Diagnostic Criteria for Allism
Autistics are an oppressed minority group. Like many minority groups, we are discriminated against and denied equal access, opportunities, and protections under the law. When you live in an ableist society, it’s easy to start believing that you are the problem. You are not the problem—systems of oppression are the problem. It is absolutely vital for your Autistic well-being to remember that.
To illustrate this point, I had some fun and imagined what it would be like if we diagnosed allistics with allism instead.
Allism Diagnostic Criteria
A) Difference in external communication and interaction as evidenced by the following:
1) Difference in communication, including: lack of facts and data sharing, frequent use of “white lies” and half-truths, lack of precision of detail, inability to maintain tangents, and a tendency to obsessively talk about mundane topics.
2) Difference in nonverbal communication, including: unusual stillness, invasive eye contact, and inability to sense the feelings of others.
3) Obsessively social and interested in the daily activities of themselves and others. Insists on the existence of “hierarchies.” Experiences extreme distress when alone.
B) Difference in internal communication and interaction as evidenced by the following:
1) Lack of bodily processing and engagement through stimming and echolalia.
2) Chaotic and unpredictable approach to daily activities.
3) Lack of rich internal worlds, passionate interests, or hobbies.
4) Diminished sensory experience that is disconnected from stress levels, focus, and social pressures.
There is no known cure for allism.
See how ridiculous it sounds?
Allistics, does this feel like a full understanding of how you communicate and interact with yourself and the world? No? Well, the DSM definition of autism doesn’t feel like a proper representation of us either. And please note that I was far kinder in my interpretation of allistic behavior than the DSM affords to autistics. For instance, I use the word “difference” and not “deficit.”
To any allistic that needs to hear this: Autistics don’t think that we’re weird and wish we could be more like you—we think that YOU’RE weird and we wish you would try to accept and accommodate us the way that we accept and accommodate you (literally every single day of our entire lives). Oh, and if you could stop systemically oppressing us that would be awesome too.