autistictsoni:

defectivegembrain:

I’m just so tired of autistic children’s right to privacy being completely disregarded. I know this has been said many times before, but when are people going to start taking notice? To show kids on film having meltdowns, self-injuring, having adults reveal their personal information and talk about how hard they are to deal with as if they aren’t even there…how the fuck can anyone defend that?!

(I was going to make this a fancy proper post of its own, but I’m tired and not wording things properly. Hope you don’t mind if I tack on a list here instead.)

Things you should not share online if you respect your autistic child’s privacy:

• Their full name. Use a pseudonym, or their middle initial, or something else relatively anonymous. Do not link your child’s full name to their diagnosis.
• Posting a parent’s full name + posting the autistic child’s first name = posting the autistic child’s full name.
• Do not link your child’s picture to their diagnosis either.

• Pictures or videos of them having a hard time. (Why are you videotaping this at all? Unless you need the video to show to a therapist or someone else who can use that information to help, put down the camera or phone and help your kid.)
• “Oh, but I want other parents to be able to see what an autistic meltdown looks like!” No. There are already videos of that online posted by autistic people who have consented to it. You don’t need to add one of a person who hasn’t consented, or is too young to understand what they’re agreeing to.

• Details on your child’s meltdowns, self-injurious behavior, or negative coping skills that are linked to their full name and/or picture. I’m pretty understanding of this stuff being posted anonymously, though, because a lot of times parents are looking to get information on how to help their child.

• Anything about their puberty, toileting, menstruation, masturbation, or other personal details. If you need help, resources, or to vent, there is a way to do it privately.

• Information on any kind of abuse or serious mistreatment your child may have gone through. Period. Do not share an abuse survivor’s story without their explicit and informed consent.

• Things you would not want shared about you, or things you would not share about a neurotypical child.

It does not matter how old your child is, whether they use the internet, or whether they know you have posted these things.

Their disability does not mean they are less deserving of privacy than other people are.