I have mixed feelings on the Sia stuff, but the idea people criticising her should just be grateful for the representation irks me

Also lmao at her doing “extensive research” but supposedly not being aware of how divisive Autism Speaks is

I specifically have mixed feelings on the casting. Like, I get where the argument that neurodivergent characters shouldn’t be played by neurotypical actors comes from, but...y’know, that’s how acting works.

(Though I do think the argument is stronger in examples like this where it’s a story *about* neurodivergency)

But I do think some of the lines being drawn here are a little... arbitrary.

Like, it makes sense to argue that they should have found a nonverbal person to play the part. What makes less sense to me is this idea that *any* autistic person would have been more suitable to play the role of a non-verbal character.

I’m autistic, on the part of the spectrum that was once called Asperger’s, and I feel like it’d be awfully presumptive of me to think that gave me any great insight into non-verbal autism.

I struggle to see, precisely, why someone like me playing a non-verbal character would be any less disrespectful than a neurotypical doing so?