“A Sensory-Friendly World”. Sounds great for those of us on the Autism Spectrum, right? Well it’s complete and utter bullshit. A pipe dream. A fantasy. And frankly…it’s insulting. Would we all get along? No. It’s akin to the notion of World Peace. It’d never work. It would just lead to more issues, namely boredom.
Think about it. One Race. One Religious Belief. Everyone looking and acting alike, having all the exact same thoughts and ideas. No Diversity. No new or novel ideas. Just sheer Uniformity. Are you bored with it yet?
But back to the main point of having a “Sensory-Friendly World”. On paper, it seems like a great idea! An all-inclusive society for people with Autism and other Sensory Issues. Here’s the thing. You know what else sounds good on paper? COMMUNISM! “We are all equal but some are better than others”. It’s when this is put into practice that it all goes to Hell.
I think the real problem with the idea of a Sensory-Friendly World can be boiled down to one simple word: OVERSIMPLIFICATION! Yeah, it’s that simple to me. The people who say “We need a Sensory-Friendly World”? To them I say “Yeah…AND a Jackass-Friendly World”. It’s called the Autism SPECTRUM Disorder for a reason. It’s a variety of things that impact us.
Some of us on the Spectrum have Noise Sensitivities. My Girlfriend does. So does one of my coworkers at work. Hell, my coworker wears Noise-Canceling headphones. Others, like me, are front and center at Concerts and Fireworks displays. Some people are Low-Verbal to Non-Verbal. Yet again, others, like me, talk constantly and don’t know when to shut up. Still others CRAVE attention and physical contact. Some just want to be left alone and don’t like being touched.
I mentioned Noise-Canceling Headphones. To some, those things are a Godsend! For me, I at least need some noise, whether it be music, conversation, or even having the TV on when I am laying in bed. (By the way I don’t recommend watching TV if you are trying to sleep. Just as an example). Even some mild background noise. I cannot stand not hearing anything. To some, it’s Sensory Overload with even the smallest noises. To me, it’s the complete opposite. Not hearing anything is Sensory Deprivation. For me, Quiet and Silence is Deafening.
So that “Perfect Autism-Sensory Friendly Utopia”? To me, it’d be Autism Hell. Simply put, it’s impossible and illogical. There is no possible way to facilitate that! Going on both sides, neither can win. Everyone is so vastly and wildly different and varied. It’s what makes us “Us”. It’s what makes us who we are and what makes us Human.
In a way, it’s segregation. Hear me out on this. If you had a place where there was little to no noise, you’d need a separate place WITH noise. Then you’d need separate places with varying degrees of noise volume and frequencies. On top of that, there’s the conversation aspect, or lack of. As I said, some people on the Spectrum are Low-Verbal or Nonverbal. So you’d need to separate them from us who can speak. AND THEN with the ones who can talk, that fluctuates, too. Some of us, like me and Allie, are perfectly capable of forming thoughts and holding intelligent, “Legit” conversations with other people. Yet others “Script” or use a method called Echolalia. Scripting is when someone takes lines from movies and communicates using those lines. Echolalia is when a person repeats the last thing you say. “Do you want McDonalds or Chick Fil A?” “Chick Fil A.” Then you ask “Chick Fil A or McDonalds?” “McDonalds.” It may be a pain and annoying when someone does this. But it is their way of communicating. So you’d need a place to accommodate all those individuals.
Sound impossible? That’s because it is! That’s not to mention one other overlooked point. Sad as this is, we die. What about the person’s friends/family/loved ones? Most of the people I personally know on the Autism Spectrum have Neurotypical or “Normal” family members. So if their Son/Daughter/Brother/Sister/Whatever has Noise Sensitivities and is Low-to-Nonverbal, how does it work then?
Not to mention one more Sad But True scenario. WE DO NOT ALL GET ALONG! I know people on the Spectrum I find annoying as shit and frankly cannot stand! And I know a few of my Autistic peers probably think the same about me. To be fair, I feel the same way about a few people I know without Autism. So just because you have people who are all very similar does not mean they will all get along.
To close, this theoretical argument of needing or wanting a Sensory-Friendly World really is ignorant Neurotypical bullshit…to me. Maybe I am splitting hairs with my cases. And maybe I dragged this out and am Beating A Dead Horse or Preaching To The Choir. But I feel strongly about this and wanted to provide as many examples of why I think this to validate my argument. But thank you for sticking around till the end and for making it this far. I know this post was long and arduous. And I know I went off on a little tangent at the end.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your perspective! Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!
-Tom
AuTom's Spectrum 