Autism in Mass Media

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In digital media that being a boundless connectivity around the world, autism spectrum itself became a concern for all audiences, such as the patient itself, the productive parent who wants rise up the children, medical purposes, and worldwide knowledge to spreading the understanding of autism needs to being support up as a “not struggled disabilities”. There are several famous phenomena in social media that still goes on this year or further:

Light it Up Blue

Light it Up Blue campaign logo by Autism Speaks. Source: autismspeaks

This is a campaign of mass-digital media among and associated with Autism Speaks. Born on 2018 and in autism awareness day, 2^nd April, Light it Up Blue is a reminder event for instances or government or non-profit organization to celebrate for autistic patient that they are not alone to being suffer up. The autistic patient also being not isolated and pretend they are safer on this day since autistic people trying to embrace with various events; such as walk charity, donation fund, and decorating one of building became a light blue paint or lamp.

Puzzle Piece and its other logo

Many autistics represent that simplified into a logo or symbol. In social media, they are using various symbols and logos that being subtle or obvious for general purposes. Here are few examples of autism represent:

Logo of Puzzle Piece from National Autistic Society in 1984. Source: neurodivergentrebel

Puzzle piece itself developed by National Autistic Society as green, black, and white with cried children on the center, combined on one fully puzzle piece in 1984. Many autistic patient that not know about this background. The arise of puzzle piece start on by Autism Speaks with its light blue puzzle piece. In emoji on all Operation System (OS), such as Android and iPhone, they are changing the blue puzzle piece emoji into green puzzle piece emoji for being misguide as Autism Speaks campaign.

Green puzzle piece is the replacement of blue puzzle piece, since blue represent as Autism Speaks campaign. Source: wikiimage

This a one example of problems of puzzle piece that started from digital media that being accepted for general purpose the green puzzle piece represents as autism people alternative. There is also a controversy for puzzle piece, some of mass media evoke that puzzle piece imagery itself being interpret as incompleteness and imperfection, since puzzle itself originally must be solved. 

Autism ribbon on past in jigsaw puzzle piece. Source: wikiimage

Puzzle piece in four colors: light blue, dark blue (sometime, green), red, and yellow, became an official awareness ribbon in past. Since autistic patient being disagree if puzzle piece is an interpret of imperfection, an awareness ribbon of autism in worldwide became as light blue, same as Autism Speaks campaign. They are not using a green ribbon just like on digital media, since it represents of mental health awareness.

Infinity logo of autism and neurodivergent. Source: alamy

Infinity is most accepted logo for autism, since autism itself is a part of neurodiversity. Infinity in rainbow is the most frequent symbol when autism awareness day is being held up, while gold infinity is the most frequent symbol when autism acceptance day. Infinity itself does not have any controversy among autistic advocate. Sometimes, since the infinity symbol itself not only represent autism, infinity advocates any neurodevelopmental disease that present up.

LGBTQ+

Many autistic patient that identifies themselves as being single gender-ed relationship due its limited interaction with peers, especially with dating process between another gender. Since autism spectrum itself defined as a neurodiversity and being want to be inclusive than neutral people, many autistic adult patients want to date and live on lonely with same gender, causing the famous phenomena as lesbian (women with women), gay (men with men), bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) (other like intersex and asexual also present). Take an example, from writer’s experience of being undergraduate thesis.

Josh Thomas, who he is being a patient of autism, ADHD, and openly gay until nowadays. Source: vanityfair

Josh Thomas is one of example autistic adult patient that openly gay both on real life and TV shows (such as Please Like Me and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay). The writer’s does not be further of deep analysis about Josh Thomas due the sources limitation and privacy. Sometimes, autistic adult patient that want to date can be successful to date on proper marriage in different countries and develop a baby milestone. The writer’s does not have a source about this, but on Attwood (2007) theory about Asperger syndrome, patient with autism can maintain a healthy relationship between other genders (exception on bisexual and transgender).

Personal Autism Parenting vlog

Many vloggers, especially family with autistic patient, are being exploited as a daily content for awareness purposes. Take an example as in YouTube like The Gentle Life and 7-Ahead. They are both publish an autistic patient in different perspective for parent purpose. 

Main Page of 7-Ahead YouTube. Source: self-screenshot in youtube

7-Ahead describe Simon and Ezra, two child who have a different level of severity of autism. Simon has level 1 autism on kindergarten, while Ezra has level 3 autism on early childhood. 

Main Page of The Gentle Life on YouTube. Source: youtube

One another, in The Gentle Life, describe Mikko that does not have levels of severity but she is quietly non-verbal. Both of these children are entertaining for parent, also mesmerizing to look, but sometimes, parent without child or want to develop a milestone of a children being worry about the future about autistic features later.

Main Page of SBSK in YouTube. Source: youtube

One of simplest sources that can be parent look for, take a one example as Special Books by Special Kids, an interview channel between another patient with autistic or other rare disease. This source video can be a different view from other autistic patient (children and adult) that experience differently despite autism itself is a spectrum disorder.

Of course, parents don’t to be worry about the characteristics of autism after developing a baby milestone. Taking and talking into professional is very substantial to approach of as the parent to determine baby milestone to be autistic or not.