Opinion

There is an old adage that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.  If there was ever a need for a case study to test this theory we have a ready-made one in the damaging comments of Senator Catherine Noone, who described the Taoiseach as “autistic” owing to his “lack of empathy” and “wooden” disposition.

To be clear, the Taoiseach has never indicated he is on the spectrum, the Senator is not a clinician and autistic people found this inaccurate understanding of autism deeply upsetting and unhelpful to efforts to educate society and bring about inclusion. To me the comments captured something which, through my advocacy work. I am constantly trying to highlight. I meet many people who remark that we really have become an inclusive society when it comes to autism – discussion has increased, we see a growing number of autism-friendly ventures in our communities and most people can point to someone in their own life who is autistic. However knowing someone who is on the spectrum does not make you an expert in the condition.

There are no generalities when it comes to autism. Autistic people are as, if not more, diverse in needs, interests, abilities and personal characteristics as people who are not on the autism spectrum.

There are people in our society who are autistic who do not talk about it, often because of the misconceptions and stereotypes, and who you may never realise live with the condition. There are others who don’t speak to communicate and who need substantial support to fulfil basic care needs.

What works to help one person manage school or the workplace can have the opposite effect on the next.

Autism is invisible – we cannot engage in “doorstep diagnosis”, it requires skilled clinical assessment. It is wrong to use the term to describe negatively characteristics in another person as this increases stigma, belittles the barriers autistic people face in day to day life and ignores the huge strengths and abilities of the 1 in 65 people in Ireland who are autistic.

When you are part of a minority you find yourself having to adapt to a society which often wasn’t designed to meet your needs. Our classrooms, interview processes and social events all present barriers to inclusion. It is therefore no surprise that a vastly disproportionate number of people on the spectrum are excluded from school, remain at home unemployed or experience significant mental health challenges.

The lack of knowledge displayed by Catherine Noone, who I am sure never intended to cause the offence she has, is just one small example of the day to day experiences of our community. I am heartened to see that the “little knowledge” on display has brought about such a strong reaction but I have one sincere challenge.

Think about you. Do you expect your child’s school to be an inclusive place for all learners? Do you hire autistic talent in your workplace? Will you ask candidates who call to your door to support policies which will help the autism community? If yes, thank you. If not yet, please start and then a very difficult day for our community may just have been the catalyst for real inclusion to begin.

Adam Harris is the chief executive of autism charity AsIAm