The puzzle piece and the puzzle ribbon have become symbols of autism due to the notion that “autism is a puzzle”–that autism is just one big mysterious and complicated disorder. Autistic adults beg to differ.
It’s time for a new symbol.
Suggestions?
I always hated the puzzle-piece ribbon for several reasons:
1) I am bothered by the passive “awareness” rhetoric on the symbol.
2) I find the puzzle a little too simplistic of a symbol for autism–that the developmental disorder is “child’s play” or something reserved for “children” that adults are passively “aware” of.
3) I find the symbol to closely reminiscent of the Christian “fish” symbol. Identifying autism with Christianity reinforces the association of autism as a “WASP” condition. A developmental disorder that impacts only Western, industrialized nations. Limiting autism to just WASP, industrialized nations reinforces “epidemic” rhetoric that focuses autism in one geographic area and stigmatizes autism through omission in other areas of the world. (I’m thinking here, for instance, of Grinker’s discussion on autism in South America or another poster’s comment on autism in Mexico.)
For what it’s worth…
[...] you are a little tired of the “puzzle ribbon” as a symbol for the so-called “mystery” of autism, here’s the ribbon all [...]
I remember that design……. always “puzzled” me too (sorry, did not intend for that to slip out.
“We learn it from children over time”: Yes, yes, yes.
The original symbol for the Autism Society of America in the early 1980’s was a black & white drawing of a person’s head with a puzzle design covering the scalp in such a way that it resembled the brain & a piece of it was suspended in air away from the head. ew! That symbol always gave me the creeps!
I think that design evolved from earlier (archaic) theories that autism was a mental illness. For me personally, the colorful autism ribbon is a welcome improvement over the previous design. Our children are not puzzles, but autism can be puzzling to those who do not understand it. And yes, it can often be puzzling even to parents. We don’t come with an innate understanding of autism. We learn it from our children over time.
Thanks, Ian, for another way to think about the puzzle symbol….
I don’t have an issue with the puzzle metaphor, but I do object to representations I’ve seen with missing pieces.
I interpret the puzzle as being put together a bit differently – not incorrectly, just differently. As long as the pieces all fit and the end result is pleasing, why do they have to go in the same order?
[...] Whatever you might think about the puzzle ribbon as an autism symbol, I did wish that Jim had been wearing his t-shirt reading I love someone with autism and the puzzle ribbon (like this one) this afternoon on the beach. We are down to the last day of our beach vacation and after spending an hour-plus putting together a 150 piece puzzle of the scrambled states, Charlie cried out and cried loud and long, all the way down to the beach and out into the ocean. [...]
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[...] The implied message seems to be not only “autism is a puzzle” but also “autistic people are puzzle pieces.” [...]
Yes I have seen that–I understand the rainbow as representing the notion of the autism spectrum, though it does make it resemble the multi-colored puzzle ribbon somewhat.
I like the Moebius strip rainbow, as pictured here:
http://www.geocities.com/autistry/mobiuslweb.jpg
“Many autism spectrum adults object to being objectified by the puzzle ribbon.
“Furthermore, it is mainly associated with the issues of “normal” parents of autistic kids and so doesn’t represent the reality of most adults on the autism spectrum.
“They want a different symbol and here is my offering.”
more at http://www.geocities.com/autistry/oddizms.html
But what will the pattern be?
A Moebius strip with all of the colors of the rainbow.
– Phil