Ten Powerful Autism Quotes
Despite amazing progress in recent years, there’s still much that the general public doesn’t know or doesn’t understand about autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Advanced research and awareness efforts have led to improved identification of symptoms, accurate diagnosis, treatment options and general inclusiveness.
At the same time, many people don’t fully grasp what autism is and how it affects people if they don’t have direct experience with it.
Not surprisingly, many people focus on the negative effects that autism can have on an individual and instead of on the amazing and unique talents that people on the autism spectrum can have.
Quotes are a great way to explain aspects of what can be complex and complicated situations. So, we have provided 10 powerful autism quotes below, along with a short description of what they mean.
Table Of Contents
One:
“Different, not less”. (Temple Grandin)
In this quote, Dr. Temple Grandin, a prominent speaker and author, highlights how people with ASD aren’t less than neurotypical individuals. Instead, they are just different — just like all of us our unique and different from each other.
Two:
“Autism is not a disability. It’s a different ability”(Stuart Duncan)
Building on the above quote, Stuart Duncan — a single father of one boy who has autism and one who doesn’t — highlights how autism isn’t just about restricted abilities. It is just an aspect of a person that gives them different abilities than some others.
Three:
“We are all different, but we all have that same spark that makes us light up”. (Naoki Higashida)
Japanese poet Naoki Higashida’s quote speaks to the uniqueness of autism — both in general and as it applies to different people. Autism should not be thought of as something that holds a person back, but rather something that simply guides a person differently than others.
Many people with autism have unique and amazing talents, and autism is that “spark” that makes these talents light up.
Four:
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it”. (Charles R. Swindoll)
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll speaks here about life in general, but it applies very well to individuals with ASD. In relation to this quote, autism would be the 10% of life — the thing that happened to a person.
However, it does not define who that person is or what their overall life will be. The other 90% of that person’s life is how they and the people around them react to having ASD and working through whatever challenges it presents.
Five:
“My autism is not a disease. It’s a challenge”. (Kerry Magro)
Kerry Magro, an award-winning professional speaker and best-selling author, embodies the above quote quite well. As someone who has autism, Magro knows all too well the different ways in which his developmental disorder affects him.
At the same time, he talks here about how he takes control of his autism and works to overcome the challenges he faces because of it.
Six:
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude”. (Dr. Scott Hamilton)
Clinical psychologist Dr. Scott Hamilton has a lot of experience working with people with different challenges in life. But, as he says here, no disability can in and of itself prevent a person from leading a happy and fulfilling life.
The only thing that can do that is having a bad attitude about the disability, or anything else.
Seven:
“Autism is not a tragedy. Ignorance is a tragedy”. (Kim Stagliano)
Kim Stagliano, a well-known autism speaker and advocate, highlights here with this quote the stigmas that still surround ASD. She outlines how it’s not a tragedy that people are diagnosed with autism, only that others still are ignorant about it.
Eight:
“My brain just works differently than yours, and that’s OK”. (Faith Jegede Cole)
Faith Jegede Cole is a speaker who grew up with two brothers who had ASD. Her quote explains that people with autism aren’t inherently different than neurotypical individuals; it’s just that their brains operate a little differently.
Nine:
“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism”. (Dr. Stephen Shore)
Dr. Stephen Shore works at Adelphi University as an autistic professor of special education and has written many books. What he says here is that all people with autism are unique, and that no two people are alike. That plays in perfectly with the concept of autism being on a wide spectrum.
Ten:
“We may struggle with social communication, but we have so much love to give”. (Erin McKinney)
Erin McKinney has autism, but hasn’t let that get in her way. She works for a team in the National Basketball Association, and advocates on behalf of people with ASD.
In this quote, she highlights one of the common challenges people with autism face, but also explains that that doesn’t hold people back from being and caring loving individuals.
Blue Gems ABA Supports Children with ASD
The above quotes are just a few powerful messages about different aspects of ASD and just how unique and talented people with autism are.
At Blue Gems ABA, we support children on the autism spectrum every day by administering applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy. This science-based approach to learning and behavior is considered the gold standard treatment plan for children with autism.
Through our years of experience and tried-and-true practices, we help children with ASD build new skills and modify behaviors so they can lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives as independently as possible.
To learn more, please contact us today.
617-297-7998
617-340-3371
info@bluegemsaba.com
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