Ok so this isn’t aimed at Single parents only, but Autism Parents, and Autistic people in general. Autism Awareness month is great. So don’t get me wrong I am not bashing the support and awareness that does actually come from these awareness months. But sometimes they do not actually serve the people who they are aimed at as much as they should!
I don’t know about you, but have you noticed how many more people are so supportive of Autistic people this month?
But the Question is:
Where were they last month?
Where will they be next month?
I love social media, but most of the time I hate it. It reminds me how annoying and hypocritical people are. I remember during covid I had to take myself off of Facebook before I caused a scene.
The amount of people who would be posting on there, berating and naming and shaming others who were breaking the lockdown rules… when I knew for a fact that they were breaking the same rules- But it was okay, they had a valid reason of course!
The same goes for Autism Awareness month!
If I didn’t have business on Facebook, I would be off of there completely. But now I just mute or delete people with no regrets.
The same people who often post memes along the lines of…
“In my day ADHD and Autism didn’t exist because we actually disciplined our children…”
Karen. Facebook. April2024
Are now posting and tagging all the amazing Autistic people they have in their lives… their friends, their grandkids, nieces and nephews.
The same people who have said in the past to me that my children don’t look autistic, or that the behaviour they are displaying isn’t autism, they just need to be forced to do what they don’t want to do…
Are now re posting videos or posts that describe those exact behaviours… and are standing in solidarity with those people who are struggling!
The same people who are…
“Taking my hat off to you, you have so much on your plate… I don’t know how you do it everyday. Let me know if I can help!”
When I have posted a meme or a video…
Are actually NOWHERE to be seen in real life!
Obviously the outright, seemingly supportive posts are great. They are raising awareness, and showing their love and support for a group of people who are so often left struggling with little support, not having access to services that should help them, and being outcast and excluded from life in general.
But are they actually supporting those people for the rest of the year? In real life? Or even just on Facebook?- In general, NO, they are not!
I get that the point of awareness months are to draw attention and raise awareness… and I am sure that it does to some degree… I am by no means suggesting that everyone you see posting these things isn’t actually doing their part to ensure that the autistic people in their families and in their lives are well cared for, loved, supported and included, but a lot of them are not only even trying, but actually neglecting and ignoring them!
Autistic people need your support in real life and all year, not just for one month!
In my opinion, from what I can see, Awareness months serve other people more than the group who they are supposed to be representing! It is another way for people to make them selves look and feel a little bit better about themselves…
They have done their bit… posted a solidarity meme… reached out to offer fake support… they are good, supportive people after all and Facebook now knows it…
So now they can move on!
