One of the main misconceptions and infantilising narratives, pushed from within the community and from those outside the community, is that autism is a superpower.

I find this one funny to a certain extent because it forces me to picture myself in tight shiny clothing, a cape billowing behind me and a giant ‘A’ across my chest. ‘Autism: The Vigilante Helping to Save The City!’

Save it with what? A fun fact and some noise-cancelling headphones?

Autism is not a superpower, it’s a disability. Reframing it as anything else dismisses the reality of living with such a disability. And who does this superpower narrative help? Because I don’t think it’s autistic people, I think it just allows society to shift the responsibility of care away from them.

To reframe a disability as a superpower instead of something that is in fact disabling diminishes the need for care and support that can come with having said disability.

Just like Asperger’s, the superhero narrative creates a divide in the community, placing those with ‘advantageous’ traits above others. It reduces autistic people down to what they could contribute to society and their ability to achieve instead of centring their needs. This is not to say that the achievements of autistic people shouldn’t be celebrated, but more that they shouldn’t be used to overlook the care that someone needs and the reality for those with higher support needs.

A common stereotype of autism is a ‘maths genius’; someone who can calculate any sum in their head, immediately know how many toothpicks are in a box just by looking at them or can teach themselves to code in a day. Stereotypes tend to come from somewhere, and some autistic people are very intelligent and could have the capacity to be named a ‘maths genius’, but autistic people are also human beings and there are plenty of non-autistic people who also have the capacity to be labelled a ‘maths genius’ without being given a superhero label.

Stereotypes become an issue when they are used to overlook and dismiss other realities. When stereotypes are the only basis for someone’s understanding of autism, those who sit outside of these stereotypes are often overlooked. When autism is so routinely referred to as a superpower, it doesn’t take long for this narrative to become a stereotype, especially when this happens in media like film and TV characters.

I want to acknowledge that for some autistic people, this narrative can be empowering. When the world has constantly belittled you, dismissed your needs and made you feel like a burden, it can be empowering to take back the narrative and view your strengths before anything else. For individuals, this can be beneficial. For the autistic community as a whole, it can reduce the understanding of care and support.

Telling an autistic person with high support needs they have a ‘superpower’ can massively dismiss their reality. When someone needs daily support and accommodations, reframing their disability as a superpower is not going to get them the support that they need. It may help to empower someone and reduce the feelings of being a burden, but it physically does nothing for those who need the most support in the community.

I hope that you can find empowerment in understanding your needs and that you have a place in the world beyond what society demands you contribute. You don’t need to be a superhero to be a worthy human being.

This chapter aimed to highlight some common misconceptions that must be acknowledged as misconceptions to ensure that knowledge of autism is accurate and needed care is provided. It can be hard to tell people that you are autistic when you don’t know how they might respond.

Do they have inaccurate knowledge? Will they react badly? Will they say something like ‘Wow, you can talk really well for an autistic person’ because all they know is stereotypes?

Other people’s misunderstanding is not a reflection of who you are.

Top Tips

• You do not need to take the responsibility of educating others and this can often be exhausting and doesn’t end in a productive conversation. Whilst it’s important to correct misinformation, make sure you put your needs and safety first.
• An individual having inaccurate information or a misguided view does not make them a bad person. Stereotypes are often perpetuated by the media and it’s natural for people to end up with false information, especially if they have no personal experience in the subject. What’s important from them is a willingness to adapt and develop their knowledge away from misconceptions.

An extract from Literally: A Joyful Guide to the Ups and Downs of Being Autistic by Ella Willis