Whether personal or professional, individual or group based, political, entertainment, or straight from the pages of sci-fi, it seems that, in 2018, there wasn’t a single area where the work of the autism community couldn’t be felt.
Good or bad, these instances, ranging from tiny triumphs to astonishing announcements, have captured our imagination and always had us talking. So, in honour of these accomplishments and in remembrance of our more dour moments this year, I wanted to finish 2018 by taking a look back at the biggest and best moments from the months gone by.
(As always, links to the full stories can be accessed by clicking on the red titles and the bold headings).
Political Progression:
The saying goes that ‘you can’t measure success’. However, if you count just how many laws and policies the autistic community has had a hand in this year, then wow! the autistic community did well.
In particular, in the UK, we’ve seen a huge change this year. With the introduction of:
- Mandatory training schemes for teachers and medical staff
- Promises to change ‘unnecessary PIP reviews’
- Better access for autistic people to get mental health support
- An extension to the Blue Badge Policy: allowing autistic people access to disabled parking
What’s more impressive than the sheer number of these changes though, is just how influential each and every movement has been. I feel confident in saying that, right now, autistic people are in the best position we have been in – something we can thank 2018 for!
Autistic Representation on the Rise:
It goes without saying that 2018 has been a phenomenal year for autistic representation, but have you ever truly considered just how phenomenal a year it’s been?
We’ve seen both first-time authors and critically acclaimed veterans strut their stuff with The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder and Flamingo Boy (respectively).
We’ve had two outstanding, autism-centric shows return to hugely positive reviews; The Good Doctor and Atypical.
At the Oscars, Denzel Washington was nominated for best actor in the film Roman J. Israel, while On Body and Soul fell just short of winning in the ‘Best Foreign Language Category’… but the less I say about that the better!
On the silver screen, indie darlings such as Please Stand By showed audiences how diverse autistic depictions should be, while Hollywood blockbuster Fantastic Beasts and The Crimes of Grindelwald showed us what they could be.
Although there’s still a fair way to go, when it comes to seeing representation from autistic people of colour, 2018’s casting of the wonderful Talia Grant in Hollyoaks has given us hope that even this wrinkle in our representation will soon be solved.
Yes, it seems that no matter what your preferred entertainment platform was this year, you’re likely to have bumped into one representation or another – and while in past times this may have been cause for concern, the overwhelming accuracy, and clear research which has gone into these depictions, makes me hopeful that the worst is far behind us.
A World of Controversy for Autism Diagnosis:
The world of autism diagnosis was flipped on its head this year; when the first draft of the long-fabled ICD 11 was revealed – a manual which, for better or worse, will go on to become the scripture from which many people on the spectrum will be diagnosed.
For those who like to see the glass as half full, there were many positive tweaks associated with the revision, such as:
- No longer relying on the culturally related study of how children play when diagnosing autism
- Ditching the idea that autism has to affect a person’s intelligence
- Closing the differences between the ICD and the DSM (resulting in a less confusing diagnosis process between medical practitioners)
However, while there are certainly many things the ICD-11 gets right, there are also quite a lot more that it gets wrong. Particular points of contention have included:
- A lower focus on monitoring sensory issues when seeking a diagnosis
- The abandonment of classifying language delay as a symptom
- The move to limited diagnosing criteria: which favours social interaction and restrictive behaviours
Interestingly, one change which the community was worried about with the DSM-5, but have all but embraced in the ICD-11, is that Asperger’s and other individual autism diagnosis have been dropped in favour of an all-encompassing autism classification. A change which, as a result of more harrowing news from the month before, couldn’t come quick enough.
The Dark History Behind Hans Asperger:
On April 19th, the autistic community was brought to a standstill when, historical researcher, Herwig Czech published his findings on medical theorist Hans Asperger. In the report, Asperger was found to have conducted many hideous acts on autistic children under Nazi ideologies in 1940 – 1945 – a diabolical discovery which accounted for a death total of nearly 800 children.
Although prior to this discovery there had been rumblings of Asperger’s association with the Nazi’s during the war, many had believed that Asperger acted as an Oskar Schindler type character: silently protecting autistic people from Hitler’s regime.
The reality, however, is that Hans Asperger had experimented on many autistic people (including children) throughout the 40s and once he had no use for them, they would be sent to be sterilised or euthanised.
While, the real tragedy of this discovery is that we have spent years praising a villain as a hero, it cannot be understated how much of a heavy blow this has dealt to those in the community who identify as an ‘aspie’ – something which previously demonstrated a way of wearing their diagnosis with pride.
Of course, this news should not change how anyone feels about Asperger’s Syndrome or people with Asperger’s Syndrome. However, moving forward it will be impossible to not consider the hundreds of lives which were lost in the name of ‘research’ when reflecting on this condition so many of us share.
Autism Rates in America Skyrocket!
So, here we are at the end of the year and, if America’s constant revision of autism rates is anything to go by, then once again we find that the only thing we know about autism is that there is so much more to discover.
First reported as ‘stable’ way back in January of 2018, autism rates across America have seen a drastic increase over the last 12 months. Rising from 1 in 69 in the first quarter to 1 in 59 in the second, before shooting up again to a rate of 1:42/40 in late November – that’s a total growth of 39% in almost 12 months!
Although the reasons behind this growth are far from certain, many believe that a combination of factors exist as an explanation, including:
- Autism diagnosis becoming more easily available
- Diagnosis criteria changing to give more accurate results (see the news on the ICD)
- A greater awareness of the differences in autistic females
- Social stigma changing, giving those who may have previously avoided taking tests the courage to take one.
While this certainly presents an unstable future in which autism support facilities may have their resources stretched, for me, rising diagnosis rates should always be seen as a HUGE positive. This is because these figures mean that those who may previously have gone through life uncertain, unsupported and isolated, will now have an identity, an understanding of themselves and, best of all, a place within an awesome community who, regardless of race, gender or position on the spectrum, will have their back.
Carry on the Conversation:
What was your favourite part of 2018? No matter the subject, the significance or the relevance to autism, I want to hear about it in the comments below! If you enjoyed today’s article, then be sure to follow this link to my personal favourite (and most popular) post of the year – Autism, Love and Marriage
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
