Spread the word!

Q is a surprisingly difficult letter to find a post topic for, so I decided we’d keep this post pretty simple. We’re sharing quotes about autism. These are some of my favorite quotes from autistic self advocates and other people about the truths of autism. I hope that you learn as much from these quotes as I have!

This is a part of the Autism A-Z Series for Autism Acceptance Month. I’m posting every day but Sunday in April about a new Autism topic. You can check out the list of the entire series here. I’m also hosting a Fundanoodle Fundraiser for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, and the last day to get your orders in is Friday, so you can browse products and order here! Now back to the original topic!

Quotes About Autism

I've scoured the web to find some of the best quotes about autism for parents and autistic self advocates. From neurodiversity to thoughts on diagnosis!

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism” – Dr. Steven Shore.

This is probably one of the most famous quote about autism, and for good reason. Autism is a very wide spectrum, so this quote points out that when you’ve met one person with autism you cannot use that experience to paint all people with autism. Each person is an individual.

“I’ve listened enough. It’s time for me to speak, however it may sound. Through an electronic device, my hands, or my mouth. Now it’s your time to listen. Are you ready?” – Neal Katz, a self advocate.

I absolutely love this quote because it highlights the need for parents to listen to disabled self advocates and instead of trying to speak for them. It’s important that we amplify disabled people’s voices instead of shouting over them.

“We are more like travelers from the distant, distant past. And if, by our being here, we could help the people of the world remember what truly matters for the Earth, that might give us quiet pleasure” Naoki Higashida, a self advocate and author of The Reason I Jump.

I love this quote because it’s so unbelievably true. My son sees the beauty in things that I overlook every single day. He brings my focus to where it needs to be in the world, and that is definitely a quiet pleasure.

“I am different, not less” – Dr. Temple Grandin, a self advocate.

Boom. I feel like after she said this, she probably did a mic drop. Or maybe that wasn’t a thing yet… Whatever. This quote is basically just epic. Our kids are different, not less. Autistic people are different, not less. Period.

“Think of it: a disability is usually defined in terms of what is missing. … But autism … is as much about what is abundant as what is missing, an over-expression of the very traits that make our species unique” – Paul Collins.

Yes, yes, yes. Autism adds to people. They can feel more deeply, see things more uniquely and process the world in a beautiful new way.

I've scoured the web to find some of the best quotes about autism for parents and autistic self advocates. From neurodiversity to thoughts on diagnosis!

“Autism is part of my child, it’s not everything he is. My child is so much more than a diagnosis” – S.L. Coelho.

Yes, our children are absolutely more than their diagnosis. However, that diagnosis is also a part of who they are. It’s all about balance. We don’t need to separate our children from their diagnosis because there is nothing wrong with being autistic, but we also don’t need to focus solely on the label.

“I know of nobody who is purely autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin” – Jerry Newport

Oh my word I love this quote. This is a great way to explain neurodiversity to someone who doesn’t understand. Not only is autism a wide spectrum, but every person’s neurology fits in somewhere on the huge spectrum.

“If I could snap my fingers and be nonautistic, I would not. Autism is part of what I am” – Dr. Temple Grandin, a self advocate.

This is the way that I feel about my son, and the way I would guess that he will feel as he grows older. Autism is a huge part of an autistic person’s identity, and the overwhelming majority wouldn’t change it for any reason.

“Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It’s that you’re destroying the peg.” – Paul Collins

I couldn’t say this better at all. The goal of any therapy or “treatment” should never be to make an autistic person act more neurotypical. Ever. They may be successful, and you may feel like that means they’re “cured” but you’re really just destroying them and breaking them down.

I hope that you found these quotes as inspiring and insightful as I did! Do you have any favorites to add? Don’t forget to check out the rest of the posts in the Autism A-Z Series here and get your orders in for the Fundanoodle Fundraiser here before Friday!

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When you get a new diagnosis, what are the best books about autism to read? Check out this list of the best books about autism to add some to your list!There is a large divide between the opinions of disabled self advocates and the parents of disabled children, and I side with disabled self advocates.