But You Don’t Look Autistic at All (Bianca Toeps’ Books)

by Bianca Toeps

Although it was useful to go over my weekly planning with her, I regularly had the feeling she underestimated me. She’d say things like: “Oh, you’re a photographer, how unpredictable! Isn’t that completely unsuitable for a person with autism?” I understand where she was coming from, but I think statements like that can be disastrous to autistics. Those who aren’t overly confident, in particular, might think: “Hmm, never mind, I won’t even try.” I’ve heard the same thing from several people, especially those who were diagnosed at a young age. On the one hand they’re happy they got diagnosed early on: “Otherwise it really would have been one big mess”, says Engelina, a girl in her twenties who was diagnosed at the age of five. “I was so different from the rest of the family, I thought I was adopted”, comments Liza (25), who was diagnosed with autism in her first year of primary school. On the other hand, there are the countless times they weren’t taken seriously, not even by expert teachers and care workers. Engelina: “They wanted to send me to a special needs school, despite the fact I had no trouble learning. According to mental health care workers I would never graduate or live on my own. I have been living independently for a while now, with only two hours of help per week.”