group. Any blanket statements have the power to hurt us/them. If looking at autism does not carefully consider what the subject feels it is, it might become very hard to help them at all. And there is a great chance of doing more harm than good by "helping". I agree with you, that it is a real diagnosis, but... we need to be very careful with ALL diagnoses and how seriously we take them, since they are the product of the absolute belief in reductionism, which is just a view of reality that happens to be very popular at the moment. To the point of dogmatic.. But ultimately not very accurate. The research into the hard problem of consciousness and the psychology of free will and research into biasses of all kind is challenging a lot of our notions of what we are and by extension what reality is. And that is just psychology and neurology, I am not even talking about the physicists who are struggling with the inherent inconsistencies of quantum mechanics and things like the Copenhagen interpretation. I feel this must mean in the long run, that if we allow ourselves to be honest, we have to change our attitude to those who happen to have a different view of reality and view them as a possible source of information, rather than as something that needs to be fixed.
I like it. It represents a piece of myself that i've finally found after more than 40 years. Its not a piece thats missing - its a piece thats valuable.
I don't mind the puzzle piece, but my reason is a bit different. My whole life I've been trying to piece together a very complicated puzzle without the box. Now that I've found the box I can fit the pieces together in a way that makes sense.
Unfortunately, regardless of how people feel about the symbol, it still represents an organization that has contributed endless trauma for those with autism, including forced "conversion" therapy to "fix" their autism. Many of the things they've done have had to be done in certain states because other states have made some of their practices illegal since they're so harmful. They are responsible for a LOT of the ill informed stereotypes of autistic people. All in all, autism speaks has made life immeasurably harder for those with autism and set us back decades on the acceptance and normalization of neurodivergency. They want us to be "normal." But we never will be because we're not something to fix. That's why I'm happy there are other alternatives that don't carry or reinforce such negative connotations.
I’m happy that you realize that it’s about a diagnosis and how that could change someone’s life, it’s positive and good. It’s OK if other people doesn’t see it like that though,they’re allowed to have their own opinions, I want to advocate for myself but I’m OK with the puzzle piece,I prefer it when it’s put together with some other pieces as well.
I just turned 37 yesterday and for the first time in my life, I saw something that made me question if I was Asperger's or autistic. Did some searching and found your channel, after several videos it felt like I was looking into a mirror. Thank you for your time and effort in this, it's helping me a lot!
I didn't know about the puzzle piece, but I definitely see why it is offensive, especially the missing brain part and colour blue as though we are feeling the blues.
The symbol and color don't bother me that much. What actually bothers me is how I feel that every year NT's basically are like "I'm making a difference, here's the color Blue ! I love puzzles !" And then the community gets forgotten about the next day and this cycle repeats. I find it really frustrating how I've had to adapt over the years with jobs and how I've had to push myself to "understand" NT language in order to succeed. Many of us get the sink or swim treatment and that is unacceptable in 2022. I'm 29 and I can say that Autism isn't demonized like it was when I was a child in North Carolina, USA, where people approached "treating" Autism like it was the 1800's and so they did the clapping their hands in your face for eye contact and they tried to scare you into "stop being lazy" and that nonsense. Yet it is baffling how far we must still go for actual progress.
There appears to be nothing, I've spent the last 6 months looking. You either get "autistic " solicitors who actually know nothing and seem to want to take you for an easy pay out of given ridiculous phone numbers to ring, which doesn;t help phone calls require too much energy but nobody gets that and think you;re being stupid. Joys of the neurotypical world.
Can you please talk about how Autistic people are more prone to gaslighting and manipulation? I have been victimized in this way, and so have many other Autistic people. It would be helpful to hear why we are more prone to this type of exploitation than neurotypical people are, from an emotional, psycho-social point of veiw. Thanks for all you do. You have been more helpful to me than you can ever know. Bless you and hugs.
They treat us as brainless animals, like unevolved monkeys that are easily fooled. I'd go into detail about all the Hell I've been through as example, but no one's interested in those anymore, are they? Hhrgh, they never are....
Paul, question please. Loathe & detest talking on the phone. When phone rings, get angry/annoyed at the intrusion & completely ignore it. Same with calling anyone, hate it with a passion. Someone unexpectedly knocking on the door pisses me off too. Is this a known thing? 😂 I'm actually fine with it. Except for the negative impacts, making doctors/dentists appts or answering important things like banks. insurance company etc. Any advice/ideas? Thank you.
It's definitely a thing. For me, I try to let people know I prefer communicating through email or text, but sometimes it's not possible, and I'll grit my teeth and deal with the phone.
This could be just you being an introvert. My wife is not autistic...and you sound exactly the same as her, except she doesn’t maybe get angry about it...that sounds like a reaction I would relate to being on the spectrum. However, I am an extravert. I LOVE people, don’t mind the phone, and love an unexpected visitor. And for me, I find that I actually prefer in-person or phone communications over written communications, unless I have very specific details to relate and/or recognize a need to have a paper trail. So I’m definitely on the spectrum, but I just get my energy from being around and interacting with people in real time, while that sort of thing takes your energy away. I definitely do empathize with you on interruptions though-which seems like a definite autism thing-even though I typically welcome an unexpected social interaction, if I’m working on something I really need to get done and I’m focused and in flow...WOW do interruptions aggravate me. When I go into something knowing that will be the case, I tell my wife that I really need to focus so I won’t be reachable by phone/text. I will physically put my phone where it won’t interrupt me, or even put it on airplane mode. I carefully curate any and all notifications so that only what I highly value can actually pop up...like appointments that I need to leave for...because I forget important things like that all the time and often lose track of time when I get busy with something even for a few minutes.
I have phone phobia. I never understood why but now I realise it's because I have language processing difficulties. I struggle with conversing in person too but people sound different on the phone and it's harder to understand anyone. My slow auditory processing makes me self conscious and nervous, which means I take longer to process an answer. There are no visual clues either, so I don't know when it's my turn. I also have situational mutism and a phone triggers it.
It's a shame the puzzle piece is associated with so many obviously really negative things, because design-wise (except for the one with the brain which is indeed very cringe) I think it is a really fitting and unique symbol. Being diagnosed at 28 and still really putting things into context now at 30 the diagnosis really did feel like a hitherto missing puzzle piece in my life, and it feels fitting with the highly analytical way we tend to think, but more importantly it's not super generic like an infinity symbol that is used in countless basic jewelry and tattoos with no association to autism whatsoever.
I agree with you, I love how the puzzle piece is unique and it stands out from all the other awareness ribbons,but I do like the idea of acceptance, just not the infinity symbol, and the colour gold, finally the colour red has so much negative connotations to me.
The puzzle pieces aren't associated with anything bad and should come back. The rainbow infinity symbol is more offensive than the puzzle pieces will ever be!
The puzzle piece is tainted because of autism speaks. And a lot of time, from my experience, people who use it are ignorant on the subject of autism. At this point the puzzle piece is a bit condescending (that's my opinion).
What about me? I have autism and Ive had someone come up to me with my service dog (who has a puzzle piece on his vest) and told me I shouldn’t use the puzzle cause its offensive to autistic people. I like it, and I have autism. Im not ignorant, I just dont see it as offensive.
I've never liked the puzzle piece, because of its association with autism speaks, and the implication we have part of our brain missing. I had never seen the light it up gold, but I kind of like that, and it ties in with "Yellow lady bugs."
I prefer the infinity loop.,.I often shut my eyes and draw an imaginary loop across my eyes in the shape of an infinity symbol. This can help bring balance if you do it slow and purposefully. So why not a symbol that is actually useful!
Wow another connection to another theme of the autistic minds. The Golden Path, (or the path humanity must take to overcome its hindrances and evolve on a species-wide scale, a sci-fi concept) and the Au symbol. Fun!
Considering one's race Autisic in this case superior to others like normies and the rest of the mental disorders(Which I collect as a hobby.) as well lesser is the definition of raceism.
@@GreenBlueWalkthrough I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but I don't see superiority in any sense here, merely the desire to encourage others to be the best version of themselves and create the best existence for themselves and those around them. Also making connections is one of my things, as is sci-fi, and Dune had just recently been on my mind. The Golden Path is an idea to free the human mind from the constructs of leadership and to allow (force) all people to think for themselves, and through this revelation find the next steps of humanity's growth and expansion.
It doesn't help that when I search for autism services in my area, everything is for children and everything uses the friggin puzzle piece symbol. My community is in the stone age...
Pretty much a majority of them are supported by Autism $peaks anyway; They still use the symbol despite seemingly fake claims of not wanting to cure any of my people as well as STILL pretending, even in this modern age, that adults with Autism do not exist. They obviously do. It stays like that for life, not unlike how if one loses an eye as a kid then it won't grow back. That in itself just implies that we're either cured by then or it just magically disappears at 13 or 18. Wouldn't be surprised if they supported Crazy Wakefield as well tbh
I posted cute videos of my son with the puzzle piece icon that said autism awareness, and someone said it was a hate symbol and said it was equivalent to using the “N word” and also brought up nazis… im like taken back.. I didn’t think a little puzzle could be so harmful.. especially because the symbol was never meant to mean something negative. It’s been turned into something negative.
I like the jigsaw sign, I pretend it's an upgrade CPU from regular people, I don't like how they depicted us like that serie on prime, I just have fun and trying not to take it too seriously
I can see why some people could get offended by this - but I personally view the jigsaw differently, I see it as we all have different pieces that make us who we are 😊
Being autistic and really enjoying discovering patterns, I don't find it offensive at all to be associated with puzzles. What NTs find offensive is their perception that I am not as distinguishable to them as other NTs are. Being that people feel threatened by aspects as small as skin tone and that is enough for them to fear others, I am not very optimistic that our increased visibility will make a big difference in our chances of social insertion.
I don’t hate the puzzle piece, but just prefer other symbols, because they better represent where I’m at with my own mental health. Personally my favorite is the periodic symbol for gold. It doesn’t work in every situation, but it’s still a nice way to make more subtle autism merch. :)
As a 40-something mom of an autistic young adult, who is just now undergoing autism diagnosis herself, I don't have negative feelings about the puzzle piece symbol. In fact, I personally like it as relates to ME. My entire life, I've been trying to understand why I am the way I am, and was continually at a loss. Seeing myself on the autism spectrum, too, FINALLY...it was very much a feeling of a key opening a stubborn lock, or the puzzle pieces suddenly going together in my mind. The light flooded into a dark landscape. I am still processing it, and feeling confusion on occasion, but nothing like before. I understand why some autistic people find it cringey and condescending, particularly coming from the NT community, but I am currently kind of embracing it. I was so ignorant, that I wasn't even aware it was a symbol for ASD! too busy playing all the musical instruments, I suppose. Forgive me, y'all.
I echo what you are saying here (I was diagnosed with ASD 1 as an adult). I was about to order a vinyl mat that was filled with different color puzzle pieces (the mat is advertised on Etsy Autism Awareness Vinyl) when my daughter saw it and told me about the puzzle symbol for autism. I was strangely drawn to this mat when my eyes started spinning all the pieces and looking for patterns in how the colors of the pieces changed. It was a sensory delight for me! I don’t want offend anyone who is against this but I guess I’ll just have to explain how my nervous system loves the puzzle pieces and the colors as they spin around and around.
Autism is a spectrum, that’s why I’m Fine with the puzzle piece, I actually like it too, I see that symbol as then I’m a full person able to do a lot things for herself, and knowing that I’m not alone, I don’t see the puzzle piece is broken I see it as full, a lot of people Who has ASD find the colour blue to have a lot of negative connotations (I respect them if they want to use a different colour, because I don’t know what colour represents ASD, it makes sense to have a plethora of colours instead), I just don’t like it when people get bullied from their group all because they like using the puzzle piece, even worse, they get thrown out of the only group that accepts them (that’s why I like to call acceptable ableism BTW)
For me the puzzle makes so much sense. Until i started learning about asd, nothing made sense for me, in our household. Nothing was missing, but my understanding of us, and later, at least my child could get some support and understanding in life.
