High schools in the United States are seeing a new trend. Answering a question incorrectly in class, being socially awkward, or bumping into things can now result in laughter and a response such as: “You’re so autistic!”
It’s become common to hear autism used as a synonym for stupid or weird. It’s used on social media and is thrown around in friend groups like harmless banter.
“A lot of it especially sticks out to me because I’m in talented and gifted honors level classes, and stuff like calling people “Sped” or “Acoustic” seems to come very easily. I think a lot of them view that they are in a position of power over the special education kids that they are making fun of,” says T.J Deich, a 16-year-old VOX ATL Journalist with autism.
What many teens don’t realize is that their jokes instill harmful stereotypes, bringing real harm to the autistic community. However, the notion of using autism as an insult isn’t a new idea. For decades, the autistic community has faced mistreatment, scrutiny, and slurs.
“[Growing up], individuals that were on the spectrum, they were made jokes and made fun of. They were considered illiterate dunces … They were looked at as awkward people and that they were fair game,” said Wayne Hall, a board-certified behavior analyst and a teacher of level 1 ASD students for 12 years.
A few notable insults, such as the R-slur, had declined in use thanks to efforts such as the Spread the Word to End and Word campaign and the signing of Rosa’s Law. Its impact, however, was never truly erased, shown by its recent reemergence. 2017 experienced a significant drop in searches for the R-word, according to Google Trends. Its frequency has since steadily increased in the past 8-9 years.
“It feels much more prevalent now. But I can trace a lot of it back to 2016, South Park specifically, as a form of ‘edgy’ humor spreading throughout our generation,” said T.J.
Due to the rise of digital hate speech, it becomes clear that many terms used to mock autistic people in the past didn’t disappear because of their harm, but rather went out of style, similarly to other aspects of popular culture, and were replaced.
Most of the mockery heard in person starts online. As usual, jokes that stem from social media platforms make their way into our speech. The jokes are often said in private amongst friends, but that doesn’t erase the exclusion their words carry.
Later, T.J. adds, “It makes its way to us once it’s partially divorced from its original meaning… By then, it’s just a fun word for you to say.”
“These jokes aren’t all specifically targeting autistic people, but they are directed at disabled people,” stated Kevin, a 17-year-old with autism and ADHD.
According to a study conducted in 2018 by Special Olympics and Kantar, 70% of the 50 million social media posts about people with intellectual disabilities are negative, with 29 million (60%) of them containing a slur.
“Harmful jokes tend to get a lot of engagement on platforms where teenagers are present, like TikTok or Instagram Reels, and many of those jokes eventually spread into real-life interactions,” says Kevin. As a result of the ignorance and hate spewed on social media, our generation, who are constantly online, have had their opinions shaped by hate speech, negatively reinforcing stereotypes, and creating new insults.
“They make neurodivergent people out to be a punchline instead of a group of people with their own thoughts, feelings, and struggles. They also perpetuate stereotypes about neurodivergent people,” states Kevin.
Another reason this is prevalent today is peer pressure. After working in both special ed and general ed classrooms, Hall shares how peer pressure spreads and shapes humor in teens.
“Well, the thing about it is: peer pressure is very interesting, and the social aspect of kids bullying, it’s from that angle that it spreads.” Hall goes on to say, “So, it spreads because of the social approval by way of laughter that comes with labeling them like that.”
Another reason these jokes are popular is ignorance, which can also stem from social media algorithms. Multiple popular public figures with large platforms, such as Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and Kanye West, are now using and advocating for the return of offensive slurs such as the R-word, according to CNN. These sentiments are pushed out to teens, drowning out content creators who share information that could contribute to more teens understanding autism.
Hall reiterates, “I think, sometimes, we are running on sheer ignorance. Because if we knew better, we probably wouldn’t have been laughing and perpetuating a joke on someone who’s on the spectrum. Because I think knowledge and awareness will curve how we behave.”
