From Awareness to Empowerment, Expert Commentary on Autism Awareness Month

Newswise — Laura Hetrick is a professor in the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2010.

Currently, she is affiliated with the National Art Education Association; the Disability Studies in Art Education Special Interest Group; the Illinois Art Education Association; and the International Society for Education through Art, or InSEA, which is an affiliate of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Quotes:

“Autism awareness is educating yourself and others on what autism actually is, as opposed to what you think it is based on stereotypes or incorrect/outdated information. It is also listening to autistics speak of their lived experiences. I think awareness is only a first necessary step toward autistic acceptance and then toward autistic empowerment.”

From Visible Magazine: “It is time to start understanding that autistics are not bad at being human or bad at being neurotypical with multiple processing errors. They are not inferior neurotypicals.

"Autistics are great at being neurodivergent. It is critical not to force them to change operating systems to appease a majority neurotype. It is essential to embrace that their way of thinking and being in the world is not inherently less valuable than the majority’s way of thinking and being. Neurodiversity makes the world a better place to live. All neurotypes are needed.”

From Psychology Today: “What some may not know about autistic masking is that besides it being a defense mechanism from bullying, it is also incredibly exhausting, and prolonged masking can negatively affect an autistic. Putting all my effort into appearing normal, adopting and portraying those looks and movements takes all of my valuable energy. To be honest, I’m tired. I’m tired of the need to be seen as something other than what I am. I’m physically and mentally tired of my constant impression management just to be socially accepted.”

More about Hetrick:

Hetrick's doctoral scholarship concerned itself with the emergent identity formation of art student teachers: the knowledge and cultural systems through which art teaching identity conceives itself, and the ontological consequences that evolve from those identifications. Hetrick is the co-editor of the journal Visual Arts Research, a publication providing a forum for historical, critical, cultural, psychological, educational, and conceptual research in visual arts and aesthetic education. To date, Hetrick has published one edited book, 20 peer-reviewed articles and given over 30 conference presentations and invited lectures. She is consistently invited/accepted to present at conferences, workshops and panels in the U.S., and internationally, including Canada, Finland, Jamaica, Jordan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.