Each April, social media inevitably floods with ads for puzzle piece merchandise, and harmful propaganda campaigns that paint autistic people either as menaces to society or as angels to be worshiped from afar. The comments under those posts are often battlegrounds where autistic adults face off against self-proclaimed autism moms, and anyone with a moderate view is attacked by both sides. Although my birthday is in April, since my autism diagnosis in 2023 I have dreaded the month approaching and I tend to isolate to protect my energy.
This year, I am privileged to have my own platform, and a steady support system. I am more confident in my boundaries, more regulated. I feel ready to rejoin the autism conversation by sharing more of my own experiences, amplifying other autistic voices, and providing autism ally merch that reflects the spectrum of identities within the community.
The chakra bracelets I released this year were designed with multiple considerations in mind. First, I upgraded the clasp to a magnetic closure by default. As a hypermobile autistic with poor dexterity, these are essential. Since autism is often comorbid with dexterity and mobility issues, this is one subtle way of showing solidarity with my community.
I chose the chakra color scheme for two reasons. The rainbow of colors is a nod to the spectrum of lived experiences under the umbrella of neurodivergence. Since autism often comes with difficulty in emotional regulation and balancing dynamic support needs, the chakra stones are also reminders for self-care. Their energy is grounding and regulating.
I chose three charm options, each representing an aspect of the global neurodivergent community. One symbol you will not find among them is the puzzle piece. That was a personal choice, and not a condemnation of anyone who chooses the puzzle piece to represent their own experiences. In fact, I initially connected with the puzzle piece myself as a late-diagnosed autistic. I had always known I was different and never had an explanation for my experiences. Autism was the missing piece for me. However, when I learned about the history of this diagnosis and how autistic people were treated under that banner, I could no longer identify with it. Showing support for the people who have been traumatized by harmful stereotypes and treatments linked to the puzzle piece carried far more weight than my personal preferences or symbolism.
Much of the neurodivergent and autism population is moving toward the Infinity to replace the puzzle piece, and this is what I choose to support. When displayed in rainbow, this stands for the neurodivergent umbrella including autism, ADHD, and many others. The specific symbol for autism is the Infinity in gold, in part because gold is represented on the periodic table of elements as Au. The silver-toned Infinity charm on my bracelets could represent either one.
The Sunflower is an international symbol for Hidden Disabilities, which may include autism, EDS, PoTS, and any other disability that is not visually apparent. The sunflower is recognized by airport staff around the world, who are trained to look for the distinctive green lanyard and offer assistance. This symbol has made it possible for more autistic people to travel independently and feel more secure in overstimulating public environments. Autistic celebrities such as Chloe Hayden have advocated for the sunflower and helped bring the awareness that made this symbol so recognizable.
While not a universally recognized symbol, the spoon represents a piece of the autism and neurodivergent experience that connects us all more personally. Spoon Theory is a metaphor that explains dynamic disabilities, with needs and abilities changing from day to day and even hour to hour. Christine Miserandino coined this term, while trying to explain this concept at a dinner table with friends. You can think of a spoon as a unit of energy/ability level. If I have 10 spoons allotted per day, and it takes me 2 spoons to shower, that’s only 8 left for everything else I need to do that day. If I have a steady routine, I might be able to budget my spoons. If anything changes last minute, if I didn’t sleep enough to charge up my spoons the night before, or if there’s a sudden unexpected demand on my mind or emotions – that uses up spoons for the next day. Eventually, I run into a spoon deficit, and this leads to meltdowns, and could lead to burnout if I’m not able to recover and recharge.
The spoon on these chakra bracelets are a nod to that shared experience among neurodivergents. When we’re speaking to people in our community, we might offer support by saying, “I have some extra spoons today. Do you need to borrow one?” Or we might ask for support by saying, “I don’t have enough spoons to talk about that right now. Can we talk tomorrow?” When someone wears this bracelet, may they be reminded to protect their boundaries, and may they always have an extra spoon when they need one.
Whether you are reading this as a fellow autistic, a concerned parent, a caregiver, doctor, friend, sibling or an ally of some other affiliation… Since you’ve read this far, I will take that to mean you want to learn and continue growing as an ally for this community. Thank you for that. If you choose to purchase any autism ally gear this April, please support autistic-owned businesses and autistic creators, not the big-box mass-producers who want to profit off of us.
Most importantly, amplify and center autistic voices in any conversation that is about us. If you’re looking for where to start, here is a list of NonSpeaking autistic writers and creators. Please be open to hearing about their experiences and sharing them on your social media posts this April.
Blessed be, and may you never run out of spoons.
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