In 2019, we said hello to Prince Archie and waved goodbye to Star Wars. We witnessed viral campaigns successfully lead to an egg becoming the most liked picture on Instagram, while other online initiatives (like the area 51 raid) stumbled before they even began. In January, the world came together to discuss the mess that was the Fyre Festival and, in April, a more disastrous fire united us once again, but this time at Notre Dame. Yes, it’s safe to say that the last 12 months have been a mixed bag for our little planet, but what about for our diverse community?

In this final article of 2019, we’ll be looking back over the biggest and best autism moments of the year gone by to answer this very question. So kick back, relax and get ready to reminisce over all those outstanding autism moments from the months gone by – featuring the good, the bad and, of course, all those blasted puppets!

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

What Exactly is Autism?

Two Rubiks Cubes on a blue background

Starting in January with the proposal that there may be three autism spectrums instead of one, and pinnacling in August with a report that autism is so overdiagnosed that it may mean nothing at all, 2019 has been a year of toing and froing, when it came to answering the question, ‘what exactly is autism?’.

Of course, not every theory went down as well as The Game of Thrones finale, as while many surface-level studies failed to hit the mark this year, certain tests into the neurological differences in autistic genders came back with some interesting theories as to:

Furthermore, although we are still a long way away from knowing exactly where autism comes from, a test involving 2 million participants was published in July’s edition of JAMA Psychiatry, suggesting hereditary factors are almost certainly involved.

In contrast, 2019 was also a year which saw the disproval of many vaccine conspiracies, through studies like the 650,000-person strong research from Denmark and the US – something which, even if it did mean my inbox was inundated with anti-vaxxer complaints, signifies that this myth may be on its last legs.

Therapies, Medicine and Technology

Different Types of Therapy

Not knowing what autism is hasn’t stopped us from looking for better ways to care for the condition in 2019 – as evidenced by this year’s ever-developing autism support, which saw advances in a range of fields from medicine to machines.

During the Summer, the challenges of how to tackle the growing autism anxiety problem were met with suggestions of letting our community get its buzz on (with marijuana). While later on, in December, this was pushed further with the recommendation of the horse tranquillizer known as ketamine (to which many a medical board said ‘neigh’).

Over in tech-tropolis, we may not have had the future that Blade Runner promised us, however, 2019 was undoubtedly a fantastic time for reducing the cost of autism therapies and treatments – something which was visible in new apps like the mental health improving AUMI or the development of cheaper autism diagnosis tools for poorer countries.

Conversely, 2019 also brought a wave of better regulation for autism support, bringing into question the success rates of old faithfuls like a gluten-free diet and causing both Amazon and Facebook to crack down on the marketing of ‘autism cures’ which were plaguing their sites. Even pharmaceutical giants Johnson & Johnson weren’t immune to these tightening rules in 2019, as can be seen by the $7billion fine they faced, when one of their antipsychotic drug: Risperdal, caused an autistic man to grow breasts – demonstrating that, moving forward, no one is immune from financial penalties if they don’t offer the support they promise.

Autism Suicide and Self-Harm Rates Rise

The silhouette of a man looking into the distance

In other medical news, autistic mental health remained a huge cause for concern in 2019, when studies such as those published by The International Society for Autism found that people on the spectrum are 8 times more likely to commit suicide.

These figures became even more troubling when examined further, as it became clear that certain segments of the autism community are in a much larger crisis than others e.g. how females with the condition are 15 times more likely to take their own life than their neurotypical counterparts and how suicidal thoughts in children can be as much as 28 times more frequent.

Reasons for this were later looked into by the University of Cambridge and published in Molecular Psychiatry, where it was theorized that the increasing rate of autistic people who self-harm is due to:

  • External factors, in which autistic people are often more likely to face experiences like bullying
  • Internal factors, such as expressing feelings of upset in a non-harmful way.

