You are so special! Now you have “Autistic Joy” too!!!
Oh man, here we go again. I am noticing lots of online conversations, and now suddenly Youtube and blogs, suddenly even articles written about “Autistic Joy”.
I am not certain where this originated but the same people who promote “special interests” and “autism is a superpower”, “autism is a gift” are at it once more.
I have been scolded and prompted to respond to multiple queries about my “special interests”, my “superpowers”, my “Autistic Gifts”, and now my so called “Autistic Joy”.
The power of positive thinking is real, the ability to recognize and appreciate the good things in life is real, the sense of accomplishment or self we may obtain from recognizing positive traits in ourselves is healthy unless it is unrealistic or imagined.
I find these prompts to be condescending and actually the opposite of empowering. They all fall under that “special” label where we are constantly pointed at and labeled and “othered”.
These things may be well meaning and meant to encourage a positive outlook in children, but when some 20 year old lectures me about my “special abilities” and how I should be proud because I am autistic, I wonder what sort of BS they have been raised to believe.
Autism in childhood is hard enough, wait until they figure out they have been given a completely unrealistic evaluation of their abilities and their potential (you can be anything you want to be)
I am proud of my autism like I am proud of my diabetes or my high blood pressure. These things are what they are and I don’t go around like some PR person touting the “advantages” of these conditions and how important they make me.
I smell something bad when patronizing people praise and condescendingly (metaphorically) pat me on the head, telling me how wonderful I am.
There may be advantages to being autistic, but in all these years of living, I’m not sure I can name even one.
Most people experience positive traits, and can appreciate things about themselves, but that does not make them “special”. Yet folks are here all over the internet once again telling me how “special” I am.
Its perhaps mistakenly meant to be positive or encouraging, but I smell condescendingly shallow patronization and back-handedly once again pointing out that for an autistic person, I am doing so very well! For an autistic person, pretty good, (still not neurotypical though, too bad for you, your performance in one or two areas of life may meet or exceed neurotypical norms, good for you, you are so special! )
PS, even after almost 73 years of life on this planet I am unable to find “happiness” and as far as I am aware, have never experienced “joy”.
Your experience may be different, good for you, that’s not bad for an autistic person!!!
( sarcasm)
Special Autism
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OldLady With Autism 
thank you this is literally a breath of fresh air
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You’ve said it so very well…thank you. These are my thoughts exactly.
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This needed to be said!
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I agree. I wonder if it’s a generational thing? I’m younger than you, but, I suspect, older than the people talking about “autistic joy.”
I seem to meet a lot of autistics online who want to accentuate the differences between autistics and neurotypicals (as if there weren’t enough already!), apparently to show that we have some kind of advantage. Sometimes it comes across almost as anti-neurotypical prejudice or at least a sense of “We’re as good as you are (but really we’re a bit better — we have autistic joy, not mere neurotypical joy).”
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Sorry…this stupid phone published my comment before I finished. I meant to say your anger and annoyance about how condescending it all sounds is justified. I can hear the condescending nature of it….it’s quite a shrill and annoying ‘power of positive thinking’ take on being autistic. Instead I find it good to just talk about it with others who understand the good and the bad of the experience. I’m really glad to connect with you from Athena AKA Content Catnip
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Thank you so much. What you say is a breath of fresh air. Like you I am late-diagnosed in my 70s. It was a relief to know after a lifetime of believing all my troubles had to do with my shortcomings, (basically being dumb, of course not said so directly, more like in neurotypical speech as “you are just slower than everyone else’-but I wasn’t) , and if I just tried harder, I’d improve. And God knows how I tried. It nearly killed me and certainly warped my life. What I’d like to hear from the neurotypicals is not cheerleading or more coding masked “as special” but “How can we understand those on the ASD spectrum better.” What can WE do/change to make communication work. How does his/her/their mind work? Just knowing. Not relating.” Those of us on the spectrum have spent our whole lives trying to discern the mystifying workings their minds (why are they so unrelentingly social is so often my question). We are different, YES, And there is Gobs of information are out there explaining the workings of that difference and how it manifests, written by us . But since my diagnosis not one person, even dear friends, has reached out, curious to enter my world.
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I think it’s neurotypical pretense meets naive, youthful optimism. NT’s love to virtue signal with slogans and social rituals that allow them to pat themselves on the back (“Thank you for your service”, “I voted”, “I gave blood”, “I stand with ____”). I imagine young people who are disabled or, simply, disadvantaged in some way, are desperate for some alternate view that gives them hope, even if it’s false hope.
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