AUTISM, AS PERCEIVED BY AN AUTISTIC PANDA
By Tutty
Hi! My name is Tutty. I’m an autistic Panda. If you are autistic too, you might not like being labeled. Some people place autism under a certain type of category, like we all are good with numbers, or we all rock our bodies sometimes (although I do rock myself a little sometimes because it helps me!). But you and I know that autism, like non-autism, is about each of us being unique. There is not two of us who are exactly the same. We all perceive the world in different ways, and all have different things we are really good at, and things we are not so good at. Boxes and labels limit our potential and for that reason, we need to remind ourselves that we are who we are, and not what the labels and boxes say we are.
I think that when you meet an autistic person you are only meeting that one autistic person. And, in the same way, when we meet a non-autistic person, we are only meeting that one person. But we still aren’t meeting all people and for that reason, we can’t say that all autistic people are the same, or all non-autistic people are the same. Stereotypes have been damaging to a lot of people. People are like ice cream! We all come in many different “flavors”!
Autism is simply a neurological difference that makes us perceive the world in a unique way. But don’t we all perceive the world in a personal way? We each are, our very own kind of normal! Because to say that some people aren’t normal, is to say that we all should be exactly the same to be. While some perceive the world in a logical, or numerical, way, others like explaining it with colors.
If we are all thriving to be “normal”, who will be the people who see and think in a different way? Who will be the ones who improve, create and discover new things?
The colorful sun in my belly represents my own way of seeing things; with imagination, with a pop of color, with a bright and vibrant energy, with a spirit of joy and happiness. My world doesn’t come without its challenges, but so does the world of every other person. My world is simply a different way of seeing life, just like we all see life in our own unique way!
We can celebrate our uniqueness. We can celebrate our differences. We can grow and learn from one another. We can help one another through our strengths and weaknesses. We can all thrive to be “not normal”, but to simply be the best “me” we can be.
Proud of you, for being you,
Tutty
Ps: If you are non-autistic, you might be interested in viewing this video to understand autism a little more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JdCY-cdgkI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JdCY-cdgkI
Or maybe you’d like to see this one too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrrXMO-NrCM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrrXMO-NrCM
NOTE: None of us at Wittle Buddies is an expert in these fields, and our blogs are simply written from the bottom of our hearts. We want to be sensitive to each person who reads us, so if in any way we are failing in doing that, please feel free to contact us so you can help us understand your concerns, thoughts, comments or personal story.
