Autism Acceptance Month

April is widely known as Autism Acceptance Month, formerly Autism Awareness Month. 

When Autism Awareness Month began, societal understanding of autism was low, and it was important to raise public awareness. More recently, the Autistic community have moved away from “Awareness” towards “Acceptance” to emphasise the importance of accepting autistic people for who they are and striving to make society more inclusive, supportive and accepting of neurodivergent minds.  

This was a step taken by some autistic people to reclaim April and reshape what the month should be about, and to reflect the priorities and direction that the community would like it to take. That means that April is a month where everyone is encouraged to move beyond stereotypes and misinformation about autism, and towards listening to and supporting autistic people, validating their own authentic self. 

However, opinions about the usefulness of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month differ. This is because (even when well-intentioned) misinformation, stereotypes, harmful language or imagery (such as the puzzle piece) can be used, which some people find triggering. Some in the autistic community think Autism Acceptance Month does more harm than good, especially when autistic people are missing from the conversations. Other autistic people find the idea of ‘acceptance’ inadequate and demeaning. 

“We never miss an opportunity to advocate and lead change for the inclusive and accessible world autistic people deserve.”

In the past, Scottish Autism has chosen not to acknowledge or mark Autism Acceptance Month. We didn’t want to be promoting something which a part of the community we advocate for and serve wouldn’t support. At Scottish Autism, we believe that Autism Acceptance should be at the heart of what we do all year round; that we should be listening to the autistic community we serve without containing this to one calendar month. 

However, over time this view has evolved. We recognise and share concerns over the language and imagery that can be used, and we hold a strong belief that all autistic people should be accepted and embraced as their own authentic selves. We also acknowledge that, to challenge misinformation and promote the voices and priorities of the autistic people we serve, Autism Acceptance Month provides an opportunity to use that increased visibility to advocate for the autistic community’s priorities and to advance our mission.  

So while you won’t see us celebrating Autism Acceptance Month on social media, or supporting a specific overarching campaign, we’ve decided to approach April in the same way we should any other month but with additional opportunity to engage the public: we never miss an opportunity to advocate and lead change for the inclusive and accessible world autistic people deserve. We celebrate and embrace difference. That means rising to the challenges of being heard, promoting and amplifying the diverse voices of the autistic community we serve.