• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

The puzzle piece problem. An apology.

I understand the dislike of the puzzle piece for those who use it as "something to be fixed" of because of it's source, but to me it doesn't matter. I look at it as a chance to educate people. Yes, people on the spectrum may be differently-abled but each one is so unique, like a puzzle piece, and as such fits in to society as a whole as a different component, but one that is necessary to complete the whole picture. On a positive note, the symbol is HIGHLY recognizable. Maybe the puzzle piece can be "redeemed" from Autism Speaks and the bad connotation/association with it.

FWIW, I've seen a rainbow infinity symbol used as a representation of people with autism. I like that one as well. I think that I like them because they are more than a ribbon and are easily identifiable.

Autism Rights Movement - Autism rights movement - Wikipedia
Autistic Self Advocacy Network - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autistic_Self_Advocacy_Network
 
Last edited:
I do like the rainbow as a symbol for the spectrum. I could see identifying myself according to color, red being the lowest functioning and violet the highest. Like, right now I am:

emotional - yellow
intellectual - blue
energy - green
focus - red
 
ASD_Geek said:
FWIW, I've seen a rainbow infinity symbol used as a representation of people with autism. I like that one as well.
Click to expand...

Actually I'd forgotten about that one. I quite like it too - in the spirit of the Vulcan IDIC - "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations".
 
Fino said:
Wouldn't the rainbow be confusing because of dah gays??
Click to expand...
I've thought the same, but the rainbow is as good a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ spectrum of sexuality and gender identity as it is for ours of huge diversity within our own spectrum. The infinity "ouroborous" symbol is very good for us in it's own right, but has it been claimed before? Maybe the combination of the two concepts works best? On the other hand, love it or hate it, the puzzle piece already has associations with us, maybe it's up to us to appropriate it with our own agenda rather than accept the existing connotations?
 
Last edited:
What's the IA if I may ask? Intersex, Asexual perhaps?
Understand I mean no disrespect to anyone of ANY sexual preference or gender identity. I don't care a flying fig when it comes to how I interact with you. We're people, end of story :)
 
According to:
Why LGBT initialism keeps growing
"The letters LGBTQIA refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied."

Research Guides: LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Allies) Resources and Research: Asexual
"LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Allies)"

According to:
LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary | LGBTQIA Resource Center
"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual"
 
I've never been offended at the "puzzle piece." It just seems to be a symbol to represent autism. To say the puzzle piece represents a puzzling condition is quite accurate. Some of my previous fellow middle and high school students, as well as some bosses, were obviously "puzzled" at my oddness.

Please don't feel bad about using the puzzle piece. Your attempts to understand and connect are appreciated!
 
I don't like Autism $peaks, but do like the puzzle piece... I like puzzles. It's unfortunate that this organisation taints it by using it as their symbol. I don't find it offensive if people find me to be a 'puzzle' or enigma or are confused by me.
 
@sarepta, there's never any need to apologize for trying to understand and help people, it's awesome that you even think this way and I wish that there were more people in the world like you. Conversely, autistics don't always try to understand NTs, it's difficult and I know I could make a better job of it, I don't always try as hard as I should.

Logos and symbols are always a topic of debate, no matter what non-profit, charity, cause, minority you are working with. Pink for breast cancer offends people etc.

On the autistic symbol, I personally don't like the puzzle piece. This would be a good representation for a charity designed for NTs that need to understand autistics! But I don't see myself as a puzzle, I'm pretty straight forward, black and white and logical.

For an autism charity I'd probably use a rainbow (we see vibrance and colour and get overloaded), but I think that's been trademarked by the lgbtq community), or stars/planets/nebulae, (we stare into space a lot and don't belong here), or a black, white ying and yang symbol. Or a white and rainbow ying and yang symbol with a planet in the circular bit... Alternatively I like hexagons.
 
The puzzle motif seems to be somewhat appropriate as a symbol of Autism. I see different shapes that all fit together to make a whole. The multiple colors also symbolize variety. Images can always be interpreted in different ways, but I don't find anything offensive in the puzzle design. If I really critique the puzzle symbol and the Crayola colors, it could easily suggest something child-like, the same basic colors used in children's toys.
 
I don't much like the puzzle piece either. Not outright offended by it, but I do find it a bit irritating. All in all though, there's nothing to apologize about here.

I've seen far worse than a puzzle piece regarding ASD, and your intent isn't questionable at all for which I'll just say "thanks" to that. :)
 
I absolutely hate the jigsaw-puzzle piece. It implies that people on the spectrum are incomplete, broken, and something that desperately needs to be fixed. NTs might as well be going around wearing swastikas. I'm surprised so many people here don't feel the same way about it as I do. But I accept the OP's apology. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a good and intelligent person to correct them.
 
OkRad said:
I don't know what would be a better symbol since we are all very unique from one another. What would others like it to be?
Click to expand...

Howabout a prism? because Autism is a spectrum. :3
I kid.

I'd happily accept any symbol. A puzzle-piece seems okay to me, except that it might further the negative stereotype of autists having learning difficulties due to it also being a symbol of childhood. I don't personally attribute such things to symbols, however, and I wish others wouldn't either.

That being said, I only recently discovered I have autism, and it still doesn't seem like any sort of identity to me and I don't think it ever will. For me, it was the final piece that solved the puzzle, not by any means the majority of it. I am strange in many ways, and plenty of them can be explained by other factors. Now that I know I have autism, the whole, complete picture finally makes sense. I have autism and gender dysphoria, I was abused as a child, I am a genius, and I don't have the Major Depressive Disorder that I was diagnosed with. Other than that, I am normal. And other than that I don't care how people see me as long as they don't assume things about me--as long as people let me define me, I'm fine with how they read my actions.
 
OkRad said:
What would others like it to be?
Click to expand...
A fidget spinner...!
full
 
A landscape painting we are incredibly detailed and are not an extremely pathetically lazy example of the neurotypical mindset
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom