I suppose any writer with a spine or even a single novel thought will piss some people off at some point. It’s not that I don’t care about making people mad; I do. But if I don’t care more about being honest, then what is this for?

I am not sure when autism became a desired and widely claimed personality trait. More and more people come out of the woodwork every day, loudly and proudly proclaiming that they took an autism test online and they are really, for sure, 100% as autistic as they come.

Is the point where I put my disclaimer in, so you don’t try to argue with me in my comments? Autism is a wide spectrum, it can be diagnosed later in life, girls can present symptoms differently than boys, and you’re not a fraud. Well, I guess only you know the veracity of the last part. I am not saying everyone who is “high functioning” (we will get into that term another day) isn’t on the spectrum.

This is the point where my other disclaimer gets put in; if the shoe fits, wear it?

There is a distinct dichotomy in the realm of autism and you can explicitly see and feel it in support groups, schools, playgrounds, and how people the person. I have come to learn that both sides of the dichotomy suck. Your child is too autistic or not autistic enough. What a bizarre shitty club people are wanting to join.

Why do people long to be a part of this? Can’t we just appreciate your interest in quirky comics, hatred for tight jeans, and alphabetizing your spices? Can’t we just have quirks and dislikes? Why must you come into a room introducing yourself like an alcoholic at a meeting, telling us your name and in the same breath that you’re autistic.

I imagine inviting some of them into a speech or OT center, a special needs classroom, an ABA center, or a developmental pediatrician’s office. If I were a gambling man, I would put a crisp one hundred down that they wouldn’t tell everyone about their autism and how it’s their superpower.

I am angry, I will admit. It makes me physically uneasy when people act as if their autism diagnosis is a defining part of their character. I pity the ignorance of those who think that autism is related to character. Like autism has some authority over your morality, personality, or intelligence.

Laughing while you flippantly talk about your autism feels like a kick in the shin to me. I know you don’t understand the heaviness that some of us carry with the word autism. I forgive you, and I am glad you don’t have to comprehend it.

In the long run, I was always going to make someone mad.