Its #AutismAcceptance Day, so in lieu of all of the absolute tosh that you often here about autistic people, here are some facts:

1. Autistic people are born autistic, it doesnt magically appear later on, and it doesnt 'go away' as someone gets older.

2. Autistic people are less 'rare' than you think. Though we often hear the stat '1 in 88', it is likely that there are many more autistic people than this. As we develop better knowledge about different ways of being autistic, we start to realise that...

3. Recognising autism isnt limited to 'external presentations', or what we SEE. Its also about how people 'feel', and what the experience of being autistic is like. Many people go undiagnosed, and a clinician thinking you dont meet criteria does make you any less autistic.

4. Which means we NEED better diagnostic tools, or, hear me out, a massive bloody shift in how we conceptualise neurodiversity. Im not saying that diagnosis isnt be useful, but ya know, maybe we could have a society where in order to get the support one needs, we dont NEED one..

5. This would take a very long tweet, and is perhaps better suited to a blog post, but tldr: gatekeeping exists, and is a bane on neurodivergent lives.

6. Autistic people dont lack empathy, or the desire for relationships. Well, maybe some do, but so do many non-autistic people. Rather, grand sweeping statements based on flawed research dont apply to every autistic person. Who'da thunk it?

7. Research around autistic people is starting to improve, but we still have a LONG way to go. Co-design, more autistic researchers, reconceptualisations, and not feeling personally attacked when our research is criticised will help drive this forward...

8. Its easy as a researcher to be overly defensive of your work, but its important to listen to the experts. Experience DOES equal expertise, and can enrich understanding massively.

9. Masking is not 'sneaky autism', it is a multifactorial, all encompassing, internally-grounded experience. Not all people 'externally' mask, and many people dont realise that they mask at all because its become so 'inbuilt'.

10. Autistic people deserve autonomy, respect, kindness, and to be listened to. Being aware is a start, but being accepting is the goal.