Autism isn’t something a person has, or a “shell” that a person is trapped inside. There’s no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person–and if it were possible, the person you’d have left would not be the same person you started with.
This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.
Thank you for sharing. I’m close to someone who, before me, had gotten all the worse stereotypes about autism directed at them. Even now they struggle to give themselves the grace that it’s alright to be who they are and that those traits can even be seen as quirks someone could love.