Something interesting I’m considering after reading over this comment section is that many autistic people interpret things completely differently than they were originally intended to be seen as by their creator (in this case, the puzzle symbol), therefore many autistic people don’t see what the puzzle piece is meant to represent from the neurotypical view. I keep seeing comments on how from their view, it means a positive thing about how they found a missing piece of themselves when they discovered when they were autistic. It’s a nice way to view it, but it’s NOT what non-autistic people had in mind when they created it, & it is not the message it conveys to/for them. It’s funny because I have frequently done this in the past, & it’s caused me to unwittingly endorse symbols or jokes that actually didn’t have meanings I supported, simply because I attributed a completely different meaning to them than others did. I think those who really like the puzzle symbol should consider that it can hold a positive meaning for some of us while still acknowledging that the intention of the symbol is NOT positive, & does NOT match the ones most of us have/could create for it.
@@Ludifant It’s pretty widely considered an autistic trait to not notice the shared narrative of others as easily as non-autistic people do. You could partly chalk it up to trouble with theory of mind (not considering how others may intend a message to convey a different message than we decipher) & just the sheer fact that autistic people tend to see things from a different perspective than the dominant social narrative tends to encourage. Combine the two & you get a higher likelihood that an autistic individual may “misinterpret” a message that was being sent out, causing the individual to mistakenly endorse something they don’t intend to. Basically the error isn’t in the viewpoint of the person on a particular image/concept/etc., but that they miss the message others see in that same concept. If someone shares a homophobic meme, for example, but you think it means something completely different, it doesn’t change the fact that when you share it on your social media, others are going to think you endorsed the shared message of homophobia others intended when the meme was created. Only if many others see the meme the way you do will you spread your own message with that image alone. This is the issue I’m talking about, & autistic people do seem far more prone to it than non-autistic people.
Well the Puzzle Piece describes me better than any other symbol there. I like using that symbol for describing me. Sadly that means I'm not welcome to the autistic "community". If I use that symbol among my "own people" I'm attacked by other autistic people. For me the puzzle peace symbolizes not fitting to the NT world. Being different from average "normal" people. It's not my world and it never will be, I'm just visiting it for one life time.
It's also in many ways still a mystery to the so-called autism experts, hence their conflicting ideas about autism and their holding to wacky or overgeneralised ideas about it and autistic people.
@@cybertrekker4274 Tell me about it buddy. I got diagnosed in 2015 and most of the professionals I've talked to since are not only uninformed, or misinformed, but to a point where I'm baffled every time and thinking "just a little sensibility and you would not have such takes, and you're a professional at that..." While I do have good experiences with professionals for various mental issues, I've learned that in the case of Autism you need to be vary. It's foreign to many of them and will end up a complete miss thereby hurting and not helping you. My current therapist doesn't know a lot but is at least willing to listen and learn, so that's how we do it.
People tend to take themselves too seriously in the actually autistic community. It's like they're looking for something to get upset about instead of focusing on making connections to neurotypical people to help them understand and appreciate us. Anyone displaying a puzzle piece is a potential ally even if they are ignorant about certain aspects of autism. Those people just demonstrate the need for greater awareness if anything. Also, consider that our understanding of autism once encompassed a narrower scope of the community whose autism was much more obvious. Some of these more pronounced autistic traits made it really difficult to advocate for themselves. For instance, it may be they were nonverbal. Many of the people who have more recent diagnoses with milder traits forget that for some people autism presents challenges that affect their lives more profoundly than they are accustomed to. Both my brother and I are autistic, but it would be much harder for him to live independently than it is for me. So I say all that to say that we should be less judgemental and seek to build bridges. All of us want to help people, and we have things we can learn from each other, neurodiverse and neurotypical.
Part of my autism can be summed up by the Captain Oblivious stereotype. I didn't know there were symbols intended to represent autism, or concepts such as autism awareness campaigns (there's a joke hidden somewhere in there - I wasn't aware of the awareness!) I understand the objections presented in this video even though I don't share them. I like the idea of being a positive voice for autism. Maybe that will enable me to be more open about my own diagnosis.
I'm autistic, I find the rainbow infinity symbol and the new name of autism awareness day really offensive. Especially seeing as rainbows and the word pride are associated with the LGBTQ+ making it look like us autistic people are gay. I also believe that the puzzle pieces and the color blue were more fitting and suitable, especially seeing as we fit in with society and aren't excluded. Plus most autistic people's favorite color is blue, so the blue color makes more sense over the stupid rainbow. Let's start a new trend, #bringbackbluepuzzle
I think that if the colors where solid, or giving a less “childish” feeling to it, from my perspective the puzzle Symbole reminds me of intelligence. As in putting the puzzle together to see a whole image. Also can be connected to being detail oriented, or being aware of the small things others may miss.
You should make a video about the puzzle pieces but instead it’s a message to teachers. Many schools love the puzzle piece and shove it into all our faces not realizing they’re offending and hurting us. A lot of teachers at my school wear puzzle pieces shirts for “Autism awareness” but I have not seen one with the infinity symbol and Autism Acceptance… this worries me! I want schools to realize how offensive they are to the autistic community! A lot of schools don’t really know what autism is and a lot of times they over dramatize it!
I would like more schools learn more about autism and accept diversity among them. Many students are afraid of us because of what they learned about us at school. And it’s not right!
I personally don't like it but I've been praying about it and realize a lot of other autistic folks like it.... even love it.... so I've wished that we could find a common ground on this. It actually makes me hate all the symbols now but I want to be respectful and understanding for other people with the things they like.. For me it's a reminder that I spent so long just thinking I was a horrible, stupid, mindless, bad person and I could never accomplish what everybody expected out of me. And the secret this whole time was that I'm on the spectrum. I've been on so many different drugs to keep from having "temper tantrums" .. and my kidneys and liver are almost shot because of it. When I got diagnosed I knew I was going to quit taking all of my medications and I feel so much better. (Not recomending that, just sharing) We are all different and we are all coming from a different perspective. We don't all have to love something and we don't all have to hate something. But if we really are trying to protect one another, we have got to forgive one another.
I strongly dislike the puzzle piece. It reminds me of being misdiagnosed and forced into a mental hospital where all you had to do was puzzles in the common room. Im sure a lot of group homes are the same.
Hey this is the story of an aspergers from India.. Today after watching this video I am 101 percent sure that I have aspergers. I have some self realisation 1. 90 percent of time my brain becomes stuck/overwhelmed due to n number of thought processing at one point of time.. So that I forgot who I am? I fee lost.. Struggle to keep track of my thinking/feelings 2. I can remember a lot of situation specially in the office where I feel so overwhelmed that I go to washroom to catch some breath/hold my head in a situation I know I can't handle myself. 3.I believe I am not able to understand the feeling of people if they are joking around/serious/ .. I always go very deep into the meaning of conversation with someone so I fail to crack the essence of the topic. 4. I feel most of the time I am very egoistic and can't take jokes etc.. Because I feel nobody is understanding me and my feelings. 5. I don't understand that nobody has the power to hurt me and most of the time they don't want to because they also have feelings. 6. I discovered that it is the fluctuations of emotions which are controling me like sudden joy/anger/jealousy/insecurity etc. 7. If someone's praise can't make me happy why should I worry if they scold me?? 8. I believe mixing with kindhearted non aspie people making me understand jokes/more emotions/helping me to take quick decision etc. 9. Most vital thing in this condition is self hurting feelings which overflows all the time and being unnecessary critical of yourself thinking about how others will dislike me 10. I again believe that I have realized these things very late on my thirties which I should have realised probably in my teen age. I blame my condition/bad upbringing /lacknofself awareness for this late realisation.. 11. MY GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD BETTER AND BE MORE EMPHATIC TOWARDS OTHERS... Love ❤❤❤ to all
I like a group of puzzle pieces as a symbol for inclusion. In that context, everyone including neurotypicals is represented by a puzzle piece, and the message is that we have to and can fit together as a society. I was not aware of puzzle pieces standing specifically for autists like me until maybe 2021, and after having heard that, it does sound like absolute bullcrap to me. As for the blue colour, I still like that part. I agree with the original considerations that as blue stands for a calm and patient environment without too much Human interaction, it makes for a more likeable colour for autists like me than red or gold, which are more associated with social interaction or stressful etiquette respectively.
I agree, if I see the puzzle piece, I would like it to be joined with other pieces as well. Because the joining of the pieces to me represents inclusivity, and the shapes and the patterns represents diversity. Everyone on the spectrum is unique in their own special way, they have needs to be met, and they have amazing talents, and some of us here are just normal,And that’s perfectly OK
One of your videos came up on my feed and I had a look, more out of boredom than anything. I've since watched quite a few. I've always been a bit of an 'odd one out', never really fit, and out of nowhere here's some random guy on youtube explaining what's going on in my life & my head with a degree of accuracy that's somewhat disconcerting. What should I do?
I can get behind this (finally something that resonates). I am recently considering that the autism diagnose I received after my 40th might be accurate... The problem that I have with the diagnose of autism seems to be very much, a problem with the desire to see it as a disorder, define me, judge me and diagnose me, instead of looking at what I might bring to the table, because my unique experience of the universe at large is as valuable as anybody else's.. I think autism can be a force for good in the world and there is a reason giftedness and autism are so related as "disorders". I will never accept" disorder" unless we can agree that "neurotypicality" is the bigger disorder, because it has such trouble embracing neurodiversity.. I have never even seen the puzzle piece and that might explain a lot. Maybe this isn't as alive in the Netherlands. About the blue lights: I also didn't know this was supposed to be a colour for autism, but assuming this seems to be more of a thing for those without autism to me.. It reminds me of one of my struggles throughout childhood, when kids would pester you about naming a favourite color and vehemently disagreeing or emphatically agreeing with each other about favourite colors... I did not know anything yet about color-theory or simultaneous contrast, I just felt for the first time that I couldn't answer a question truthfully and have my answer accepted: I don't have a favourite color, it all depends. I don't think that "favourite colors" are even a real thing, but more a peer-pressure thing. After a while I learned to join the majority and just say: "red", because nobody was looking for a discussion, just for agreement or disagreement.
I didn't like the light it up blue - I'm very sensitive against bright blue lights 😎 red sounds like a much better plan; not triggering. Great video again, thank you 🏳️🌈♾
Hey guys, I’m an artist, so what if we as autistic artists (undiagnosed and all) offered our services to our community to help create more original and positive autism pride artwork for tshirts, etc. We could also create a directory of artists online for people to browse through. This would also be a great way to address this issue while not taking away from the more pressing issues people face.
I guess my thought is that I appreciate that non-autistic people are trying to support us in whatever way they know how. I do like the newer symbols better. And I definitely don't like the one that looks like a piece of our brain is missing. But if all someone on the outside knows is the puzzle piece, and they are wanting to show support for us, then I appreciate their effort for trying.
Hello. I started watching your content very recently literally a few days ago because I decided I had enough of people telling mei am autistic. I didn't and honestly still don't quite know what it is. You can probably tell this is an alt account I made for this comment alone. The more I am listening to you the more I think ey! That makes sense. There are lots of things I think I match with that you say about like not being able to read people not caring about other people or social norms outside of things like clearly going against my boss' beliefs too much. Logical thinking and the like I definitely have too much of for my own good although I do tend to forget that other people aren't like that and end up saying things like "but you have no evidence towards it so why?" until someone reminds me people don't work off evidence even though I do. I struggle to feel and express my emotions to the point I have been called a psychopath. Stimming I do random movements like dancing and tap things a lot as well as really weird walks when I'm on my own. The main reason I am doubting it is because of rigid planning I don't do that although I have thought that I should plan my days for a while now and have just made one half way through writing this comment for tomorrow to figure out if it feels better to have that or not but I sort of have a plan for the day just not very clear but the rigid planning seems to be a key indicator but I do things like eating not much verity although I have started eating more different things due to housing arrangement and this whole thing is really complicated. The point of this is to ask for from this information would you say I am aspie or not? Thank you in advance.
