The Meaning of the Autism Puzzle Piece Symbol

Nearly 60 years ago, the United Kingdom’s National Autistic Society was looking for a way to symbolize what it means to have autism and to raise awareness for the developmental disorder. What they created in 1963 was a symbol that many people still associate with autism today — the puzzle piece.

When that symbol was introduced, it was meant to represent how autism is complex and how it’s often a mystery. It was also meant to convey that autism had to be solved and was a challenge to understand.

At the same time, the intent behind the puzzle piece symbol was to highlight how diverse autism is, and how each individual who is diagnosed with it is unique, having different challenges and strengths.

The autism puzzle piece symbol was also intended to symbolize how important it was that different abilities and perspectives needed to be brought together so that society could be more inclusive.

For all the positive awareness the puzzle piece symbol has brought to autism, it’s not universally accepted by everyone. There are some controversies about the symbol and what some people believe it exudes.

Here are some of the controversies around the autism puzzle piece symbol and what other symbols are used to represent autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Stigmatization

One concern of the puzzle piece symbol is that it focuses on fixing autism. Puzzles are meant to be solved, and some people believe that this symbol insinuates that autism is something that needs to be solved, too.

This goes against modern thinking about the topic, which believes that all individuals should be accepted for who they are, whether they have autism or any other challenges.

Infantilization

Some people with autism are forced to deal with infantilization, or the practice of treating a person as if they’re a child, even when they’re not. Much of this is due to autistic people facing challenges with communication, socialization and even essential daily tasks.

Critics of the puzzle piece argue that the symbol perpetuates this stereotype by implying that people who have autism are either incomplete, have to be solved or put together, or are missing something.

The symbol is just one piece of the puzzle, after all, and not a complete puzzle.

Harmful Practices

How autism is viewed and treated today is much different than it was 60 years ago. Today, it’s much more widely accepted, and advanced treatments such as applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, have been proven to help individuals on the autism spectrum build the social, communication and daily skills they need to succeed in life.

It wasn’t always this way, though. At times, some harmful practices were used in autism treatment, including forced normalization and institutionalization.

Some people believe that the puzzle piece symbol serves to remind people of some of these negative aspects, since it was created at a time when there was a lot of negativity surrounding autism.

Is All of the Reaction to the Autism Puzzle Piece Symbol Negative Today?

While there are controversies surrounding the autism puzzle piece symbol, not everyone believes it is negative. Just like autism itself affects people in unique ways, so, too, do people have unique and different views about the puzzle piece symbol.

Autism Speaks, one of the world’s leading advocacy groups for ASD, still uses the puzzle piece symbol today to raise awareness. It has, however, updated the symbol with a wider spectrum of colors.

The organization says this new version of the symbol “is meant to be representative of the spectrum of perspectives and experiences autistic people may have.”

Autism Speaks also says it regularly seeks input and feedback from people within the autism community so the organization is reflective of the widest range of autistic individuals and their families as possible.

Other groups have created alternative symbols to the puzzle piece symbol. This includes the infinity symbol, which is meant to represent how autistic individuals have infinite possibilities in life, as well as the rainbow infinity, which is meant to symbolize neurodiversity.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Autistic Children Thrive

While there may be some controversy surrounding the autism puzzle piece symbol, there’s no denying that it has raised awareness for the developmental disorder in the almost 60 years since it was first created.

The important thing to remember is that, while people on the autism spectrum may face challenges that neurotypical individuals do not, it doesn’t mean they can’t live happy and fulfilling lives.

This is a mantra that we strongly adhere to at Blue Gems ABA, and we help children with autism achieve this every day by administering ABA therapy. Our trained BCBAs work hand-in-hand with children and their families to help them build the social, communication and daily life skills they need to thrive.

For more information, please contact us today.