Why we hate the puzzle piece

Back story of the puzzle piece

The puzzle piece is being used by autistic charities run by neurotypicals and their aim is to cure autism and prevent autistic people from being born (god knows how they can achieve that). 

 

But since then autistic people have found out the true meaning and have decided to stand their ground and start using the infinity loop (Gold/Red- Autism, Rainbow- Neurodivergence).

 

Many charities have started to move away from the puzzle piece to the infinity loop, but still try to get autistic people into their service to “cure” them by enforcing ABA therapy and other methods (which include drinking bleach). Their policies and treatment are the same. 

 

Why I hate the puzzle piece.

Before I was diagnosed myself all I saw was the puzzle piece everywhere when it came to autism. I was in a lot of groups that were run by “autism parents”. From these groups I thought it was accepted and welcomed. I bought loads of things with puzzle pieces on and thought nothing of it. 

 

From these groups we were told that autistic people had missing pieces from their life and personality, and that they were cursed and needed to be cured. It was seen as a negative condition. 

 

Then when I was late diagnosed at 32 I started to join a few groups for autistic people and late diagnosed adults. These were run by autistic people themselves. This led to truly finding out the meaning and the backstory of why the puzzle piece represents autism. I was shocked. 

 

Thanks to the autistic community for showing and sharing the truth with me. I, as an autistic person, do not accept the puzzle piece symbol to represent me as an autistic person. 

 

Have your say

I asked autistic people if they wanted to put a small piece of why they hate the puzzle piece symbol and this is what they had to say.

 

Anonymous- Autistic Male (UK)

We aren’t puzzles for people to fix, we don’t need fixing, we just need people to understand us and speak to us about it.

 

Anonymous- Autistic Male (UK)

The puzzle piece to me makes neurotypicals believe there is something missing in our brain.

 

Haaris Qureshi– Autistic Male (UK)

The issues with the puzzle piece are well documented. Like a lot of symbology associated to the autistic community, it was conceived by allistic ‘professionals’ based on allistic perception, in this case that autistic people are ‘broken’ and ‘missing’ pieces that would make us whole and that we need ‘fixed’ – hence why the puzzle piece is most popularly used by the autistic hate group Autism Speaks. Nihil de nobis, sine nobis: It is important to use the identifiers the community has actually conceived for itself – the infinity sign being a great one.

 

But what about autistic people who do identify with the puzzle piece? Usually, it is a good rule of thumb to respect people’s autonomy and their right to self-identify. But I would argue this right ends where it harms the community. I don’t have any research to back this but I do feel a vast majority if not all autistic people who use this symbol (as well as other signifiers like functioning labels and ‘Asperger’s’) do so because of internalised allism that is a consequence of being taught about their autism from allistic people, not other autistic people. That can be hard to unlearn, even after autistic people attempt to educate within the community.

 

On a different point, one cannot really separate a symbol currently, actively and primarily used as an autistic hate symbol as anything but. Some autistic people who continue to use the symbol despite knowing its issues will argue that despite this, it is fine to use it if they use it for their own reasons separately. The issue is this won’t be obvious to allistic people or people new to the community, who will see you using the symbol as perpetuating their own problematic misconceptions of autism.

 

To my knowledge, there is no one who suffers from the use of infinity symbol, so between the choice of using a symbol that comes from within the community that is completely safe, and one which is problematic and will harm the community, I think there is no real choice here.

 

Anonymous- autistic enbie/non-binary (Ireland)

Personally I hate that it implies we don’t fit in and that there’s something missing from us, it’s also imo quiet…. Juvenile, like I feel like it feeds into the stereotype that autistic folk are all childish and stupid.

 

Anonymous- Autistic Female (UK)

The puzzle piece for me I hate what it represents, that we are a puzzle to be solved or fixed, often the depiction is a jigsaw with a piece missing like being neurodivergent is less than neurotypical, like we are missing something.

 

We are not less, we are not missing anything! With the right care, understanding and awareness of our needs and accommodations we can do/be anything we want. The puzzle piece was the first symbol for autism. The person who created this image felt we needed to be cured, supported aba and many other traumatic forms of so called treatment of autistic children, he also believed only children could be neurodivergent and not adults which is ridiculous.

 

I also find the people who tend to use it most are autism mams who often use their child’s disability as a badge of honour. Your child’s disability is not an accessory. They do not need everyone to know, they need your support and understanding of their extra needs that is all.