I was diagnosed with autism at age 4 in the US in the 2004 I still remember the test... My Mom thought it best to keep it a secret as it was thought of as a bad label so we dicided to work around that fact and treat the syntomies like my many others as a sickly boy... Later I would get ADD at like age 13 diagnosed at age 16 after Scrofenia and a dark time after a medical choice my Mom made rest her soul... still when seeing the mental Disability doctor and my mom finally rembering I had autism I started to explore that side of my self as an autistic adult... And now in the last(?) push for getting on disability I've been bing watching channels with people who have my stuff I've been able to see the obvous... So I like the the puzzle pieces as t fits children the people we need to be most concerned with maybe having autism as they will grow up fast and might one day become resentfull(Like you to be honest) or those who didn't see it earlier... Like Grow up honestly let the people(Kids) Who need the symbol have it and make you own community of folks who had rough lives because they missed out on being that kid with the puzzle peice.
I personally hate it. Because I don't think I am "hard to figure out" like a puzzle implies. I think we communicate what we want and need but are responded to with hate for having needs too often, and that makes neurotyoicals the puzzle to me.
I'm just curious why is it your videos double up on a playlist? I always have to go to your channel and click on the videos individually for TH-cam not to play the same video back to back, like it does if I click on the "Aspergers from the inside uploaded (2) new videos" in my subscriptions notifications. Which is actually the same video (2)..? Your channel is the only one that does this; in my subscriptions..?
It’s unfortunate the autism community sees the puzzle pieces as negative. As a grandparent of a six-year-old autistic child, I would’ve never known the puzzle pieces were considered negative as opposed to putting the pieces together. Like all of us are trying to do.
World Autism Day, April 2nd - my birthday. I learned on March 23rd 2023 that I am autistic, so just before my 61st birthday. THAT is why the world needs to learn about autism - because living 60 years in the dark is not good enough. Imagine how hard it would be trying to cope with being blind, being deaf, having only one lung, or any other physical defect for 60 years - and still keeping up with the world. It's no different for autistics...but many of us do it!
Unfortunately, here in Hungary (thanks to the homophobic government) any kind of rainbow symbol is going to be associated with LMBTQ. Which leads to other misconceptions, mistreatment, misunderstandings and of course (in many cases) injury... So even if I hate the puzzle version (especially the incomplete puzzle as it suggests that something is wrong with me), it's much better option than a couple of broken ribs...
Uh, yeah. Autism Speaks MADE the damn thing. We are Not Broken. No matter who or what tells you otherwise. We But assuming that we are some puzzle that needs to be put together in order to understand, like we need to be fixed, is just stupid and hurtful. You can find what people call flaws within yourself, but you can learn how to work with your surroundings and help yourself improve. For others, yes, it IS far more difficult to do so by themselves, but insisting that you need to be in their face all the time like a freaking Genie in a Bottle, or an overbearing parent, will just make that stress worse. It is a spectrum, but we're a spectrum of people. Find your positives, and find ways to use those positives to create more positive impact for your life. Use the knowledge you gained from how you turn the negative into a positive to begin with.
@@ksthoughtpalace3042 parts of me that I didn’t know what they were and I thought I was damaged and I’m not the missing piece of the puzzle was neurodiversity..
For me a puzzle piece does not imply mystery nor does it imply to be solved, but as it’s able to stand out, in a crowd being able to say what it wants, fully independent, without allowing other people to tell it what to be or what to say, able to decide for itself, and I view that as a positive. When they are joined together, they are stronger and represents unity, and A unique difference amongst many people, sometimes someone will need to ask for help, and that’s OK, because we all need help at times.
When I saw the puzzle piece at first, I liked it. I assiciated it to my attention to details, the way I puzzle the details together, and analyze the world around me to make it make sense. But the other meanings and the history really ruined that. But the rainbow infinity symbol does a great job with its message, so its all good anyway.
The Puzzle of Connection: How Autistic and Non-Autistic People Can Solve It Together Mutual Understanding as a Puzzle: We can think of the sometimes difficult task of understanding each other's perspectives as a puzzle. Both autistic and non-autistic people hold important pieces to help make sense of the big picture. Empathy and Effort on Both Sides: Just as an autistic person might work hard to understand social norms, parents, family, and friends put effort into understanding the unique experiences of an autistic person. This mutual puzzle-solving creates a bridge for connection. Every Piece is Valuable: Just like puzzle pieces, everyone (autistic or not) brings unique strengths, perspectives, and ways of being. Without even one piece, the picture of our shared humanity would be incomplete. The Symbol as a Collaboration: The puzzle piece can be re-imagined as a symbol of this collaborative understanding. Instead of focusing on "missing" parts, the focus shifts to how every piece is essential to make a beautiful, complete image. Key Points to Emphasize: It's not about "fixing" anyone. This approach celebrates differences instead of seeing autism as something that needs to change. The focus is on connection and collaboration, not a one-directional effort. Everyone can learn from each other. Empathy and understanding are valued over conformity. It's more about finding ways to understand each other's experiences than trying to force anyone to fit a mold.
I have to ask who exactly is saying its offensive? Is the entire spectrum being listened to because at times, I feel that those on the spectrum who are non verbal &/or have a lower than average IQ are often forgotten by those who are high functioning, can communicate.
The idea of speaking for an autistic person comes from the fact that many of them cannot speak for themselves because they are non verbal. I literally have to speak for my son because he cannot do it for himself. And now that the definition of autism has expanded and many people who are verbal are diagnosed as autistic i can see why they do not like someone speaking for them. But please remember that are many who literally cannot speak for themselves. I am his voice
Nothing about us without us I 100% agree. But are the fully speaking/low support needs autistics willing to speak for and support non speaking/ high support needs autistics or just out to advocate for themselves? I feel like high support needs people are very often forgotten about because of how proud and vocal low support needs autistics are
It's a symbol and like all symbols, it has a marketing value. A lot of symbols like this aren't done for those they are intended for, they are done for those that give money, they are designed to be catchy and colourful, animals see bright shiny things and people see colourful things, same principle. There's an old saying, You can please some of the people some of the time, All of the people some of the time, Some of the people all the time, But you can never please all of the people all the time. Sometimes you need to stop where common sense dictates, not to see how far it can be stretched and twisted until it's no longer seen as what it was.
Seen that symbol but never had any idea of its context or use. 🤔 Can't say any pictograph speaks for me in any way. Well, maybe a middle finger extended.... 😁
Hello Paul : -). I’ve been watching you for years. Thanks for all the videos. Very helpful as usual. Yes, I’m not quite sure why, but the puzzle piece for me feels like that it implies the simplest things to manage in life are puzzling to us and not for neurotypicals. As if it can be summed up like that. It implies a uniform weakness. Not all with ASD are the same in the mind. Now we might like puzzles some of us. That’s okay. But we didn’t vote for it. There was no page to express and choose. It’s mildly offensive. Implying we can’t choose for ourselves. I’m not sure if anyone feels or thinks similar. But then I don’t know what the most suitable symbol would be. I let things be. I apologize if I don’t understand the puzzle piece correctly.
No it is NOT controversial. I have autism and use the puzzle piece all the time. I never saw it as just Autism Speaks. I didn’t even know the two were connected. To me the puzzle represents unique traits that, when put all together, create a bigger picture of an individuals autism. Puzzles are also seen as creative activities and autistic people are very creative and smart. Its not a bad thing unless you make it a bad thing.
I was diagnosed with autism a few years ago. Since then I have had basically no interest in becoming a part of any autistic community. I'm always interested in meeting and developing relationships with new people. I just didn't see a reason to try to connect with autistic people specifically. The only source of autistic material i consume online is via this channel. Before watching this video i hadn't even heard of the autistic puzzle piece. What I can't wrap my head around is the hate associated with this symbol. It makes perfect sense to me that people want to speak for themselves rather than having someone do it for them. But to have contempt for other people genuinely trying to help you seems very misguided and not useful. Am I missing something and if so what?
The puzzle piece is deeply associated with autism speaks for many autistic people. This is a pretty disgusting group, which really just wants to cure autistic people, and by cure that really means to detect and abort us in the womb. They are responsible for a lot of really disgusting propaganda, in which autistic people are described as if they are diseased with something worse than cancer. They are also responsible for the death of some autistic people by promoting an inhumane facility where shock therapy was applied at critically dangerous levels. They are also known for having no autistic people on their board, and for all minority groups things happen that shouldn't when that minority group is in no way given a decision in that matter. Imagine a group made by only white people to help black people which includes no black people in any of their board. Then imagine a black person joins, and immediately leaves the group because they aren't being treated properly. That is basically what happened the one time an autistic person joined the board of autism speaks, but in terms of autistics and Neurotypicals.
Ill just look at it in a positive way... Nowadays everyone is so negative ugh! See it as the missing puzzle piece the world needed. Positive vibes people!
Unfortunately, saying things like “positive vibes” in response to the issue & simply imagining it means something else doesn’t actually erase the harm done. I also can see the puzzle piece as we are a piece of the puzzle that helps rather than that we are missing a piece somehow, but that doesn’t really change how the vast majority of people see it.. which is NOT that way. That’s the issue, not a negative viewpoint coming from us. This is what the majority of non-autistic people see the puzzle piece meaning & what it’s used to convey by them.
disclaimer : didn't even know about either. pretty sure im autistic. which if is the case you're the one that brougt this to light or me- like earlier today lol. my opinion: puzzle seems fine. my immediate thought was 'not my first pick but i guess the idea of puzzle fits' which is probably something like ironic? 'cause i was thinking ''oh yeah, i do fancy myself an avid problem solver, even if i can't solve squat with an audience.'' but i see the issue is more WHO is representing WHO. and if the icon/logo/flag etc was made up by someone NOT in that community, i can understand. frankly not bothered either way. kinda diggin the infinity one even tho im not the biggest fan of rainbow stuff, aesthetically. but i guess i can call it a flattened mobius of light? idk i'll come up with something lol. Au its pretty badass ngl. i mean its just plain cool. not sure if it represents as much or as effectively but hey- i just got here xD hardly my place to say, but i feel safe sharing my thoughts
Three things! 1. Rainbow infinity symbol. It represents the spectrum, and the rainbow symbolizes pride in ourselves. 2. Red Instead (ie, instead of light up blue, which was claimed by an ableist group). It's just the color, but good to combat ableism. 3. Autism Creature. It's a lil animal thing that looks like a bald blob with 4 walking stumps. It's way cuter than I describe it, and it's widely accepted by the community. Ty for asking!
For myself as an autistic woman I don't care about the puzzle piece. I feel like getting upset about it is like getting upset with plaid it's a pattern nothing more. I think our energy is better spent on replacing organizations causing problems and harming us
While symbols carry a certain meaning or set of meanings that's attached to them by people, you have in my opinion a very real point in getting rid of organisations and people in positions causing problems in the autism world. They should indeed be replaced by others if they insist on promoting some of the stupid things they do and, at the same time, instigating unnecessary harm either intentionally or not to our cause. Some of these may be to varying degrees self-serving or indeed well-meaning, but stubbornness in refusing to change wrong beliefs or motives, along with outworn ideas, while insisting they are wholly right and know better, is a very real problem.
I find the puzzle to be aesthetically offensive. All those clashing colors jammed together hurt my eyes. The infinite rainbow is more visually soothing.
