Autism Awareness Day - April 2nd 2010

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, a time to educate, and realize the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. WAAD is also a time to celebrate and honor the unique talents and skills that people with autism bring to communities around the world.

Autism is a variation in neurological functioning of the human brain. People representing the autistic spectrum have a different way of social interaction, learning, communication, and emotional perception as opposed to the neurotypical majority in society. About 6 in 1,000 people is autistic, and they are a testament to the neurodiversity within our society. Autistic people often have many challenges, and many require assistance in their daily lives, but they have a unique and unknown culture to the rest of society.

In keeping with blog tradition, here is WAAD with a queer-centric twist to honor and help educate about the LGBTQ minority within the autistic population. There are also reports and scientific research to support the notion that a significant number of people with Autism/Asperger's are non heterosexual ie: gay, asexual, transgender, and/or intersex.

Links of interest:

Gay/Lesbian Aspies Section - Gays and Lesbians with Asperger's.

Autistic and Gay - A blogger's thoughts on how the subjects intertwine.

On having a queer mind - A bisexuals take on being "double oppressed" autistic and queer.

Being autistic and Gay - An out and proud gay autistic man's story.

Sex, Sexuality and the Autism Sprectrum - A book written by an openly gay autistic adult discussing her own experiences and research on LGBT autistic people.

Report on Sexuality and Autism - A Danish study with fascinating results about the sexuality of participants.







Please feel free to share experiences, add resources and links of interest.