In 2020, lowering these figures must be a priority by making mental health services for autistic people more accessible – which also must be handled diversely, so that no demographic gets ignored. If you or anyone you know is experiencing thoughts of self harm, please contact any of the following:

Politics Prolong and Propel Progress

The Lincoln Memorial

No matter which way you lean politically, it’s not unfair to say that this year has been a mess for the governing bodies of the world. In fact, in the 7 days since I began contributing to this piece, the UK has had one of the most rage-inducing elections in its history AND the President of the United States, Donald Trump, became the 3rd person, in this post, to be impeached.

As you might expect from anything of this calibre, these events have had a knock-on effect in our community. So much so, that January began on the shockwaves of December 2018, where a US goverment shutdown threatened many valuable autism research projects.

Things weren’t much better over the pond though as, throughout the year, similar projects were put on hold whilst Brexit became all anyone could talk about – ultimately leading to a general election, grinding the country to a halt and additionally delaying the repeal of England’s Autism Act.

Where public funding was concerned, 2019 was certainly a game of two halves for the autism community. Beginning with cuts to the Special Olympics and ending with a surprise $1.8b revision of the US Autism Services. In contrast, the U.K. remains on a much more uneven footing, as we head into 2020, waiting to see if our newly elected Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will deliver on the autism support proposals made in the Conservative Party manifesto (I wouldn’t hold your breath).

The Year of Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg

For this year’s World Autism Awareness Week, I created a post collaborating 30 of the best autism-related quotes from the first seven days, in early April. At number 2, I included a statement taken from a post I had seen shared on Facebook, in which one Greta Thunberg opened up about the strength her autism brings her, whilst commenters responded with claims that this Thunberg’s activism was going to change the world.

In my tiny mind, I believed that the activism those commenters were mentioning was Greta Thunberg’s comments on autism and, like the nincompoop I am, I said that Thunberg was most known for being autistic in my article.

Not one month later, while I was heading to work, I was met by a swarm of striking schoolchildren and noticed that they were all carrying signs with Thunberg’s face on it. While my immediate thought was “I need to find whoever does the publicity for this new autism advocate and get them to help out on the blog” I then looked into the strikes and saw the folly of my ways.

As it turned out (and as apparently everyone other than me knew), Greta Thunberg’s activism started with a strike from school in August 2018 and, while she is indeed autistic, it wasn’t just our community she was fighting for, but everyone threatened by global warming (which is all of us). Her movement quickly gathered steam from here and, through the use of digital platforms such as social media and news sites, her cause has grown throughout 2019 and is now shared by millions around the planet.

While most autistic celebrities cite that autism is just another aspect of their person, on multiple occasions Thunberg has taken the opportunity to state that all she has achieved would not have been possible without autism and the determination/focus the condition provides. Many have targeted Thunberg for this with petty and childish attack but, like the true role model she is, Thunberg has risen above it each time.

Greta Thunberg has now received Time’s Person of the Year, been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and may one day be known as the person who saved the Earth. However, for me, she will also always be that powerful autism advocate I first mistook her for. Demonstrating that, while ‘No, autism is not a ‘gift’ – under the right circumstances, given the right adjustments, it CAN be a superpower’.

Carry on the Conversation

Before we get into today’s discussion, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has connected with this site over the last 12 months. Whether you’re a first time viewer or long time subscriber, it really means a lot to me that you dropped by and gave this page a shot. I will be taking some time off after today for some TLC over Christmas, New Years (and my birthday) but, don’t fret, as I will be dropping in for a brief Decemer news roundup on January 4th, before fully returing on the 11th, revitalised and ready for whatever may come in the next decade.

So, what was your highlight of 2019? No matter how big or small, let me know in the comments below! And, if you’re still hungry for more after reading the behemoth of a post, then why not check out my favourite article of the year: 5 Reasons why Autistic People are SUPERHEROES?

As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.

If you like what you have seen on the site today, then show your support by liking the Autistic & Unapologetic Facebook page. Also, don’t forget to sign up to the Autistic & Unapologetic newsletter (found on the sidebar on laptops and underneath if you are reading this via mobile) where I share weekly updates as well as a fascinating fact I have found throughout the week.

Thank you for reading and I will see you next year for more thoughts from across the spectrum!