As a person born with autism remaining objective in terms of psychology , it's symbolises a puzzle missing out of developmental milestones, our perspectives upon it may differ but I find the speculation as autism as a disease more insulting than any symbolic code could ever do at least in my opinion as it does represent a difference in brains comparative to neurotypicals And the association between that code is autism speaks , which no one should tolerate with a shred of basic sympathy It is simply all about perspective which is subjective so yeah...fun lmao
It feels the puzzle piece is especially offensive to masks who literally hide their autism to try and fit in by making the struggle we all face to try and fit in while actually being ourself feel undermined
I always kinda low key thought it was f'd up...it's kinda like ..."autistic people are idiots who can't make puzzles", it kind of always pissed me off!
I’m a 48 y/o just realising and coming to terms with having ASD/ADHD (thanks to your videos amongst other things). The way I have described it to people is “I’ve found the missing puzzle piece I’ve been looking for all my life that explains everything that’s never made sense”. This was before I knew the puzzle piece was a symbol for autism!
For me the jigsaw piece seemed apt when I finally got my diagnosis, it was a missing part of the puzzle to understanding why I am the way I am (before I seemed to be going through so many different diagnosis'). Personally I'm fairly meh about it, though I do agree that autism awareness doesn't quite sound right.
Yeah same here. Like a piece of the puzzle missing. And when I finally got diagnosed accurately with autism I found the final puzzle piece and I felt complete and I felt at peace with who I am
I'm 65 and recently learned I am autistic. I thought the puzzle piece symbolized that realization, because it completed a lifelong puzzle of feeling broken and incomplete. Like many commenters, I feel whole for the first time in my life. Oh, and I love the rainbow infinity symbol. Thanks, Paul, for all of your videos. They have been so helpful as I start this new adventure!
At this point with the sorts of discussions around symbols, more often than not if any puzzle piece symbolism is present it's usually an indicator that there will be some level of ignorance in whatever information is associated.
It's not the top issue by any means, but I respect and am sensitive to people's feelings about it. The original symbol for autism involving a puzzle piece also included a crying child - very much the narrative of tragic children that we are moving away from. There's also interesting research about how people interpret just the puzzle piece symbol in general and the meaning attached is quite negative. So there's lots of reasons to ditch it and move on.
@cnrelax exactly that’s what I believe about the puzzle piece. Autistic people don’t have A piece missing, we don’t need to be fixed
Totally agree! the inherent definition is not as relative as the connotative one. The negative assosiations are much stronger and more relevant to this symbol. It would be helpful to drop this symbol from larger organizations in order to mitigate harm.
@@xxBreakxxAwayxx3 yup totally.
I mean they weren't wrong Autism is easiest diagnosed when a young child then gets much harder as the person ages... To the point that my mental Doctor acted like it wasn't worth it for me to get diagnosed in my late 20s as she was already treating me for focus and you can't fix autism... Even after telling her I got diagnosed at age 4 and we just forgot she sighed and she acted like it didn't matter... And other then understanding me better... It really didn't change anything.
@@GreenBlueWalkthrough I really wonder if the reasons it's harder with age is because people are masking more, or if it is mostly widespread ignorance among professionals. It's not as if autistic traits fade, I guess we can develop some pretty sophisticated coping strategies and as adults have more control over our environment. But on the other hand things like sensory sensitivities can increase, and the older we are the more life we've lived and so there's much more supporting evidence and clear patterns. That's true of my own adult diagnosis.
Adult diagnosis means different things for different people. For some it will be similar to you and maybe not make huge difference. For others it can have more meaning, the validation it provides may be enormous, it may be necessary to overwrite misdiagnoses, and it can create avenues to support. I have professional support funded now that I would not be able to access without diagnosis so in my life it was a very important step.
I strongly believe there should be access to adult diagnosis for all who want it, no matter what age.
Thank you. The puzzle piece makes me cringe, but how you reframed it as outdated somehow calms my brain a bit.
Plus, love how short and sweet so I can save and share instead of mentally imploding and then over explaining to death to someone who is honestly trying to be helpful and just not informed. Then, place to start conversation & give my experience and input.
When I first discovered autism through Autism Speaks a few years ago, the puzzle piece felt right in some way. Now, I've seen it so much everywhere it's repulsive. So for me it just feels stereotyped, overused and cliché. It's not about what the puzzle piece means, per se-although knowing its origins doesn't help-but more about how it represents the still overly limited, narrow way autistic ppl are represented. It's like, SHEESH, expand your horizons a little more. At least TRY (to learn something new about us, about our experiences).
Well put!
@@tamaramorales5817 Thanks!
@allksjndlkasjdkl Wow - I'm glad to hear this :))
Being undiagnosed, there is a piece missing for a lot of us, but that piece IS Austim. So i can see how the puzzle piece can be relatable while going through that self discovery phase
@@Ma11Nas1y Yeah, I suppose that's how I viewed it too at the time. I am still undiagnosed, too, but hoping to change that soon. The puzzle piece, of course, isn't necessarily 'bad' or 'good' in of itself. But I think how people feel about it is a good marker for where we are and how much more we need to go. Chances are when there's more diverse representation of autism, the puzzle piece can simply go back to being a puzzle piece. (It won't have as much 'power' over us anymore, over our narratives whether 'good' or 'bad'.)
Autism Speaks is what it represents to me, and they want me to be quiet and not annoy the neurotypicals. They don't speak for me, and I don't like their symbol.
I had a therapist today tell me autism is a mental illness. I thought that was long gone.
So many therapists are decades behind the research and understanding.
Yikes. If you can't re-educate them, ditch them (Yes, Captain Obvious here...).
Terrifying. I keep seeing articles making the same claim. It's like society has taken ten steps back since the start of the p@ndem*c, no joke.
Such nonsense can also be attributed to some of those neurotypicals of whom may to varying degrees work in a supportive capacity with a few autistic people. I had one female say in front of others that she's worked with a couple of autistic people in the past and I'm not autistic, as well as being perfectly healthy. She was and is wrong on both counts. I've not only been officially diagnosed as on the spectrum but I have several health issues in my advanced years. Both qualified and unqualified people can be a problem.
The problem with therapists is that they are '"educated" for it and will start believing and stop challenging their education, while the facts they learned have a half life of less than 5 years (for normal facts it is about 7 years, but in a field with so many unproven assumptions, unanswered questions and inherent subjectivity problems in getting any answers as psychology and even neurology...).
Whereas the patient HAS to learn about himself every day and keep an open mind.. Else he wouldn't be in therapy..
It is only logical the well-read patients will be a little ahead of our therapists and you have to give them credit for doing their best to tag along. And even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so.. filter it, I guess. The system isn't perfect, but it's not without its uses.
Personally I have come to hate the obsession with symbols or “which symbol is correct.” I mean you don’t have to treat it like a swastika just because you don’t prefer it. I’m angry that some advocacy groups are more concerned about using the right symbol than actually helping other autistics in practical ways. I noticed this problem on a local college campus.
This right here!!!! So much effort wasted on anti-puzzle protests which, I'm sorry, but do NOT help me, an autistic adult, in the slightest. I'd take it a step farther and say, because resources and time are wasted on these protests, being anti-puzzle piece actively HARMS me, prevents those resources and time from being used on things that could help me.
I have autism and think it is fine for me or anyone else with autism to share their experience. But I also think that autism is a real diagnosis that should remain tied to reality. Autism should not simply be what the person feels it is. Because then will lose all its meaning. I also think this is dangerous because people with autism are prone to delusions and psychosis. UMCG is a medical center in the Netherlands and they use the term fragmented perception. So this should not be dismissed as untrue just because of your personal experience. I personally have a problem with the idea that people with Autism have less empathy. But I know there's a scientifically different perspective on this. I know from an article by The Scientific American that about 50% of people with autism have Alexithymia.( Alexithymia does have to do with empathy.) And that a study has been done where people with Autism look at a face in the same way as people without Autism. People with Alexithymia do this differently and there it is thought that the emphatic difference lays. So not autism. They also showed that people with autism look less at faces. It is therefore logical that because of this reason, many stimuli, and in my opinion also fragmented perception some things can pass us by and make social interaction more difficult.
Edit: I have also read that psychosis is often misdiagnosed. And if you worry that autism symptoms will be misconstrued with psychoses i share that worry. I can think in broad terms, often have anxiety and when i am overwhelmed i can't think clear. That a psychotic person can also experiance these things does not mean i am psychotic. In fact most people with autism are really good in rational and factual thinking. But according to the data there does seem to be a link between psychoses and autism.
It's the whole 'no, but..' versus 'yes, and..' discussion. It is way more effective to utilize the good will of people than trying to force them to use certain language.
Gate-keeping and tone-policing are not something I want to see more in this movement.
You mention the swastika but here's what you need to remember, the swastika had its origins in Sanskrit (it's a Sanskrit word) and was associated with peace. The Nazis turned it on its side and used it for a sinister purpose.
This is the "confusing the menu with the food" disorder, that most "normal" people seem to suffer from :)
Symbols and rules have so much power that people tend to forget what the issue even is, when they find a strong one..
Even the swastika was a nice symbol, before the Nazi's flipped it in more than one way, anything you research will be richer in context than you imagined, nothing is just one thing.
But it's just so darn handy to go with your first emotion about things and never look beyond that.
Thanks for including the bit at the end acknowledging that some of us have more difficulty.
Thanks for helping clear this up for me. I have been confused on this matter lately! 🙂
Thank you so much making this video! I appreciate that it’s a short video so it’s more digestible for people we might want to share this link with!
What I struggle with is that there will always be someone who is offended by something. There will always be someone who will be able to put a negative slant on anything. So, how does one find a symbol, label, insignia etc that is universally inoffensive?
he did cover this in the videos, we use a rainbow infinity symbol.
Personally the puzzle piece seems a bit childish
This too. It seems to be tied into the general infantilization of autistic people.
I mean Jigsaw like Legos are made for adults too.
Autistic people love puzzles and board games way more than the general population. So it’s very fitting
That makes no sense.
But there are puzzles out there that are not made for kids, they’re made for adults, also you’re including Legos as well, when there’s plenty of adults who makes things with Legos.
I'm not opposed to the puzzle piece in general, I'm opposed to the Autism Speaks version of it. Personally, to me, its not that a piece of me is missing but rather that autism is my missing piece that when added to the equation (description of me) makes me whole explaining all my "abnormal" traits. Personally I would love to use a gold outlined rainbow puzzle piece and/or infinity symbol to represent my autistic self.
my exact thoughts!!! i was gonna say this but i wasn't sure how to word it. you worded it very well!
problem is, they've actually done studies on this, and found that use of the puzzle piece symbol increases people's association of autism with children and childishness.
@@robokill387 i also agree w ur point too! people believe only children can have autism and there's hardly any resources for adults. even sensory tools and activities, etc. are aimed at children and it's not cool. autistic adults struggle a lot too and are often having our struggles downplayed aswell as being infantilized.
@@feasting.on.christ One of the most annoying things is when my husband insists that I have “beat” autism. Then one day he insisted that my Aspergers diagnosis from when it was a separate thing should have remained separate because it isn’t the same as “classic autism”. I do agree with that last point that the diagnosis shouldn’t have been combined. That said I don’t think I have “beat” the Aspie diagnosis either. I’m just “normal” enough to blend in.
@@feasting.on.christ yes agree with you. It pisses me off that governments have more programs for autistic children than programs for autistic adults. I’m 18 so I’m technically a autistic adult now that I’m 18.
It should be equal for autistic children and autistic adults. I really don’t understand why it’s not equal. Like ,does the government think that people are only autistic when they are children? I’m serious they need to fix this #ActuallyAutistic
It is just another way NT's define autism from their point of view, not ours. We are a puzzle the Them. If I were to choose our symbol, it would be more like a beautiful fireworks display, portraying the way our minds work and how excited I feel about that.
