In keeping with the month that is home to bonfire night, November was an explosive time for the autism community. We had incredible breakthroughs (both scientifically and theoretically), we had prominent representation (both good and extremely poor). We also had one of the biggest public meltdowns our community has ever seen (and strangely the person responsible isn’t even autistic).
Not quite sure what I’m talking about, well then you’re in the right place because, today, I’m going to be wrapping up the final month of Autumn with a countdown of the top 5 autism announcements for November 2020 and, boy, is this one you don’t want to miss.
[As always, links to the full stories can be accessed by clicking on the red titles and the bold headings]
5. I Am Greta
Looking for something new to watch that will help you forget how rubbish the world currently is, but will also remind you of how much more rubbish the world could be? Then do I have the recommendation for you as this month saw the release of the Greta Thunberg documentary I Am Greta and with it came a powerful message of positivity about the autism community.
Taking place from the start of Thunberg’s school strike, all the way up to her carbon-neutral journey to the UN Climate Conference in 2019, this documentary, which is currently available to stream on Hulu (as well as in one cinema in the UK), is a powerhouse for demonstrating the impact one single person can have, and its secret is a celebration of individuality.
In particular, it’s incredible to see that director Nathan Grossman has chosen to frame Thunberg’s autism not as something which she overcame, but something which has been a strength to her – a decision which feels apt, given Thunberg’s comments on Asperger’s being a superpower. Yet again, this marks a huge step forward for autism representation and so, if you have Hulu (or happen to be in that one area showing the movie), then I encourage you to check it out.
4. Is Autism Research Diverse Enough?
There are many reasons why we still don’t know what autism is. Take for example the diverse ways in which the condition can present, or consider for a moment how even our traits and quirks change with age. Put together, all these factors add up to one big headache for those studying the spectrum. However, none of this has been helped by the fact that most autism research has a gender, age and ethnicity bias.
That’s why, when it was announced last month that an analysis of African born neurodivergents had revealed almost 4 million previously undocumented variations in the genes related to the conditions, I wasn’t surprised (in fact, I was more annoyed as it made me wonder how many other discoveries are lying in wait – for an era of more diverse research).
Of course, whilst even the lead investigator of the study: Maria Chahrour, claimed that the key takeaway here is how it proves the need for accessing the whole spectrum when in academia, the actual findings themselves are interesting, as they further prove that autism is more genetic-based than a product of our environments – more of which you can read here.
3. Jessica Benham Becomes First Openly Autistic Representative-Elect
One of my favourite parts of researching for the autism news roundup is that it allows me to see just how far our community is pushing forward in real-time. This was particularly the case in October 2019’s post; when I had the opportunity to write about Jessica Benham (who had become the first openly autistic legislator) and it’s once again the case when, this month, we learnt that Benham has now become the first openly autistic state representative-elect.
Now, for those who haven’t read that previous post, it should also be stated that Benham is bisexual, which means that, not only is she the first openly autistic state representative-elect, but she is also the first female LGBTQIA in a statehouse – because breaking down one wall wasn’t enough for this role model.
After winning the Pennsylvania seat from the long-held republican Harry Readshaw, Benham states that she now wants to focus on ‘improving infrastructure and ensuring access to quality health care’ – a pledge which she will work to fulfil, whilst also doing what she can to help with that minor issue of a global pandemic.
2. A New Theory From Simon Baron-Cohen
Known as one of the leading voices in autism, Simon Baron-Cohen has a long history of posing possible explanations for the autism community which, for better or worse, always shift perspectives and spearheads new ways of thinking, i.e. ‘The Theory of Mind’ and its less successful sequel ‘The Extreme Male Brain Theory’. Now, with the release of his new book: The Pattern Seekers, this may once again be the case thanks to something Baron-Cohen describes links to ‘Extreme Systemizers’.
‘But what are extreme systemizers?’ you may ask, well in truth, it is an idea which further pushes the image of autistic people as ritual bound creatures but, with the added twist that this mindset is what has pushed forward human development for 20,000 to 100,000 years (which is a bit of a vague timeframe but hey ho).
The theory behind this is that, as certain individuals repeat things over and over again, they eventually find a way to improve things which, in turn, becomes the rising tide that raises all ships. Unfortunately, it is claimed that this obsessive behaviour subsequently makes us no good in social circles, as we are built to improve on what we know and, as such, we don’t waste our time with the new.
All in all, this isn’t something I can comment too much on until I read the book myself but, as its promotion of the theory has already been picked up by outlets such as The Spectator and The Times, I thought it best to include this brief overview here.
1. Sia Debuts Controversial ‘Music’ Trailer
I genuinely believe that no one has ever woken up and thought ‘How do I infuriate an entire segment of society today?’. That’s why, when music artist Sia released the trailer for her upcoming directorial debut this month (a musical about an autistic girl being, erm, autistic), I wanted to give it a fair shot – but oh! How the artist turned director made that difficult to do.
This wasn’t because of the film itself though. After all, while many people have taken umbrage with the fact that the autistic character isn’t played by an autistic actor, this isn’t something I care too much about (click here for a full explanation of why). However, what I did find challenging was how little autistic involvement there was of any kind, with the trailer coming across as nothing more than ‘inspiration porn’ (for lack of a better word); in which autism isn’t a part of the story but a crutch for the plot to lean on.
Things went further downhill from here though, as, after the video’s release, anyone who was caught critiquing it on Twitter was personally confronted by the pop star herself (a lack of tact which suggested that the ‘self-proclaimed advocate’ had anything but the autistic community’s best interest at heart) and these comments went from responsive to just plain nasty.
This went on for almost an entire day, with the tantrum revealing even more red flags, such as how the controversial Autism Speaks was involved with the creation of the film and it subsequently ended with any interest I had in seeing the movie being all but vanquished. What this now means for the actual film is unclear, yet, what is obvious is that a little more research could have gone a long way for the Chandelier singer.
Carry on the Conversation:
Are you willing to give the Sia film a chance or do you believe the damage is already done? Let me know in the comments below. And if you would like to hear more autism theories like those of Simon Baron-Cohen, then check out this article: The Intense World Theory of Autism Explained.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised, on Instagram @autisticandunapologetic and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next time for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
