autistickeely:

As an autistic advocate I think it’s important to use the voice I have to raise awareness of the inequality in our community. Black people are much less likely to be diagnosed as autistic compared to white people. They are also much more likely to be harmed or even killed for showing their autistic traits.

From listening to black autistics it’s clear that autism is not being diagnosed or even considered amongst black individuals. Neal, who is a black autistic person, spoke about his experience and stated: “Black people get misdiagnosed and disciplined and killed for having undiagnosed autism in great numbers. It took me longer to consider I might have it because I’d literally never heard of a black autistic person.”

This is something we as a community must change. We have to speak up about this. Getting an autism diagnosis is tricky enough at the best of times but you are so much less likely to be diagnosed if you are black. I had a message once from someone asking me if it was even possible for them to be autistic because they were black and that hit me hard. Black autistics are not being given a voice, they are not being given validation, they are not being diagnosed. This has to change.

If you are a black autistic person who is self diagnosed or professionally diagnosed, or a black person who suspects you are autistic, please message me and share your experience because I want to make your voice heard. It’s important we speak up about the inequality that’s happening in our community and the injustice that black autistics receive. We have to do something. We have to change this.