I agree with you.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Sorry but I'm often a puzzle to myself too lol.
@@Sopherian I'd prefer confetti bc I'm excited but also kind of a mess lol
@@HeatherGrace Love this answer :)
I am not a puzzle piece and nor am I a mystery. I am a human being and want to be treated as such. I want the neurotypical community to understand that autistic people do NOT want to be cured.
I have autism and if i had the choice i would have chosen to be born without it! It would spare me a lot of suffering and discomfort. Maybe a cure would be a different story because my autism has also shaped me into the person i am today. But i know there are people with more extreme forms of autism that can't communicate or handle any kind of stimuli. How scary must it be to be a prisoner inside your own head! In that case i would take the hypothetical cure in a heartbeat.
@@2xmachine True, people always want to emphasize that all people with autism are different. But if they experience autism different than they are wrong, or in this case apparently don't exist! We should not censor scientific data or experiences of other people. You probably already know this but if you don't i would advise you to check out Elon Musk his Neural Link.
@@2xmachine I don't "have" autism, I am AUTISTIC. Okay, I accept that some people prefer person first language, BUT, if you were told by some obnoxious kid you went to school with, "Imagine if you had a bump on the head and you changed," and that kid later DELIBERATELY aimed a softball at your head during PE and a quick-thinking teacher yelled out, "DUCK!" and it landed centimetres in front of your lowered head, you might understand it. As I see it, that kid's actions and words and scientific searches for a cure are almost like a comparison of the work of Staff Sergeant John C. Woods when he hanged Hans Frank et al on October 16, 1946, and the execution by lethal injection of Timothy McVeigh. Woods did not follow proper protocol as in a long drop rather than a standard drop, and nor did he shackle the legs of Hans Frank et all so they couldn't go down kicking and in two cases, the top ten Nazis took 19-24 minutes to expire. What was ghoulish was, after the bodies of the men were cut down, the US Forces present photographed the corpses on stretchers! In McVeigh's case, the execution was televised, which is actually quite sickening. Not only is it the crudity it's also the fact that in the kid's case it was HIM wanting to change me into a clone of him. Okay, on a physical level, it was as if he was Danny De Vito and I was Kramer, but that's beside the point!
@@peterwynn2169 What are you even saying in that dissertation? Seriously.
Also, whether you say 'I'm autistic' or 'I have autism', it's the semantics. It refers to the same thing, and you're infuriated because someone like me preferring to say I *have* autism makes clear that I don't see it as this inherent part of me I'd keep if I could not. You want to deny that someone could ever feel that way on their own terms, which is honestly messed up.
@@2xmachine What am I saying? I'll tell you what I'm saying, I'm saying that if an NT tells you that they don't accept you for who you are and want to change you to someone you're not, when you're happy to be who you are, it can feel like the NT has won if a cure is found!
Great Video Paul (as always). I like the topic notes, which you blend in.
Beside the fact I personally hate the colour blue, I think the puzzle symbol has nothing to do with my "autistc experience". I don't feel fragmented, don't feel a peace is missing, don't feel that I'm a peace that has to fit in etc.
I like the infinity symbol much more, because it's inclusive.
English is not my motherlanguage, I hope I could transfer, what I want to express.
Thanks Paul. This is a really excellent explanatory video for all members of humanity. 😍. I've been working in this space as an neurodivergent person and am intent on creating pathways for other Autistic people to navigate their emotions with greater ease and peace... Much of what we are dealing with still is being misunderstood and misheard, being required to conform to a society that was created around non autistic people. The frustration and anxiety that this causes is very real. But awareness is key... Awareness of self, and of our own needs first, then awareness of how we can speak for ourselves with compassion for those who are learning what Autistic means. I believe the tide is turning and that there are many genuine non autistic people doing their best to upgrade their interpretation of support to work with us rather than for us.
I'd also love to know your thoughts on the term neurodivergent too. I personally like this... Whilst it still vaguely implies we are divergent from "normal" (ha! What is normal anyway these days!?)... to me this term is closer to the reality that we are wired differently and also allows embracing of the amazing diversity and gifts that our wiring affords us when we are embracing of our essential nature. Would love to open this dialogue here too for other people's thoughts 😍
I like neurodivergence as term because it points out the difference without pathologizing either side. When I walk into a room full of computer programmers I feel way more confident in my ability to communicate than when I walk into HR. If a neurotypical works with a room full of autists, then they’re going to be the ones feeling neurodivergent. The great thing is that I’ve worked with some really awesome neurotypical people who really have a knack for bridging the divide. The amount of harmony they create very naturally among various thinking and communication styles is absolutely invaluable. They seem to be able to understand both sides of neurodivergence and they’re quite often just delightful personalities in general.
@@LeeHawkinsPhoto Thanks for your insight Lee... you articulated that really nicely - yes, in essence, ALL humans are divergent from something! No person is without their idiosyncratic behaviours and histories regardless of how they're wired! Nice. I too have experienced many people who are excellent communicators and able to sense the needs of others and weave a conversation with precision... it's quite a talent to behold! Much respect for that from me too. What's your job Lee... you mention IT and Tech!
@@myholisticnurse7914 I’ve worked in IT...still do, but very rarely. I’m a commercial photographer as well, but lately I’m running a TH-cam channel quite by accident. 🤷🏻♂️ It’s been really fun though when I don’t burn myself out!
A puzzle piece has always had a very personal negative connotation for me. Twenty-two years ago, before I understood why I was different, I was fired from a job. When I asked why I was told, "You don't fit here." As I recounted the story to friends and family I would say that it made me feel like a misshapen puzzle piece.
Interesting video :) I did a drawing with the puzzle piece symbol about a year ago and I feel bad about it even though I'm autistic myself just because so many people feel so strongly about being against it. I guess I just never associated it with autism speaks, to me it felt more like a symbol of how I feel like I don't fit in to the world, but I'll avoid using it for autism-related drawings n stuff in the future
I have autism and think it is fine for me or anyone else with autism to share their experience. But I also think that autism is a real diagnosis that should remain tied to reality. Autism should not simply be what the person feels it is. Because then will lose all its meaning. I also think this is dangerous because people with autism are prone to delusions and psychosis. UMCG is a medical center in the Netherlands and they use the term fragmented perception. So this should not be dismissed as untrue just because of your personal experience. I personally have a problem with the idea that people with Autism have less empathy. But I know there's a scientifically different perspective on this. I know from an article by The Scientific American that about 50% of people with autism have Alexithymia.( Alexithymia does have to do with empathy.) And that a study has been done where people with Autism look at a face in the same way as people without Autism. People with Alexithymia do this differently and there it is thought that the emphatic difference lays. So not autism. They also showed that people with autism look less at faces. It is therefore logical that because of this reason, many stimuli, and in my opinion also fragmented perception some things can pass us by and make social interaction more difficult.
Edit: I have also read that psychosis is often misdiagnosed. And if you worry that autism symptoms will be misconstrued with psychoses i share that worry. I can think in broad terms, often have anxiety and when i am overwhelmed i can't think clear. That a psychotic person can also experiance these things does not mean i am psychotic. In fact most people with autism are really good in rational and factual thinking. But according to the data there does seem to be a link between psychoses and autism.
A rounded puzzle piece trying to fit harsh, square holes in the other puzzle pieces would symbolise that feeling of being the odd one out to me.. Don't feel bad. Whatever you do or say, you will be able to find somebody that feels strongly about it either way. This doesn't mean anything.
@@yannickm1396 To be fair... all perception is fragmented. Neuroscientists generally agree, that what people consider reality is just the model that is built up from all these fragments in the brain and that most of the inconsistency and gaps in the input is ignored or filled in. So reality IS a form of hallucination.. It is just that "normal" people are very good at ignoring their own senses in favour of their expectations, which makes reality feel more consistent to them.
Being prone to delusions and psychosis (and aware of that fact), just means you perceive reality differently, which can also mean, that you have a better understanding of what reality is or at least are more careful considering what you find to be true, automatically true for others.
One of the big problems with autism is that there is no homogenous group. Any blanket statements have the power to hurt us/them.
If looking at autism does not carefully consider what the subject feels it is, it might become very hard to help them at all. And there is a great chance of doing more harm than good by "helping".
I agree with you, that it is a real diagnosis, but... we need to be very careful with ALL diagnoses and how seriously we take them, since they are the product of the absolute belief in reductionism, which is just a view of reality that happens to be very popular at the moment. To the point of dogmatic..
But ultimately not very accurate. The research into the hard problem of consciousness and the psychology of free will and research into biasses of all kind is challenging a lot of our notions of what we are and by extension what reality is.
And that is just psychology and neurology, I am not even talking about the physicists who are struggling with the inherent inconsistencies of quantum mechanics and things like the Copenhagen interpretation.
I feel this must mean in the long run, that if we allow ourselves to be honest, we have to change our attitude to those who happen to have a different view of reality and view them as a possible source of information, rather than as something that needs to be fixed.
I like it. It represents a piece of myself that i've finally found after more than 40 years. Its not a piece thats missing - its a piece thats valuable.
Me too this is exactly how I feel! Now I feel whole..
I don't mind the puzzle piece, but my reason is a bit different. My whole life I've been trying to piece together a very complicated puzzle without the box. Now that I've found the box I can fit the pieces together in a way that makes sense.
Unfortunately, regardless of how people feel about the symbol, it still represents an organization that has contributed endless trauma for those with autism, including forced "conversion" therapy to "fix" their autism. Many of the things they've done have had to be done in certain states because other states have made some of their practices illegal since they're so harmful. They are responsible for a LOT of the ill informed stereotypes of autistic people. All in all, autism speaks has made life immeasurably harder for those with autism and set us back decades on the acceptance and normalization of neurodivergency. They want us to be "normal." But we never will be because we're not something to fix. That's why I'm happy there are other alternatives that don't carry or reinforce such negative connotations.
I’m happy that you realize that it’s about a diagnosis and how that could change someone’s life, it’s positive and good.
It’s OK if other people doesn’t see it like that though,they’re allowed to have their own opinions, I want to advocate for myself but I’m OK with the puzzle piece,I prefer it when it’s put together with some other pieces as well.
I just turned 37 yesterday and for the first time in my life, I saw something that made me question if I was Asperger's or autistic. Did some searching and found your channel, after several videos it felt like I was looking into a mirror. Thank you for your time and effort in this, it's helping me a lot!
I didn't know about the puzzle piece, but I definitely see why it is offensive, especially the missing brain part and colour blue as though we are feeling the blues.
The symbol and color don't bother me that much. What actually bothers me is how I feel that every year NT's basically are like "I'm making a difference, here's the color Blue ! I love puzzles !" And then the community gets forgotten about the next day and this cycle repeats. I find it really frustrating how I've had to adapt over the years with jobs and how I've had to push myself to "understand" NT language in order to succeed. Many of us get the sink or swim treatment and that is unacceptable in 2022. I'm 29 and I can say that Autism isn't demonized like it was when I was a child in North Carolina, USA, where people approached "treating" Autism like it was the 1800's and so they did the clapping their hands in your face for eye contact and they tried to scare you into "stop being lazy" and that nonsense. Yet it is baffling how far we must still go for actual progress.
Facts, did you ever get beat for not looking people in the eye? I did as a child.
Are there any good links to self advocacy groups in the UK that can provide legal support for people with ASD?
There appears to be nothing, I've spent the last 6 months looking. You either get "autistic " solicitors who actually know nothing and seem to want to take you for an easy pay out of given ridiculous phone numbers to ring, which doesn;t help phone calls require too much energy but nobody gets that and think you;re being stupid. Joys of the neurotypical world.
Can you please talk about how Autistic people are more prone to gaslighting and manipulation?
I have been victimized in this way, and so have many other Autistic people.
It would be helpful to hear why we are more prone to this type of exploitation than neurotypical people are, from an emotional, psycho-social point of veiw.
Thanks for all you do.
You have been more helpful to me than you can ever know. Bless you and hugs.
Yes. I agree. Story of my life.
They treat us as brainless animals, like unevolved monkeys that are easily fooled. I'd go into detail about all the Hell I've been through as example, but no one's interested in those anymore, are they? Hhrgh, they never are....
This is basically my life from day one. (It also led to certain sa incidents)
Paul, question please. Loathe & detest talking on the phone. When phone rings, get angry/annoyed at the intrusion & completely ignore it. Same with calling anyone, hate it with a passion. Someone unexpectedly knocking on the door pisses me off too. Is this a known thing? 😂 I'm actually fine with it. Except for the negative impacts, making doctors/dentists appts or answering important things like banks. insurance company etc. Any advice/ideas? Thank you.
I am having this problem too.
It's definitely a thing. For me, I try to let people know I prefer communicating through email or text, but sometimes it's not possible, and I'll grit my teeth and deal with the phone.
Definitely a common experience for most of the autistic adults I know of (including me)
No solutions for you - I just don't really answer the phone
This could be just you being an introvert. My wife is not autistic...and you sound exactly the same as her, except she doesn’t maybe get angry about it...that sounds like a reaction I would relate to being on the spectrum. However, I am an extravert. I LOVE people, don’t mind the phone, and love an unexpected visitor. And for me, I find that I actually prefer in-person or phone communications over written communications, unless I have very specific details to relate and/or recognize a need to have a paper trail. So I’m definitely on the spectrum, but I just get my energy from being around and interacting with people in real time, while that sort of thing takes your energy away. I definitely do empathize with you on interruptions though-which seems like a definite autism thing-even though I typically welcome an unexpected social interaction, if I’m working on something I really need to get done and I’m focused and in flow...WOW do interruptions aggravate me. When I go into something knowing that will be the case, I tell my wife that I really need to focus so I won’t be reachable by phone/text. I will physically put my phone where it won’t interrupt me, or even put it on airplane mode. I carefully curate any and all notifications so that only what I highly value can actually pop up...like appointments that I need to leave for...because I forget important things like that all the time and often lose track of time when I get busy with something even for a few minutes.
I have phone phobia. I never understood why but now I realise it's because I have language processing difficulties. I struggle with conversing in person too but people sound different on the phone and it's harder to understand anyone. My slow auditory processing makes me self conscious and nervous, which means I take longer to process an answer. There are no visual clues either, so I don't know when it's my turn.
I also have situational mutism and a phone triggers it.
It's a shame the puzzle piece is associated with so many obviously really negative things, because design-wise (except for the one with the brain which is indeed very cringe) I think it is a really fitting and unique symbol. Being diagnosed at 28 and still really putting things into context now at 30 the diagnosis really did feel like a hitherto missing puzzle piece in my life, and it feels fitting with the highly analytical way we tend to think, but more importantly it's not super generic like an infinity symbol that is used in countless basic jewelry and tattoos with no association to autism whatsoever.
I agree with you, I love how the puzzle piece is unique and it stands out from all the other awareness ribbons,but I do like the idea of acceptance, just not the infinity symbol, and the colour gold, finally the colour red has so much negative connotations to me.
The puzzle pieces aren't associated with anything bad and should come back. The rainbow infinity symbol is more offensive than the puzzle pieces will ever be!
The puzzle piece is tainted because of autism speaks. And a lot of time, from my experience, people who use it are ignorant on the subject of autism. At this point the puzzle piece is a bit condescending (that's my opinion).
Agreed
What about me? I have autism and Ive had someone come up to me with my service dog (who has a puzzle piece on his vest) and told me I shouldn’t use the puzzle cause its offensive to autistic people. I like it, and I have autism. Im not ignorant, I just dont see it as offensive.
So glad I found your channel. ❤
I've never liked the puzzle piece, because of its association with autism speaks, and the implication we have part of our brain missing. I had never seen the light it up gold, but I kind of like that, and it ties in with "Yellow lady bugs."
I prefer the infinity loop.,.I often shut my eyes and draw an imaginary loop across my eyes in the shape of an infinity symbol. This can help bring balance if you do it slow and purposefully. So why not a symbol that is actually useful!
It’s fine to use it but it’s BS it’s been fully taken over from its original meaning.
The rainbow infinity symbol is now offensive
Wow another connection to another theme of the autistic minds. The Golden Path, (or the path humanity must take to overcome its hindrances and evolve on a species-wide scale, a sci-fi concept) and the Au symbol. Fun!
Considering one's race Autisic in this case superior to others like normies and the rest of the mental disorders(Which I collect as a hobby.) as well lesser is the definition of raceism.
@@GreenBlueWalkthrough I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but I don't see superiority in any sense here, merely the desire to encourage others to be the best version of themselves and create the best existence for themselves and those around them. Also making connections is one of my things, as is sci-fi, and Dune had just recently been on my mind. The Golden Path is an idea to free the human mind from the constructs of leadership and to allow (force) all people to think for themselves, and through this revelation find the next steps of humanity's growth and expansion.
It doesn't help that when I search for autism services in my area, everything is for children and everything uses the friggin puzzle piece symbol. My community is in the stone age...
Pretty much a majority of them are supported by Autism $peaks anyway; They still use the symbol despite seemingly fake claims of not wanting to cure any of my people as well as STILL pretending, even in this modern age, that adults with Autism do not exist. They obviously do. It stays like that for life, not unlike how if one loses an eye as a kid then it won't grow back. That in itself just implies that we're either cured by then or it just magically disappears at 13 or 18. Wouldn't be surprised if they supported Crazy Wakefield as well tbh
I posted cute videos of my son with the puzzle piece icon that said autism awareness, and someone said it was a hate symbol and said it was equivalent to using the “N word” and also brought up nazis… im like taken back.. I didn’t think a little puzzle could be so harmful.. especially because the symbol was never meant to mean something negative. It’s been turned into something negative.
Ah, you'll get melodramatic arseholes like that.
I like the jigsaw sign, I pretend it's an upgrade CPU from regular people, I don't like how they depicted us like that serie on prime, I just have fun and trying not to take it too seriously
I can see why some people could get offended by this - but I personally view the jigsaw differently, I see it as we all have different pieces that make us who we are 😊
Same with me, but I’m OK with the puzzle piece, because it’s a spectrum after all, so we all have our own viewpoints and opinions.
Being autistic and really enjoying discovering patterns, I don't find it offensive at all to be associated with puzzles. What NTs find offensive is their perception that I am not as distinguishable to them as other NTs are. Being that people feel threatened by aspects as small as skin tone and that is enough for them to fear others, I am not very optimistic that our increased visibility will make a big difference in our chances of social insertion.
I don’t hate the puzzle piece, but just prefer other symbols, because they better represent where I’m at with my own mental health. Personally my favorite is the periodic symbol for gold. It doesn’t work in every situation, but it’s still a nice way to make more subtle autism merch. :)
Excellent video. Thanks for posting
As a 40-something mom of an autistic young adult, who is just now undergoing autism diagnosis herself, I don't have negative feelings about the puzzle piece symbol. In fact, I personally like it as relates to ME. My entire life, I've been trying to understand why I am the way I am, and was continually at a loss. Seeing myself on the autism spectrum, too, FINALLY...it was very much a feeling of a key opening a stubborn lock, or the puzzle pieces suddenly going together in my mind. The light flooded into a dark landscape. I am still processing it, and feeling confusion on occasion, but nothing like before.
I understand why some autistic people find it cringey and condescending, particularly coming from the NT community, but I am currently kind of embracing it. I was so ignorant, that I wasn't even aware it was a symbol for ASD! too busy playing all the musical instruments, I suppose. Forgive me, y'all.
I echo what you are saying here (I was diagnosed with ASD 1 as an adult). I was about to order a vinyl mat that was filled with different color puzzle pieces (the mat is advertised on Etsy Autism Awareness Vinyl) when my daughter saw it and told me about the puzzle symbol for autism. I was strangely drawn to this mat when my eyes started spinning all the pieces and looking for patterns in how the colors of the pieces changed. It was a sensory delight for me! I don’t want offend anyone who is against this but I guess I’ll just have to explain how my nervous system loves the puzzle pieces and the colors as they spin around and around.
Autism is a spectrum, that’s why I’m Fine with the puzzle piece, I actually like it too, I see that symbol as then I’m a full person able to do a lot things for herself, and knowing that I’m not alone, I don’t see the puzzle piece is broken I see it as full, a lot of people Who has ASD find the colour blue to have a lot of negative connotations (I respect them if they want to use a different colour, because I don’t know what colour represents ASD, it makes sense to have a plethora of colours instead), I just don’t like it when people get bullied from their group all because they like using the puzzle piece, even worse, they get thrown out of the only group that accepts them (that’s why I like to call acceptable ableism BTW)
For me the puzzle makes so much sense. Until i started learning about asd, nothing made sense for me, in our household. Nothing was missing, but my understanding of us, and later, at least my child could get some support and understanding in life.
Something interesting I’m considering after reading over this comment section is that many autistic people interpret things completely differently than they were originally intended to be seen as by their creator (in this case, the puzzle symbol), therefore many autistic people don’t see what the puzzle piece is meant to represent from the neurotypical view. I keep seeing comments on how from their view, it means a positive thing about how they found a missing piece of themselves when they discovered when they were autistic. It’s a nice way to view it, but it’s NOT what non-autistic people had in mind when they created it, & it is not the message it conveys to/for them. It’s funny because I have frequently done this in the past, & it’s caused me to unwittingly endorse symbols or jokes that actually didn’t have meanings I supported, simply because I attributed a completely different meaning to them than others did. I think those who really like the puzzle symbol should consider that it can hold a positive meaning for some of us while still acknowledging that the intention of the symbol is NOT positive, & does NOT match the ones most of us have/could create for it.
Exactly what I wanted to say but couldn’t find the words. I agree with you.
Subjectivity before objectivity is a human thing. Not exclusively or even especially an autistic thing.
@@Ludifant It’s pretty widely considered an autistic trait to not notice the shared narrative of others as easily as non-autistic people do. You could partly chalk it up to trouble with theory of mind (not considering how others may intend a message to convey a different message than we decipher) & just the sheer fact that autistic people tend to see things from a different perspective than the dominant social narrative tends to encourage. Combine the two & you get a higher likelihood that an autistic individual may “misinterpret” a message that was being sent out, causing the individual to mistakenly endorse something they don’t intend to. Basically the error isn’t in the viewpoint of the person on a particular image/concept/etc., but that they miss the message others see in that same concept. If someone shares a homophobic meme, for example, but you think it means something completely different, it doesn’t change the fact that when you share it on your social media, others are going to think you endorsed the shared message of homophobia others intended when the meme was created. Only if many others see the meme the way you do will you spread your own message with that image alone. This is the issue I’m talking about, & autistic people do seem far more prone to it than non-autistic people.
I agree 🌿
Your videos have helped immensely! :-D I have done a lot of learning in the last month or so since my divorce about how to best use my Autism.
Well the Puzzle Piece describes me better than any other symbol there. I like using that symbol for describing me. Sadly that means I'm not welcome to the autistic "community". If I use that symbol among my "own people" I'm attacked by other autistic people.
For me the puzzle peace symbolizes not fitting to the NT world. Being different from average "normal" people. It's not my world and it never will be, I'm just visiting it for one life time.
Personally, I avoid the puzzle image. That is somebody else’s idea of Autism and not mine.
🤷🏻♀️
Autism is definitely still a mystery, 95% of people I tell have no idea what I'm talking about.
It's also in many ways still a mystery to the so-called autism experts, hence their conflicting ideas about autism and their holding to wacky or overgeneralised ideas about it and autistic people.
@@cybertrekker4274 Tell me about it buddy. I got diagnosed in 2015 and most of the professionals I've talked to since are not only uninformed, or misinformed, but to a point where I'm baffled every time and thinking "just a little sensibility and you would not have such takes, and you're a professional at that..." While I do have good experiences with professionals for various mental issues, I've learned that in the case of Autism you need to be vary. It's foreign to many of them and will end up a complete miss thereby hurting and not helping you. My current therapist doesn't know a lot but is at least willing to listen and learn, so that's how we do it.
People tend to take themselves too seriously in the actually autistic community. It's like they're looking for something to get upset about instead of focusing on making connections to neurotypical people to help them understand and appreciate us. Anyone displaying a puzzle piece is a potential ally even if they are ignorant about certain aspects of autism. Those people just demonstrate the need for greater awareness if anything.
Also, consider that our understanding of autism once encompassed a narrower scope of the community whose autism was much more obvious. Some of these more pronounced autistic traits made it really difficult to advocate for themselves. For instance, it may be they were nonverbal. Many of the people who have more recent diagnoses with milder traits forget that for some people autism presents challenges that affect their lives more profoundly than they are accustomed to. Both my brother and I are autistic, but it would be much harder for him to live independently than it is for me.
So I say all that to say that we should be less judgemental and seek to build bridges. All of us want to help people, and we have things we can learn from each other, neurodiverse and neurotypical.
Part of my autism can be summed up by the Captain Oblivious stereotype. I didn't know there were symbols intended to represent autism, or concepts such as autism awareness campaigns (there's a joke hidden somewhere in there - I wasn't aware of the awareness!) I understand the objections presented in this video even though I don't share them. I like the idea of being a positive voice for autism. Maybe that will enable me to be more open about my own diagnosis.
I'm autistic, I find the rainbow infinity symbol and the new name of autism awareness day really offensive. Especially seeing as rainbows and the word pride are associated with the LGBTQ+ making it look like us autistic people are gay.
I also believe that the puzzle pieces and the color blue were more fitting and suitable, especially seeing as we fit in with society and aren't excluded. Plus most autistic people's favorite color is blue, so the blue color makes more sense over the stupid rainbow.
Let's start a new trend, #bringbackbluepuzzle
I think that if the colors where solid, or giving a less “childish” feeling to it, from my perspective the puzzle Symbole reminds me of intelligence. As in putting the puzzle together to see a whole image. Also can be connected to being detail oriented, or being aware of the small things others may miss.
You should make a video about the puzzle pieces but instead it’s a message to teachers. Many schools love the puzzle piece and shove it into all our faces not realizing they’re offending and hurting us. A lot of teachers at my school wear puzzle pieces shirts for “Autism awareness” but I have not seen one with the infinity symbol and Autism Acceptance… this worries me! I want schools to realize how offensive they are to the autistic community! A lot of schools don’t really know what autism is and a lot of times they over dramatize it!
I would like more schools learn more about autism and accept diversity among them. Many students are afraid of us because of what they learned about us at school. And it’s not right!
Hi Mate. I was able to self diagnose and then be formally diagnosed thanks to your videos. How can I best contact you about some speaking work? Thanks
I personally don't like it but I've been praying about it and realize a lot of other autistic folks like it.... even love it.... so I've wished that we could find a common ground on this. It actually makes me hate all the symbols now but I want to be respectful and understanding for other people with the things they like..
For me it's a reminder that I spent so long just thinking I was a horrible, stupid, mindless, bad person and I could never accomplish what everybody expected out of me. And the secret this whole time was that I'm on the spectrum.
I've been on so many different drugs to keep from having "temper tantrums" .. and my kidneys and liver are almost shot because of it. When I got diagnosed I knew I was going to quit taking all of my medications and I feel so much better. (Not recomending that, just sharing)
We are all different and we are all coming from a different perspective. We don't all have to love something and we don't all have to hate something. But if we really are trying to protect one another, we have got to forgive one another.
💕👏☺️ This.
I strongly dislike the puzzle piece. It reminds me of being misdiagnosed and forced into a mental hospital where all you had to do was puzzles in the common room. Im sure a lot of group homes are the same.
Are you ok now? Are you out of the mental hospital?
Hey this is the story of an aspergers from India..
Today after watching this video I am 101 percent sure that I have aspergers. I have some self realisation
1. 90 percent of time my brain becomes stuck/overwhelmed due to n number of thought processing at one point of time.. So that I forgot who I am? I fee lost.. Struggle to keep track of my thinking/feelings
2. I can remember a lot of situation specially in the office where I feel so overwhelmed that I go to washroom to catch some breath/hold my head in a situation I know I can't handle myself.
3.I believe I am not able to understand the feeling of people if they are joking around/serious/ .. I always go very deep into the meaning of conversation with someone so I fail to crack the essence of the topic.
4. I feel most of the time I am very egoistic and can't take jokes etc.. Because I feel nobody is understanding me and my feelings.
5. I don't understand that nobody has the power to hurt me and most of the time they don't want to because they also have feelings.
6. I discovered that it is the fluctuations of emotions which are controling me like sudden joy/anger/jealousy/insecurity etc.
7. If someone's praise can't make me happy why should I worry if they scold me??
8. I believe mixing with kindhearted non aspie people making me understand jokes/more emotions/helping me to take quick decision etc.
9. Most vital thing in this condition is self hurting feelings which overflows all the time and being unnecessary critical of yourself thinking about how others will dislike me
10. I again believe that I have realized these things very late on my thirties which I should have realised probably in my teen age. I blame my condition/bad upbringing /lacknofself awareness for this late realisation..
11. MY GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD BETTER AND BE MORE EMPHATIC TOWARDS OTHERS...
Love ❤❤❤ to all
I like a group of puzzle pieces as a symbol for inclusion. In that context, everyone including neurotypicals is represented by a puzzle piece, and the message is that we have to and can fit together as a society.
I was not aware of puzzle pieces standing specifically for autists like me until maybe 2021, and after having heard that, it does sound like absolute bullcrap to me.
As for the blue colour, I still like that part. I agree with the original considerations that as blue stands for a calm and patient environment without too much Human interaction, it makes for a more likeable colour for autists like me than red or gold, which are more associated with social interaction or stressful etiquette respectively.
I agree, if I see the puzzle piece, I would like it to be joined with other pieces as well. Because the joining of the pieces to me represents inclusivity, and the shapes and the patterns represents diversity. Everyone on the spectrum is unique in their own special way, they have needs to be met, and they have amazing talents, and some of us here are just normal,And that’s perfectly OK
One of your videos came up on my feed and I had a look, more out of boredom than anything. I've since watched quite a few. I've always been a bit of an 'odd one out', never really fit, and out of nowhere here's some random guy on youtube explaining what's going on in my life & my head with a degree of accuracy that's somewhat disconcerting. What should I do?
I can get behind this (finally something that resonates). I am recently considering that the autism diagnose I received after my 40th might be accurate... The problem that I have with the diagnose of autism seems to be very much, a problem with the desire to see it as a disorder, define me, judge me and diagnose me, instead of looking at what I might bring to the table, because my unique experience of the universe at large is as valuable as anybody else's..
I think autism can be a force for good in the world and there is a reason giftedness and autism are so related as "disorders".
I will never accept" disorder" unless we can agree that "neurotypicality" is the bigger disorder, because it has such trouble embracing neurodiversity..
I have never even seen the puzzle piece and that might explain a lot. Maybe this isn't as alive in the Netherlands.
About the blue lights: I also didn't know this was supposed to be a colour for autism, but assuming this seems to be more of a thing for those without autism to me..
It reminds me of one of my struggles throughout childhood, when kids would pester you about naming a favourite color and vehemently disagreeing or emphatically agreeing with each other about favourite colors...
I did not know anything yet about color-theory or simultaneous contrast, I just felt for the first time that I couldn't answer a question truthfully and have my answer accepted:
I don't have a favourite color, it all depends. I don't think that "favourite colors" are even a real thing, but more a peer-pressure thing.
After a while I learned to join the majority and just say: "red", because nobody was looking for a discussion, just for agreement or disagreement.
The color was blue because for a long time it was believed that only men could be autistic, and blue is the color generally associated with males.
I didn't like the light it up blue - I'm very sensitive against bright blue lights 😎 red sounds like a much better plan; not triggering. Great video again, thank you 🏳️🌈♾
Meanwhile my night light is a blue light as it reminds me of the ocean.
Hey guys, I’m an artist, so what if we as autistic artists (undiagnosed and all) offered our services to our community to help create more original and positive autism pride artwork for tshirts, etc. We could also create a directory of artists online for people to browse through. This would also be a great way to address this issue while not taking away from the more pressing issues people face.
I guess my thought is that I appreciate that non-autistic people are trying to support us in whatever way they know how. I do like the newer symbols better. And I definitely don't like the one that looks like a piece of our brain is missing. But if all someone on the outside knows is the puzzle piece, and they are wanting to show support for us, then I appreciate their effort for trying.
Hello. I started watching your content very recently literally a few days ago because I decided I had enough of people telling mei am autistic. I didn't and honestly still don't quite know what it is. You can probably tell this is an alt account I made for this comment alone. The more I am listening to you the more I think ey! That makes sense. There are lots of things I think I match with that you say about like not being able to read people not caring about other people or social norms outside of things like clearly going against my boss' beliefs too much. Logical thinking and the like I definitely have too much of for my own good although I do tend to forget that other people aren't like that and end up saying things like "but you have no evidence towards it so why?" until someone reminds me people don't work off evidence even though I do. I struggle to feel and express my emotions to the point I have been called a psychopath. Stimming I do random movements like dancing and tap things a lot as well as really weird walks when I'm on my own. The main reason I am doubting it is because of rigid planning I don't do that although I have thought that I should plan my days for a while now and have just made one half way through writing this comment for tomorrow to figure out if it feels better to have that or not but I sort of have a plan for the day just not very clear but the rigid planning seems to be a key indicator but I do things like eating not much verity although I have started eating more different things due to housing arrangement and this whole thing is really complicated. The point of this is to ask for from this information would you say I am aspie or not? Thank you in advance.
I prefer the gold concept you already talked about ;)
I was diagnosed with autism at age 4 in the US in the 2004 I still remember the test... My Mom thought it best to keep it a secret as it was thought of as a bad label so we dicided to work around that fact and treat the syntomies like my many others as a sickly boy... Later I would get ADD at like age 13 diagnosed at age 16 after Scrofenia and a dark time after a medical choice my Mom made rest her soul... still when seeing the mental Disability doctor and my mom finally rembering I had autism I started to explore that side of my self as an autistic adult... And now in the last(?) push for getting on disability I've been bing watching channels with people who have my stuff I've been able to see the obvous... So I like the the puzzle pieces as t fits children the people we need to be most concerned with maybe having autism as they will grow up fast and might one day become resentfull(Like you to be honest) or those who didn't see it earlier... Like Grow up honestly let the people(Kids) Who need the symbol have it and make you own community of folks who had rough lives because they missed out on being that kid with the puzzle peice.
I personally hate it. Because I don't think I am "hard to figure out" like a puzzle implies. I think we communicate what we want and need but are responded to with hate for having needs too often, and that makes neurotyoicals the puzzle to me.
I'm just curious why is it your videos double up on a playlist? I always have to go to your channel and click on the videos individually for TH-cam not to play the same video back to back, like it does if I click on the "Aspergers from the inside uploaded (2) new videos" in my subscriptions notifications. Which is actually the same video (2)..? Your channel is the only one that does this; in my subscriptions..?
It’s unfortunate the autism community sees the puzzle pieces as negative. As a grandparent of a six-year-old autistic child, I would’ve never known the puzzle pieces were considered negative as opposed to putting the pieces together. Like all of us are trying to do.
