The paradigm shift we need in autism advocacy

Reality: Many (if not most) autistic people are living to survive. Barely coping. Some of us manage to look "fine" but are really struggling to make it through the day.

The hope (as I see it): Every autistic person, even those of us struggling the most, can find comfort, peace, and happiness... IF they (we) have the right support.

This would be significantly more achievable... and for a significantly greater number of us... if changes were made to societal structures. But even without those types of changes, I believe it's achievable.

This is a paradigm shift, because until now, autism supports have focused on keeping us alive. Not helping us find comfort, peace, and happiness (how I'm defining autistic self-actualization).

And this is how I landed on the Autistic Self-Actualization Paradigm... 

A new and evolved way of understanding autism supports. With an associated support model for autistic people with any and all types of support needs.

There's a lot more to all of this, especially when it comes to how it all works... but that's the vision. One I'm hoping others see too. ❤️