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"Autism is a superpower"

Rainbowgirl

I see this type of message everywhere, people talking about the amazing talents that autistic people they've met have and calling it a superpower. They act like being autistic just comes with these amazing abilities.

I appreciate putting a positive light on autism rather than a negative one but it makes me feel like something is wrong with me. I don't have a superpower.

I'm slow, I'm bad at math, my memory is so bad that I fear I may have amnesia, I only ever did average at school and I've been learning the same language for 4 years yet I can't hold a real conversation. 

I'm not really intelligent or talented. The thing I'm best at is just being really interested in certain things (I consider it a good quality of mine) but it's nothing that would be considered a superpower.

Does anybody else feel this way? Is this type of thinking actually damaging to the image of autistic people?

Parents

  • I agree with you.  I get annoyed by the "autism superpowers" idea too, as I don't feel I have any.  I have some strengths, but I'm not sure that they come from being autistic.  However, autism has definitely given me troubles over the years in terms of my career, social life and relationships, so I don't see it as a superpower.  At best, it's a neutral difference.  To be honest, I often see it as a disability, at least in my case, which I know is not always a popular way of seeing it in the autism community.

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  • I agree with you.  I get annoyed by the "autism superpowers" idea too, as I don't feel I have any.  I have some strengths, but I'm not sure that they come from being autistic.  However, autism has definitely given me troubles over the years in terms of my career, social life and relationships, so I don't see it as a superpower.  At best, it's a neutral difference.  To be honest, I often see it as a disability, at least in my case, which I know is not always a popular way of seeing it in the autism community.

Children
  • in reply to Luftmentsch

    Yeah, I understand this perspective too and it is a totally valid one. Sometimes it does definitely feel disabling. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve experienced these troubles, and I hope they are at least in some ways behind you now? I hope others can see both your strengths and difficulties and maybe give accommodations and care as needed.

    Also, I really like the phrase you used, ‘a neutral difference.’ This feels to me like the ultimate end of accepting neurodiversity - that we might all think/feel/act differently, but we all have valid ways of doing so which make sense in our context.