James Guttman’s new book – “Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation” is now available for preorder! Click here to get your copy from Amazon now.

One of the most surprising parts of autism advocacy is that a lot of it is about people who don’t have autism.

Think about it. There’s autism awareness, which is a push to get the world to pay attention to people like my non-verbal son. The idea is that neurotypical people, in their oh-so-busy lives, don’t have the awareness that those with autism even exist. It’s an effort to get them to not stare (which shouldn’t require an effort) and understand that there are some people who see the world through a different lens.

We create catchy terms and phrases that look good on bumper stickers. It’s almost a sales pitch to have people outside our homes recognize the reality of the loved ones we have inside our homes.

Autism acceptance, on paper, is even rougher when you think about it. At least with awareness, we’re trying to get people to take notice. For acceptance, we acknowledge that people are aware of autism. We’re just trying to get them to “accept” it.

Who are these people? Honestly. Who are the ones out there who know about people like my boy, yet refuse to accept them? That doesn’t strike anyone else as slightly ridiculous?

Even if raising awareness takes time, it’s strange that we need an entire month to ask people to be decent. Autism Acceptance shouldn’t be a month or a day. It should be ten seconds. It should be one person with a megaphone.

Hey! You know how people have autism? Treat them nice or we’re gonna huck rocks at you!

The end. Happy Autism Acceptance Minute.

But while we’re busy asking the world to accept kids like mine, Lucas is out there showing us all how it’s done.

Do you know who, by and large, doesn’t need to be preached to about acceptance? People with autism.

Why is it that we don’t even think about or mention that? Why do so few truly see how people like my non-verbal son Lucas accept everyone?

He does. My boy is the least judgmental person on Earth. I need to be nothing in order for him to love me. Lucas doesn’t care what I’m wearing, what I’m doing, or how much money I make. He doesn’t see skin color or religion. There’s no prejudices in any of his interactions.

There are people reading this right now and rolling their eyes. After all, Lucas is non-verbal. So, to many, he isn’t judgmental because, in their minds, he can’t speak his judgments. I get that thinking. He can’t speak hiss feelings. He can, however, he can act them out.

I know that my son is accepting of everyone because I’ve seen it. I’ve watched as he’s approached newcomers to our home and even strangers waiting for a store to open and tapped them in order to give a smile. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

When my son is happy, he wants the world to know. The world, to Lucas, is everyone. It’s not just the people we know or surround ourselves with. It’s anyone. It’s the ultimate showing of acceptance.

I’d imagine that most people know that. They see Lucas walk up to people with a great big smile and write it off as who he is.

He’s such a sweet boy.

They’ll compliment his kind nature and figure, rightfully so, that autism plays a role in that. It elicits a smile from those who are aware of him. Then, as we often do, we move on to thinking about other things.

Yet, we rarely stop to realize that neurotypical society, in all our arrogance, requires an entire month to learn the thing that my son does naturally. We spend all of April trying to get people to accept my son when my son is already accepting everyone on his own.

And then – and here’s the craziest part – we have to do it again next April because so many people didn’t get it or simply forgot. Unbelievable.

The fact that Lucas thinks like this is part of the reason I put him on a pedestal. It’s a major factor behind my appreciation for autism and how it’s affected our family. This outlook, among others that he holds, is why I want the world to take notice of him.

I want people to see Lucas to help him find his place in the community, sure. I also want people to notice him so that, just maybe, they can adopt some of the beautiful ways he sees others. If more people saw the world like my son, the world would be a much kinder and beautiful place for all of us.

It’s great to be aware. It’s better to accept. This month, though, try to appreciate and emulate. The world could learn a lot from a kid like mine. Whether you choose to accept that lesson or not is entirely up to you.

My Non-Verbal Son is 13, Not “Mentally 6” Here’s Why That Matters

PREORDER JAMES GUTTMAN’S NEW BOOK –
Hi World, I’m Dad: How Fathers Can Journey to Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation
https://amzn.to/3FmBWov