The Puzzle Piece

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It came up in another thread- the puzzle piece as a symbol for autism. I don't know who came up with that thing, but I am bothered by it. Does anyone have a different idea for a symbol? Something that can be used to wordlessly communicate understanding, safety, and a sense of belonging/community? I know that's a lot, but the puzzle piece doesn't really belong to us, does it? We need our own thing. Something that can be freely used on flyers and such. I personally love the little alien on the top left hand, but I imagine that's copyrighted. Ideas?

IstominFan said in the other thread

That's my problem with that symbol exactly.

I wonder about a symbol for neurodiversity rather than solely Autism. Just a thought.

Hate, hate, hate it.

I'm not a missing link.
I'm not an alien either.

The Deaf have the butterfly because butterflies are deaf.
Maybe we can have a cat because everyone knows cats are autistic.

Actually, I hate the idea of representing any disorders/disabilities/conditions - whatever you want to call it - with a logo.

I have also the rainbow infinity symbol used, I think this is better than the puzzle piece.

^^^^
This

I like it because of the way it looks, it's too bad it has such an unfortunate meaning. Groups like Autism Speaks have ruined jigsaw puzzles for me. What's next, Jenga?

Jenga is a good symbol for ones own reminders about overdoing passing and executive function stuff to the point of exhaustion.

Choosing logos can be more vexed than people realise.

While finding some means of communication when the presentation is severe, people are people not jigsaw puzzle piece's.

A point of view patholigising someone or their makeup is not particularly respectful, and in the long term costs an organisation support and respect from the people it claims to want to assist.

Fair enough. I understand not wanting others to see you that way. I didn't think of it as how others see me, I've always thought of the alien with the magnifying glass as kind of how I see myself. I've always felt a bit like a cultural anthropologist within my own culture, within my own gender, and within the human race. It's a lot of Participant-Observation, and it helps me to take mental notes as though I intend to write it up as a report later. That's how I viewed the alien, but I definitely see your point.

The thing is, it would be nice for stuff (like this: viewtopic.php?t=345140&p=7565808) to have a subtle symbol. Something that can be put on posters, flyers, and office spaces to indicate welcome and such.

I just saw it as autism is puzzling. I often find it to be a conundrum. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Honestly, I'm tired of everything having a symbol or a ribbon attached to it. Just help people you know who are going through a certain issue, and don't advertise it to the world. I'm tired of "bumper sticker activism," that shows the world how compassionate you are.

They are?! How did I not know that?

Same. I don't mind the puzzle piece really - I also saw that as autistic people trying to sort things out, change them around, fit them in and make everything make cohesive sense. And the fact that we have to do that - it's not automatic like it may be for others.

Maybe it's not meant to show off how compassionate you are, but to "raise awareness" as they claim? To draw attention to a certain issue you support or think requires support?
But yah, I start to think that way about "days." Pretty soon every day of the year is going to be "Something Day" (complete with google doodles to torture me) and then have public holidays added to it so everything is shut for half a year.

But that's the thing. I'm not looking for symbol for other people. I'm not looking for a symbol for researchers or parental support groups to use. I'm looking for a symbol for us to use. A symbol by us and for us.

I saw this poster in a psychologist's waiting room.
(Where I got diagnosed, actually)



Those three simple words have stuck with me since and were more relatable (in my view) than any symbol could be.

A good message for sure, but I'm pretty sure everybody associates the rainbow flag with LGBTQ etc. Which is great. It was a symbol created by a gay man for his community. He died this year or last year.

I remember seeing rainbow flag stickers in certain administrators offices, and on certain teachers desks and in the school counselor's office, and later in professors offices in college. I took note because a teacher in middle school or high school made a point to show everybody her little sticker thing and said that her office hours were a safe place to talk if you were LGBTQ or questioning. She would not judge. She would offer an open ear or help, depending on what you needed. She said that when we saw the sign around the school, we should know it was OK to talk. I don't know what started it, but I think it was a good thing. Anyway, it certainly stuck with me, and I thought of her and that rainbow flag when I considered the problem of the puzzle piece.

As a late diagnosed Aspie....I can tell you that figuring out what has been complicating my whole life has in fact been just ...a puzzle. Now the that puzzle of my own understanding has been put together. So from my perspective, the puzzle piece is very fitting.

At the end of the day it is all a convention. Kind Regards. Shark

I also hate it. Autism Speaks ruined it for me.