World Autism Day, April 2nd - my birthday.
I learned on March 23rd 2023 that I am autistic, so just before my 61st birthday.
THAT is why the world needs to learn about autism - because living 60 years in the dark is not good enough.
Imagine how hard it would be trying to cope with being blind, being deaf, having only one lung, or any other physical defect for 60 years - and still keeping up with the world.
It's no different for autistics...but many of us do it!
Neurotypicals are so puzzling that they even designed a puzzle piece logo...
...and then didn't use it to mean themselves.
Unfortunately, here in Hungary (thanks to the homophobic government) any kind of rainbow symbol is going to be associated with LMBTQ. Which leads to other misconceptions, mistreatment, misunderstandings and of course (in many cases) injury...
So even if I hate the puzzle version (especially the incomplete puzzle as it suggests that something is wrong with me), it's much better option than a couple of broken ribs...
Uh, yeah. Autism Speaks MADE the damn thing. We are Not Broken. No matter who or what tells you otherwise. We But assuming that we are some puzzle that needs to be put together in order to understand, like we need to be fixed, is just stupid and hurtful. You can find what people call flaws within yourself, but you can learn how to work with your surroundings and help yourself improve. For others, yes, it IS far more difficult to do so by themselves, but insisting that you need to be in their face all the time like a freaking Genie in a Bottle, or an overbearing parent, will just make that stress worse. It is a spectrum, but we're a spectrum of people. Find your positives, and find ways to use those positives to create more positive impact for your life. Use the knowledge you gained from how you turn the negative into a positive to begin with.
Actually they didn't make the puzzle piece symbol. National Autistic Society did.
Millions in advertising spent by autism speaks spread it everywhere and made it synonymous with their organization in many many people's eyes.
All this time I thought it was a symbol for autism 😢😢😢😢😢 and I don't know why people still use it as a symbol.
I like it too for the same reason as Feenix below. I now feel whole, ie finding the missing pieces of you.
What pieces were lost?
@@ksthoughtpalace3042 parts of me that I didn’t know what they were and I thought I was damaged and I’m not the missing piece of the puzzle was neurodiversity..
For me a puzzle piece does not imply mystery nor does it imply to be solved, but as it’s able to stand out, in a crowd being able to say what it wants, fully independent, without allowing other people to tell it what to be or what to say, able to decide for itself, and I view that as a positive. When they are joined together, they are stronger and represents unity, and A unique difference amongst many people, sometimes someone will need to ask for help, and that’s OK, because we all need help at times.
I mean if you associate with a group and a group uses a symbol. Then yeah you’ll probably have a positive or negative view on it.
When I saw the puzzle piece at first, I liked it. I assiciated it to my attention to details, the way I puzzle the details together, and analyze the world around me to make it make sense. But the other meanings and the history really ruined that. But the rainbow infinity symbol does a great job with its message, so its all good anyway.
I don’t like the boring loop, because I see it as generic and a thing to be used, instead of a person.
The Puzzle of Connection: How Autistic and Non-Autistic People Can Solve It Together
Mutual Understanding as a Puzzle: We can think of the sometimes difficult task of understanding each other's perspectives as a puzzle. Both autistic and non-autistic people hold important pieces to help make sense of the big picture.
Empathy and Effort on Both Sides: Just as an autistic person might work hard to understand social norms, parents, family, and friends put effort into understanding the unique experiences of an autistic person. This mutual puzzle-solving creates a bridge for connection.
Every Piece is Valuable: Just like puzzle pieces, everyone (autistic or not) brings unique strengths, perspectives, and ways of being. Without even one piece, the picture of our shared humanity would be incomplete.
The Symbol as a Collaboration: The puzzle piece can be re-imagined as a symbol of this collaborative understanding. Instead of focusing on "missing" parts, the focus shifts to how every piece is essential to make a beautiful, complete image.
Key Points to Emphasize:
It's not about "fixing" anyone. This approach celebrates differences instead of seeing autism as something that needs to change.
The focus is on connection and collaboration, not a one-directional effort. Everyone can learn from each other.
Empathy and understanding are valued over conformity. It's more about finding ways to understand each other's experiences than trying to force anyone to fit a mold.
I have to ask who exactly is saying its offensive? Is the entire spectrum being listened to because at times, I feel that those on the spectrum who are non verbal &/or have a lower than average IQ are often forgotten by those who are high functioning, can communicate.
Hehe. I just find puzzle logo noisy and hard to look at.
Agreed, especially when it's super bright.
Thank you, if I haven’t said this before. :) ☮️🙏🏼
The idea of speaking for an autistic person comes from the fact that many of them cannot speak for themselves because they are non verbal. I literally have to speak for my son because he cannot do it for himself. And now that the definition of autism has expanded and many people who are verbal are diagnosed as autistic i can see why they do not like someone speaking for them. But please remember that are many who literally cannot speak for themselves. I am his voice
Nothing about us without us I 100% agree. But are the fully speaking/low support needs autistics willing to speak for and support non speaking/ high support needs autistics or just out to advocate for themselves? I feel like high support needs people are very often forgotten about because of how proud and vocal low support needs autistics are
It's a symbol and like all symbols, it has a marketing value. A lot of symbols like this aren't done for those they are intended for, they are done for those that give money, they are designed to be catchy and colourful, animals see bright shiny things and people see colourful things, same principle. There's an old saying, You can please some of the people some of the time, All of the people some of the time, Some of the people all the time, But you can never please all of the people all the time. Sometimes you need to stop where common sense dictates, not to see how far it can be stretched and twisted until it's no longer seen as what it was.
And there also is part of the problem, because humans rarely are beholding to common sense.
Seen that symbol but never had any idea of its context or use. 🤔 Can't say any pictograph speaks for me in any way. Well, maybe a middle finger extended.... 😁
Hello Paul : -). I’ve been watching you for years. Thanks for all the videos. Very helpful as usual. Yes, I’m not quite sure why, but the puzzle piece for me feels like that it implies the simplest things to manage in life are puzzling to us and not for neurotypicals. As if it can be summed up like that. It implies a uniform weakness. Not all with ASD are the same in the mind. Now we might like puzzles some of us. That’s okay. But we didn’t vote for it. There was no page to express and choose. It’s mildly offensive. Implying we can’t choose for ourselves. I’m not sure if anyone feels or thinks similar. But then I don’t know what the most suitable symbol would be. I let things be. I apologize if I don’t understand the puzzle piece correctly.
No it is NOT controversial. I have autism and use the puzzle piece all the time. I never saw it as just Autism Speaks. I didn’t even know the two were connected. To me the puzzle represents unique traits that, when put all together, create a bigger picture of an individuals autism. Puzzles are also seen as creative activities and autistic people are very creative and smart. Its not a bad thing unless you make it a bad thing.
For some reason I had to turn the volume up a lot for this video.
I am a problem to be solved I am suffering pls help
I was diagnosed with autism a few years ago. Since then I have had basically no interest in becoming a part of any autistic community. I'm always interested in meeting and developing relationships with new people. I just didn't see a reason to try to connect with autistic people specifically. The only source of autistic material i consume online is via this channel. Before watching this video i hadn't even heard of the autistic puzzle piece. What I can't wrap my head around is the hate associated with this symbol. It makes perfect sense to me that people want to speak for themselves rather than having someone do it for them. But to have contempt for other people genuinely trying to help you seems very misguided and not useful. Am I missing something and if so what?
The puzzle piece is deeply associated with autism speaks for many autistic people. This is a pretty disgusting group, which really just wants to cure autistic people, and by cure that really means to detect and abort us in the womb. They are responsible for a lot of really disgusting propaganda, in which autistic people are described as if they are diseased with something worse than cancer. They are also responsible for the death of some autistic people by promoting an inhumane facility where shock therapy was applied at critically dangerous levels. They are also known for having no autistic people on their board, and for all minority groups things happen that shouldn't when that minority group is in no way given a decision in that matter. Imagine a group made by only white people to help black people which includes no black people in any of their board. Then imagine a black person joins, and immediately leaves the group because they aren't being treated properly. That is basically what happened the one time an autistic person joined the board of autism speaks, but in terms of autistics and Neurotypicals.
Ill just look at it in a positive way... Nowadays everyone is so negative ugh! See it as the missing puzzle piece the world needed. Positive vibes people!
Unfortunately, saying things like “positive vibes” in response to the issue & simply imagining it means something else doesn’t actually erase the harm done. I also can see the puzzle piece as we are a piece of the puzzle that helps rather than that we are missing a piece somehow, but that doesn’t really change how the vast majority of people see it.. which is NOT that way. That’s the issue, not a negative viewpoint coming from us. This is what the majority of non-autistic people see the puzzle piece meaning & what it’s used to convey by them.
disclaimer : didn't even know about either. pretty sure im autistic. which if is the case you're the one that brougt this to light or me- like earlier today lol.
my opinion: puzzle seems fine. my immediate thought was 'not my first pick but i guess the idea of puzzle fits' which is probably something like ironic? 'cause i was thinking ''oh yeah, i do fancy myself an avid problem solver, even if i can't solve squat with an audience.'' but i see the issue is more WHO is representing WHO. and if the icon/logo/flag etc was made up by someone NOT in that community, i can understand. frankly not bothered either way. kinda diggin the infinity one even tho im not the biggest fan of rainbow stuff, aesthetically. but i guess i can call it a flattened mobius of light? idk i'll come up with something lol. Au its pretty badass ngl. i mean its just plain cool. not sure if it represents as much or as effectively but hey- i just got here xD hardly my place to say, but i feel safe sharing my thoughts
What is ok to use to represent Autism then?
Three things!
1. Rainbow infinity symbol. It represents the spectrum, and the rainbow symbolizes pride in ourselves.
2. Red Instead (ie, instead of light up blue, which was claimed by an ableist group). It's just the color, but good to combat ableism.
3. Autism Creature. It's a lil animal thing that looks like a bald blob with 4 walking stumps. It's way cuter than I describe it, and it's widely accepted by the community.
Ty for asking!
For myself as an autistic woman I don't care about the puzzle piece. I feel like getting upset about it is like getting upset with plaid it's a pattern nothing more. I think our energy is better spent on replacing organizations causing problems and harming us
While symbols carry a certain meaning or set of meanings that's attached to them by people, you have in my opinion a very real point in getting rid of organisations and people in positions causing problems in the autism world. They should indeed be replaced by others if they insist on promoting some of the stupid things they do and, at the same time, instigating unnecessary harm either intentionally or not to our cause. Some of these may be to varying degrees self-serving or indeed well-meaning, but stubbornness in refusing to change wrong beliefs or motives, along with outworn ideas, while insisting they are wholly right and know better, is a very real problem.
As someone with autism, I feel like Autism Speaks kinda ruined the point of the puzzle piece
5 minutes in and I still didn't get a proper answer. So much beating around the bush.
Why the puzzle? Why the infinity?
I find the puzzle to be aesthetically offensive. All those clashing colors jammed together hurt my eyes. The infinite rainbow is more visually soothing.
As a person born with autism remaining objective in terms of psychology , it's symbolises a puzzle missing out of developmental milestones, our perspectives upon it may differ but I find the speculation as autism as a disease more insulting than any symbolic code could ever do at least in my opinion as it does represent a difference in brains comparative to neurotypicals
And the association between that code is autism speaks , which no one should tolerate with a shred of basic sympathy
It is simply all about perspective which is subjective so yeah...fun lmao
It feels the puzzle piece is especially offensive to masks who literally hide their autism to try and fit in by making the struggle we all face to try and fit in while actually being ourself feel undermined
I always kinda low key thought it was f'd up...it's kinda like ..."autistic people are idiots who can't make puzzles", it kind of always pissed me off!