I was trying to think what I would have filled this post with, if the sheer number of autism announcements which came this week hadn’t. Perhaps I would have dived into those smaller pieces of local triumph, or maybe I would have created some kind of a personal update. Whatever the case, I’m sure it would have been a lot more uplifting than what’s to come…
Yes, May has not been a cheerful month for our community and, despite doing my best to put a positive spin on things, this week really did hit hard. So, for those of you who are here for my usual dose of optimism, you might want to skip this week’s post because here are May’s most unpleasant news items; ranging from the worst to, no wait, they’re all pretty much the worst….
(As always, links to the full stories can be accessed by clicking on the red titles and the bold headings.)
5. ‘The Autism Challenge’
If you follow my newsletter, you will know my belief that drawing attention to the recent TikTok Autism Challenge (a challenge where people pretend to have limited mobility to mock autists) can only do harm. Yet, here I am again, still shocked and still saddened by this callous and cruel trend.
However, since mentioning The Autism Challenge last week, things have only become more frustrating on the social media site; a feeling which comes after Tik Tok’s response to the offending accounts was to crack down on all autism-related content (hiding anything spectrum-themed whether offensive or not).
Thankfully, on reflection of the events which took place this month, it does seem that the vile people who were uploading these videos have since been met with almost universal disdain but, given that these people thrive on attention, I once again want to reiterate that the best way to respond is by not responding at all.
4. Dominic Cummings Breaks Lockdown
Chief Adviser to the UK Prime Minister: Dominic Cummings, found himself in hot water this month after evidence emerged that he had broken England’s lockdown protocols to visit his wife and autistic son during the quarantine.
In response to the allegations, Cummings stated that this was due to his spouse having taken ill and that he had no one else to look after his son – an admirable response, if it wasn’t for the new evidence (which has since surfaced) indicating that his actions were far from a one-time thing – oh dear.
Of course, this isn’t a political page, so I won’t be going into more detail than that. However, it should be noted that, even if it wasn’t for the news reports, Cummings isn’t the only one struggling with autism support during the lockdown and, yet, many are soldiering on regardless.
As such, while it is incredibly frustrating to see that Mr Cummings doesn’t appear to give two shakes of a stick about the rules his government put in place, I encourage everyone currently reading to not follow his example- as staying home is still about saving lives (and one bufoon’s movements will never change that).
3. YouTuber ‘Rehomes’ Adopted Autistic Child
After fans began to speculate why family blogger Myka Stauffer’s adopted child Huxley had not been appearing in her videos, this month, the YouTuber announced that she had ‘rehomed’ her China-born son – stating that, when she received him 3 years ago, she was not aware he was autistic (as though all babies come wrapped with a label stating ‘caution may contain autism’).
Now, I have always tried to be impartial when it comes to news items where we don’t know everything, yet, no matter how far back I look into Stuaffe’s story, her disgusting actions only seem to propel the image of a monster: a foul individual who coerced her followers into paying for the child’s adoption, only to use him as an onscreen prop until he became challenging.
Thankfully, if there is a silver lining to this report, it’s that Stuaffe’s sponsors have since parted ways with her ‘family-friendly’ channel. However, this does little for the upset I feel when thinking about the now 5-year-old Huxley – an orphan who has had to move from 2 homes in his short lifetime; firstly travelling across the globe to a new country (and culture) and then being forced out of his ‘forever home’ for being different.
2. Does Having an Autistic Sibling Increase the Chance of Having an Autistic Child?
It seems a while since we last heard from the world of autism research, but after rummaging around every journal to find something less saddening to discuss this week, I found a rather fascinating report that documented how the chances of having an autistic child are impacted if you have a sibling who is also on the spectrum.
In this study, which comes from the U.S. Institute of Health, researchers cited that, despite autism being hereditary, there is only a slight increase in probability if a child has an autistic aunt and uncle (going from a rough global average of 1% to 3%-5%).
Interestingly, the study also found that it didn’t matter whether the history of autism was on the mother’s or father’s side – something which the study remarks is further evidence that the currently reported ratio of autistic to males to females is far from accurate.
1. COVID Funding for Scottish Autism Charities
And finally, in more positive news, this month the First Minister of Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon, announced that additional funding was to be given to the Scottish Autism Helpline and National Autistic Society Scotland – to help isolated autists during the coronavirus crisis.
This funding is likely to come as a huge relief for those charities (especially during a time when financial uncertainty is leading to lower funding) and, externally, the focused announcement was ideal for highlighting and raising awareness of the struggles many in our community are currently facing.
Since receiving the money, National Autistic Society Scotland has redesigned their website to temporarily replace face-to-face meetings with online consultations and, additionally, they have implemented a space on their site for autistic people to meet up and virtually escape the anxieties of the current COVID climate.
Carry on the Conversation:
Do you have any news that could brighten up this dim month? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you would like to hear more about the work autism charities are doing for our community, then be sure to check out this article: What do Autism Charities ACTUALLY do?
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 week for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
