by Tee Cee
'Why do they always have to make it about race?’
This is a comment written in response to a social media post for my documentary ‘Too Autistic For Black’. Whether the author is genuinely asking to understand or meaning to be disrespectful, we’ll never know, but to answer the question…
We often hear ‘autism is a spectrum’, meaning there’s a range of neurodevelopmental conditions that affect individuals in various ways. If you’re happy to acknowledge this, it’s also just as important to acknowledge that an individual's social and political identity also results in their unique experience of navigating the autism discourse.
When you say to an autistic person ‘You don’t look autistic’, it’s parallel to saying to a black or brown person ‘You don’t see colour’. While statements like this may not always be said with malicious intent, it doesn’t change the fact that they are inherently problematic.
I am a Jamaican British woman who is autistic, and if highlighting my cultural background and gender as part of MY experience makes you uncomfortable… Tough!
Even as society gradually expands its understanding of autism, historically shaped by male-dominated studies on white boys and men, there remain significant gaps in addressing the experiences of women and girls. Within these gaps also lie the intersection of individuals like me, navigating a world that is still catching up to the realities and complexities of autism in diverse communities, which at times is an isolating experience.
A lack of research or inclusion of female experiences in the diagnostic criteria means many girls and women are overlooked or misdiagnosed. This issue is exacerbated for those of Black heritage, who not only face the barriers of gender but also of race.
A UK study found that the prevalence of autism is highest among Black children, at about 2.1 percent. Now consider the following statistics:
● Black Caribbean schoolgirls’ exclusions have tripled in the last year (The Independent, 2024)
● Black girls are permanently excluded or suspended from school at double the rate of white pupils (Race Equality Foundation, 2024)
● There is a 45.2 percent attainment gap between the percentage of Black Caribbean girls achieving grade 5 or above in English and Mathematics GCSE, compared with the highest achievers – Chinese girls. (Gov UK, 2022)
These findings are alarming. Whilst I can appreciate that schools do a tough job and teachers are under pressure, it’s hard to ignore by the government’s own measure, that some Black girls at the sharpest end of disadvantage are being set up to fail.
I wonder how many of these girls are being subject to racial bias instead of viewed as a flag for potential undiagnosed conditions such as autism?
You cannot diagnose nor understand what you don’t know. So, what’s the solution?
Working in the television and media industry, I have had the privilege of using my platform to advocate for those whose voices are often silenced. I know firsthand how the media perpetuates single narratives, reinforcing stereotypes that continue to marginalise minority groups. On-screen, we rarely see Black autistic women portrayed, and when we are, it is through narrow lenses that fail to capture the full spectrum of our experiences.
That is why content like ‘Too Autistic For Black’ exists as a means for societal change and WHY the factor of race cannot be ignored.
Receiving my diagnosis at 27 was a wake-up call, for how Black women are often left out of the mainstream autism conversation. My mission is not to create further division amongst society at large nor within the autistic community or to imply one autistic individual's experience is less or more trivialised than another. But rather to champion that it's okay to appreciate our differences and foster the cultural environment for them to positively co-exist.
Until we accept that our unique challenges, which can be shaped by factors such as gender and race, determine how a person’s needs are met in the autism discourse, it means Black autistic lives, especially girls, will continue to fall under the radar.
This is a very measured, informative and much needed article. As someone who was diagnosed in her 50s, many things suddenly made sense about my behaviours. I also realised that what can be regarded as my irritating positive thinking and view that there is always a logical solution to every problem and working with teams to find solutions results from my autism. I now regard my autism as my super power! Autism will effect and impact each person differently - some commonalities and many differences. However, we can all contribute to improving global society, and the nuances and additional understanding that results from gender, race and culture are critical to positively moving us all forward. Thanks Tee Cee - excellent…
Thank you for this excellent, powerful article. It is needed! As is the documentary. It is imperative that black people who may be neurodivergent including Autism but not limited to it are identified, represented and celebrated.