I’m going to be honest with you, February has been a pretty dense month for autism news. However, like the world of autism, my February has also been ridiculously busy and I now find myself getting ready to write this article, sitting in Pret-A-Manger, eyes half-mast and ready to take a vacation in the land of nod.

However, before Mr Sandman does pay me a visit, I’m going to keep my energy high by reflecting on those fantastic moments that went on in the wider autism community over the last 28 days, as I bring you the top 5 pieces of autism news from February 2019, aka the last article I write before I fall into an eternal slumber, thanks to the stress of moving flat (I’m not being dramatic, you’re being dramatic!)

(As always, links to the full stories can be accessed by clicking on the red titles and the bold headings).

Honourable Mentions

Hollyoaks See the Person not the Condition

February may be the shortest month of the year but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t packed full of notable moments. So, before we do get into the top 5 round-up, let’s quickly take a look at some honourable mentions:

The Top 5 Autism News Pieces for February 2019:

5. Ryan Hendry steps away from Autism Advocacy

Ryan Hendry Leaves Autistic UK and advocacy

Ryan Hendry, for those unfamiliar, is/was, a one-of-a-kind when it came to the world of autism advocacy. Having received a diagnosis at the age of 16 (during his GCSEs), Hendry has spent half a decade fighting for autism understanding/awareness is Northern Ireland, the U.K. and pretty much anywhere else that was willing to hear his message.

Extremely outspoken and never afraid to put up a fight, Hendry’s strong beliefs often put him at odds with those who were unwilling to make changes for better autism acceptance and, while I myself even traded blows with him at one point last year (over whether it is still acceptable to ‘light it up blue’ for W.A.A.W), I have always respected Hendry’s strong drive for justice within this community.

Sadly, Hendry began February by announcing his departure from the world of advocacy due to personal reasons, as well as, stepping down from his position as Press Officer for Autistic UK (an autism charity ran by autistic people). His retirement marks a great loss to autistic people everywhere but, nevertheless, I wish him all the best in whatever he pursues next.

4. The Autism History Project

The Autism History Project is my favourite news from February

Set up last month by Ellen Herman from the Department of History, University of Oregon (someone who should be going on to everyone’s Christmas card list this year) The Autism History Project is a new online archive which collates ‘the people, ideas and topics that shaped autism in the 20th century’ – from the first mention of the word ‘autism’ in 1911, through Han’s Asperger’s unethical experiments in the 40s, right up to the birth of the neurodiversity movement in the 90s.

The site (which can be found here) isn’t just for academics, however, as it also includes autistic artwork, discussions from autism advocates such as Templin Grandin and autistic literature which, for good or bad, has impacted on autism perceptions over time.

The whole thing just reads as a celebration of autistic history and, while it is far from the most revolutionary item to come out of February, it is undoubtedly my favourite and well worth losing yourself in.

3. Stim Finds Funding

Stim finally finds funding

Just shy of one year before it launched, this February, Lizzie Huxley-Jones announced that Stim: a crowd-funded anthology of feature stories, essays and artwork by talented autistic folk (including the likes of Laura James and Rachael Lucas) has hit its target.

First conceived in March 2018, Stim aims to break down preconceptions of what autism is like and how autistic people act – not by creating one outstanding depiction of life on the spectrum but by celebrating how diverse we all are through various perspectives. While no official date for release has been given (yet), this is a project I will continue to follow closely and celebrate every step of the way.

2. An open letter to remove Autism from the Mental Health Act

Autism is not a mental health disorder

After a series of disturbing reports, stating that autistic people had been ‘sectioned’ and locked in mental health units across the U.K., last month, the National Autistic Society began petitioning for and exploring ways to stop autism being defined as a ‘mental disorder’ under the Mental Health Act.

While this decision in itself is a natural progression which, falls in line with our more current understanding of autism, the fact that these accounts of imprisoned autists has risen in a time when the U.K. government had stated it would reduce these figures, means that the recent news has been rightly described as a national scandal.

If successful in their campaigning, a change in how autism is described will mean that less autists will be ‘trapped’ in units where staff have not received proper autism training and patients are at risk of over-medication. So, if this sounds like something you want to stop – which you certainly should, then click this link and find out how you can help here.

1. Puppetgate

The story on everyone's lips was puppetgate

And here we go. Without a doubt the biggest piece of news to come out of last month #Puppetgate, refers to the protests & boycott of the new autism centric play: All in a Row, a London-based production which made the controversial decision to use a creepy puppet as Lawrence, the leading autist and central point of contention within the play.

While I myself did not want to pass judgement on All in a Row until I had seen it, its portrayal of autism by using a puppet, rightly ruffled a few feathers when the show was first announced. This became more heated moments after the original trailer, when the N.A.S. openly came out with a statement saying that, after seeing the play themselves, there was no way they could support or put their name behind its depiction of autism.

This ultimately led to a protest outside the theatre, on opening day, as well as outlets such as The Guardian labelling the play as a ‘grotesque step backwards’ before finally succumbing to reviews which could probably be described as ‘mixed’ at best.

All in a Row now stands as an example of how far we still have to go, when it comes to autism acceptance. Its blatant disregard for the feedback given by the autism community demonstrates a gross realization of how autistic perceptions are still being openly mishandled by those with less than reputable agendas. For my full review of the show click here.

Carry on the Conversation:

What were your highlights in February? Let me know in the comments below. And, If you want to hear more on today’s number 1 news item, be sure to follow this link to my All in a Row: Review.

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.