Speaking in front of people

[RemyZee]

I was asked to do a mini presentation with several other people who have various disabilities--the theme is "disability etiquette" and the basic idea is to talk about how non disabled people should act around disabled people. I'm responsible for doing the part on autism. I am not what you would call good at public speaking, and wanted to ask people on this forum: are there things you wish normals knew about how to relate to us autistic and how not to? Things nt people do that bug you or belittle you or say to you that are rude or ignorant? The presentation is only 5 minutes

 

[Rodafina]

How about something more positive than, "don't do this..." or "this bothers us..."? I would focus on an invitation to ask questions to better understand autistic people's unique situations and clear up assumptions being made. I might also highlight the idea of invisible disabilities and explain how it feels to experience social or sensory overwhelm while trying to still function.

You can't get too profound in 5 minutes, and I think it's better to gain understanding from others rather than tell them what not to do.

 

[FayetheAspie]

We are not toddlers. We understand more than we are often given credit for. We don't need all the baby talk.