If you're autistic, you can't have nice things.
That's basically what lies behind the rants at autistic people from some, saying how DARE we say something positive about ourselves. How DARE we...when their child has NOTHING positive in their life. I want to talk about this/

I will start with the bracing fact that two thirds of autistic people consider taking their own lives.
Now, I can think of all sorts of things that might help change that.
None of those things is being forced to only say negative things about ourselves/

Hands up all those who want to wake up every morning and only think something negative about themselves.
Do you?
I doubt it.
I expect that when you're happy about something you've achieved, you are allowed to feel happy about it/

I expect that when you say, "This is a good thing about me", you don't have a posse of people shouting "How DARE you say something is positive about you!"

How did this become acceptable?
It shouldn't be.
Our children's future depends on their self-esteem, their quality of life/

A reality is that no child became happier because someone else was made more miserable.
Shouting at autistic people who have found a way, some way...any way at all...to feel good about ourselves for a short time? Well, that's not going to help a child, is it/

Our young autistic people, of any ability, whether speaking or nonspeaking, whether of any IQ, any background, any set of support needs....they need our affirmation and our caring.

That starts with saying it's OK to have nice things.
It's OK to say something good.

Thank you