Intelligent pattern recognition and autism are just the tip of the iceberg. What happens if I focus the magnified light? Ever since I did my informal research on social media in July 2022, I have used my logic-driven pattern recognition like a sponge. I am absorbing everything I come across and using pattern recognition to draw conclusions based on my observations.
For the purpose of my presentation, I communicated with parents of autistic children and autistic people ranging from California to the UK. A considerable swath of geography. After two months of observations, two distinct patterns of information emerged: “aged out of the system” and “over the age of 21.” This means that in those locations, evidence indicates a lack of sufficient autism services for those older than 21. There may even be a lack of services for those under 21.
In January 2023, I published my findings in the article Knowledge Is Power. Not only was my 2019 autism diagnosis not enough, I deduced additional impactful conclusions as well. At no fault of my care providers, I was left to figure out autism spectrum disorder, a complex neurological and developmental disorder, on my own. Publicly available research data was confusing and inconsistent.
Not all mental health professionals take autism seriously in their research or care. As a result of this harmful division, I have observed a rise in autism self-diagnosis and thus a temporary need for it in order to compensate. Lives and livelihoods are still at stake as the quality of autistic life struggles to balance. Therefore, I ultimately concluded that true autism acceptance must first come from within the mental health profession itself.
If we do not establish a unified and consistent foundation, the autism community will continue to be misunderstood by the rest of society, and acceptance will remain elusive. As intimidating as this is, there is a very logical and positive reason for my writing. I am telling it like it is because I believe resource needs can be met and acceptance can happen in my lifetime. Starting with me.
Although my resume is a stark example of how masking ruined my career decisions, it does have one aspect of exceptional importance: exposure to formal research. A primary source is a person with firsthand lived experience. Thus, we represent the best in formal research because we are autistic. Thanks to my experience as a mental health volunteer, I strongly believe education is the key to achieving acceptance of autism. We need everyone.
This is the point at which we converge to recognize the issues facing autistic people over 21 and, as I have observed, potentially under 21 as well. In Pakistan. In Japan. In Canada. In Switzerland. In Australia. In Bangladesh. From ocean to sea in the UK. From coast to coast of the USA. The majority of modern research and development does not include our primary source experience.
The majority of the mental health profession is struggling to define autism using an unsimplified laundry list of behavioral traits. We cannot walk away from autism. It is who we are. It is 2023. I do not say I am Iron Man just because of my last name. I am a futurist, like Tony Stark. The trauma and adversity of my life have shaped me into someone who solves problems before they continue or get worse. This is my life. This is our story.
The time to do more is now.
#LetThatThinkIn
Welcome to the next Autism Experience.
A Pattern of Life and Death.
