Puzzle Piece controversy

"If it matters, it produces controversy" - Jay Green

    From what I have read, there are 3 modes of thinking about Autism. Two are from the medical standpoint that 1. it is caused by a genetic defect or 2. it is caused by environmental factors. The third is that Autism is just part of a larger spectrum and is a part of a person (like being left-handed). I feel that like with a lot of things, people take these opinions to the extreme. The medical standpoints looks at Autism as something to be cured and the other side equates it like left-handedness, something you can’t cure, not like you would cure cancer so they advocate acceptance and accommodation. 

    I think these different view points of Autism is where the debate about using the puzzle piece begins. Organizations that look at Autism from the medical standpoint were the first to use the puzzle piece. "The puzzle pattern reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition." (www.autism-society.org) In an article looking at the symbols, James McCue writes, “I hate the missing puzzle piece – I am not missing anything, nor do consider anyone I work with to be less then whole.” Different organizations use the same symbol to promote their message, so the symbol of the puzzle piece ends up with many messages tied to it. The autism rights movement chose an infinity symbol instead of the puzzle piece. "The rainbow infinity symbol is associated with neurodiversity in general and the gold infinity symbol represents autism specifically. Gold was chosen because the chemical symbol for gold is Au (originating from the Latin Aurum) and the rainbow is used to show the diversity of everyone on the spectrum. Using an infinity loop demonstrates that autism is not linear; there is no beginning or end. We are all individuals with different needs." Another problem the autism rights movement associates with the autism awareness puzzle piece ribbon is that everyone is aware of autism, but they are not all accepting of it. 

    The puzzle piece is often related with ABA. ABA of the past was definitely inhuman. This website says it best: (https://www.healthline.com/health/aba-therapy#goals)

    ABA has been the topic of debate in recent years. But much of this controversy stems from the way ABA used to be done.
    In previous decades, it typically involved up to 40 hours of therapy each week. Much of this time was spent completing tasks while sitting at a desk or table. Punishment was often used to address unwanted behaviors. And emphasis was often placed on making children more neurotypical or “normal.”
    Today, people are increasingly recognizing the value of neurodiversity, which refers to the diverse ways the human brain can function. In response, ASD treatment is moving away from trying to “fix” people with ASD.
    Instead, treatment focuses on changing behaviors that cause difficulty, allowing children to develop the skills and strengths necessary for a fulfilling, independent life. Unwanted behavior is generally ignored by therapists today, rather than punished.

My thoughts:

    First and foremost, Why does everyone have to be on one side or the other? It's not black and white! 

I am not apposed to the puzzle piece. I understand there have been some organizations that have used it in a negative way, but not everyone does. It is a widely known symbol of autism and autism awareness. Using the puzzle piece, which has had some negative connotation in the past, is not like trying to repurpose a swastika. I am a bit apposed to a rainbow infinity symbol because of the rainbow colors used by the LGBTQ community could be confusing. The gold infinity symbol would be a good representation but I personally haven't seen it used anywhere yet. Some comments refer to the puzzle piece ribbon as childish. I think it would be ok for autistic adults to identify with a different symbol than children, but don't take the puzzle piece away from them or their parents. 

    I think it's hard when you can see both perspectives of the argument and both sides have valid points. When autistic adults say that autism is apart of them and it's not something to be cured, they have a valid feeling of not wanting to change or mask themselves but I feel those adults are at a place where they are functioning in society well. When a parent of an autistic child says they want to find a cure for autism, it is coming from a loving place, because their child is struggling daily. Perhaps they are non-verbal and struggle with communication, often personal connections are hard so children don't show affection to parents or friends, or sensory overload can making going in public harder, heck it can make wearing clothes harder. So I feel the analogy of comparing autism to being left-handed could be accurate except they don't look at the whole picture. Is being left-handed bad, no. But is being left-handed harder in a right-handed society, yes. There are struggles with being left-handed, from smearing ink when writing to not finding left-handed scissors. So saying finding a cure for left-handedness might seem silly and it isn't like curing cancer, in this analogy, wouldn't finding a cure make day to day struggles easier for some people and it wouldn't change who they are or their personality. As adults, too often we forget what it was like as a child, so don't dismiss everything that has gotten you to where you are today. 

    As far as autism awareness, I think people are becoming more aware of the word autism, but I'm not sure they are aware of how autism affects individuals. So I think autism awareness and acceptance is still needed.