20 Quotes About Autism for Autism Awareness Month
Updated: Apr. 02, 2024
Words of wisdom from those who have lived, researched and written about autism
When my son was diagnosed with autism at age 4, I had mixed emotions. I was relieved to finally have an explanation for his developmental delays and rigid behaviors, but I worried about his future—life is often harder for those who dance to a different drum. It took me a while to embrace some of those unique traits and to see strength in difference.
I was helped along this road by a friend who shared the poem “Kids Who Are Different” by Digby Wolfe. The last lines really hit home:
“For when they have grown, as history’s shown,
It’s their difference that makes them unique!”
Since then, we’ve strived to live life to its fullest and dream big for our son. We celebrate his love of nature by exploring national parks, make travel easier by visiting autism-friendly resorts and try to educate others about autism to promote inclusivity and acceptance.
April is Autism Awareness Month, a designated time to talk about autism, celebrate individuals on the autism spectrum and raise awareness about the neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 36 children in the United States. For parents out there with a recently diagnosed child, or individuals who have received a diagnosis as an adult, let the words of those who have lived, researched and written about autism lift your spirits, like Wolfe’s words lifted mine. Read on for 20 inspirational quotes about autism for Autism Awareness Month.
1. “I am different, not less.” ―Temple Grandin, professor, author, animal behaviorist and autism self-advocate
2. “There is no ‘real’ child hidden behind the child you know. Look at him—that’s your kid. Love him—he’s your kid. Enjoy his strengths and quirks—they make up the unique person who is your kid. But also help him overcome his areas of weakness—he’s your kid and you owe him that.” —Lynn Kern Koegel, co-author, Growing Up on the Spectrum
3. “People think autistic people don’t have empathy, but that’s not true. Sometimes I can’t tell if someone’s upset, but once I know, I feel lots of empathy … maybe even more than neurotypicals.” —Sam Gardner, character with autism on the hit TV show Atypical
4. “I don’t want to be a genius or a freak or something on display. I wish for empathy and compassion from those around me, and I appreciate sincerity, clarity and logicality in other people. I believe most people—autistic or not—share this wish. And now, with my newfound insight, I’m on the way to achieving that goal. I hope you’ll keep those thoughts in mind the next time you meet someone who looks or acts a little strange.” —John Elder Robison, author, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s
5. “When raising a child with a disability a parent doesn’t always enjoy the typical things that so many other parents take for granted—i.e. first words, riding a bike, crossing the monkey bars, etc. We parents of children with disabilities don’t take anything for granted. Everything my son did was a miracle. I like to reverse the astronaut’s quote and say, ‘What is one small step for a typical kid is a giant leap for my special child.’ Every seemingly small achievement is a miracle to me.” —Elaine Hall, neurodiversity advocate and pioneer
6. “I used to think, when I was first diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome—a form of autism—about what I can’t do, rather than what I can do, which was a mistake in thinking.” —Merrick Egber, administrative assistant and Els for Autism Foundation Chair of the Advisory Board
7. “There is no doubt that autism makes my life difficult, but it also makes my life beautiful. When everything is more intense, then the every day, the mundane, the typical, the normal … those things become outstanding.” —Erin McKinney, basketball operations assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies
8. “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” —Stephen Shore, professor, autism advocate and person living with autism
9. “Trying to fit in just seems like too much of a hassle for me, and I would much rather make friends with people who can accept me for who I am, since that is the very thing that makes a friendship a friendship. Though it may be difficult for some people on the spectrum to make and keep friends due to the complexity of friendships, any friend who has the understanding and acceptance they are looking for is going to be very lucky.” —Kaitlin Smith, author, Take It from the Expert: Sixteen Years of Experience Living on the Autism Spectrum
10. “Autism doesn’t come with an instruction guide. It comes with a family who will never give up.” —Kerry Magro, disability advocate, national speaker and bestselling author
11. “I work hard to celebrate my son Bennett’s milestones, like learning to put his shoes on and hopping on one foot and singing ‘Bingo,’ because for Bennett, little triumphs that go unnoticed in other children are huge; they are small steps on his slower, windier road to (fingers crossed) independence. We don’t know where the road will go, so we try to enjoy the bumpier ride.” —Lisa Kadane, journalist whose son has autism
12. “Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It’s that you’re destroying the peg.” —Paul Collins, author whose son has autism, from his book Not Even Wrong: A Father’s Journey into the Lost History of Autism
13. “Look, I know I sometimes say or post strange things, but that’s just how my brain works. To anyone who’s been offended, I just want to say I reinvented electric cars, and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?” —Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and person living with Asperger’s Syndrome
14. “I might hit developmental and societal milestones in a different order than my peers, but I am able to accomplish these small victories on my own time.” —Haley Moss, attorney with autism and autism advocate
15. “Wanting to be free
Wanting to be me
Trying to make people see
And accept the real me.”
—Scott Lentine, autism self-advocate who writes poetry
16. “What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done.” ―Temple Grandin, professor, author, animal behaviorist and autism self-advocate, from her book The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism & Asperger’s
17. “I believe that inside every person who is bullied there is a strength and a tenacity to survive. You don’t always know that this strength exists, but if you make it through those dark times, you become aware. You become a survivor, someone whose courage and spirit is far stronger than all of the hate and cruelty of their bullies. The one thing that I want to impart to children with autism is knowledge of their own inner strength, and the belief that one day at a time, they, too, can get through this.” —Amy Gravino, autism advocate
18. “It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village.” —Elaine Hall, neurodiversity advocate and pioneer
19. “I’ve learned that every human being, with or without disabilities, needs to strive to do their best, and by striving for happiness you will arrive at happiness. For us, you see, having autism is normal—so we can’t know for sure what your ‘normal’ is even like. But so long as we can learn to love ourselves, I’m not sure how much it matters whether we’re normal or autistic.” —Naoki Higashida, author of The Reason I Jump
20. “No matter how many ways life’s circumstances attempt to restrict me from being ‘normal,’ I’ve learned that when we try to look past ‘labels’ and resist the urge to limit ourselves and others, we will learn to finally start living. We will learn to believe in our greatest potential. We will learn that we are all strong.” —Lamar Hardwick, The Autism Pastor
Source:
- “Kids Who Are Different” by Digby Wolfe
Originally Published: March 26, 2024
