Comments on: Just plain puzzling

By: Rochelle

Rochelle — Tue, 08 May 2007 01:46:45 +0000

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…

By: Autism Vox » Puzzle Ribbon, All Twisted Up

Autism Vox » Puzzle Ribbon, All Twisted Up — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:00:52 +0000

[...] you are a little tired of the “puzzle ribbon” as a symbol for the so-called “mystery” of autism, here’s the ribbon all [...]

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:29:15 +0000

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.

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:19:41 +0000

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.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 17:19:50 +0000

Thanks, Ian, for another way to think about the puzzle symbol….

By: Ian Parker

Ian Parker — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:19:26 +0000

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?

By: Autism Vox » We Love Someone With Autism

Autism Vox » We Love Someone With Autism — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 02:12:11 +0000

[...] 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. [...]

By: Autism Vox » Autism Designer Shopping Bag

Autism Vox » Autism Designer Shopping Bag — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:01:04 +0000

[...] You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Related Posts: Autism Fathers and Autistic Pride…Designer babies (notautistic ones)…The [autistic] Child is father of the [autistic] Man… [...]

By: Autism Vox » The puzzle person

Autism Vox » The puzzle person — Wed, 10 May 2006 15:50:11 +0000

[...] The implied message seems to be not only “autism is a puzzle” but also “autistic people are puzzle pieces.” [...]

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 20:42:02 +0000

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.