Autism is Not My Personality

Tom explains that autism is not a part of his personality and is a disability that has hurt him. He does not feel that it is healthy for people to convince people with autism that their disorder is a part of who they are because why would something hurt them if it was a part of who they are? Tom sheds light into the mystery within the autism community as to why some love autism and some hate it. Parents and doctors often try and convince children with autism that their disability is a part of who they are in an attempt to create confidence and self-esteem however Tom feels that this can be misleading to a teen who will then become an adult and wonder why they have been treated the way that they have because of their personality or because of who they are. Tom does not understand how any disability could be a part of who someone is. We would never tell someone with cancer to just embrace and love their cancer because that is a part of who they are. Tom shares of the post traumatic stress he feels he copes with because people keep trying to tell him that autism is a part of who he is. Women he likes and wants to date tell him that autism is why they cannot date him or why they need to charge him a fee to date him so Tom feels he cannot accept autism being a part of who he is unless women can also accept it as a part of who he is. This book will help you gain understanding into the mental health effects of how autism is viewed can be devastating to teenagers and adults on the autism spectrum.