I do not suffer from an Autism spectrum disorder, and I don't happen to know anyone personally who does. I want to better understand Autism spectrum disorders-- in general, I want to better understand mental illnesses that I don't have/am not familiar with. With that being said, if anything I say or any questions I ask about Autism come across as offensive, I am very sorry and truly do not mean any harm. I'm uneducated on the matter, so if I don't understand something about it, please help me to understand. There are people out there who are very inconsiderate and rude to people who are Autistic (or have mental illnesses in general), and I do not want to be that kind of person. I know how much it sucks to be misunderstood.

Also, as a warning, this post is going to be long.

Lately, I've been seeing some posts on different social media websites about Autism and ableism.
The definition of ableism, from what I understand, is when a person who is not disabled discriminates those who are, as if the disabled are inferior to the non-disabled. A person who is an ableist may consider the disabled "diseased" (as a negative connotation), and that the disabled are a different type of people which the non-disabled should distance themselves from. In other words, "Stay away from that person, they are acting weird/have mental issues".
In these social media posts, the posters are angered by articles and such about people who "live with Autism" and "suffer from the disorder", and consider such articles to be written by ableist people. This is where I'm a bit confused, because I've always perceived these kinds of articles to be supportive of people with Autism; every illness deserves awareness, and people with mental illnesses are particularly ostracized because society is critical and judgmental of people who have them. For example, how particularly judgmental people think kids with ADHD are "annoying", or kids with learning disabilities are "stupid". Up until this point, I've thought that articles about people who help people with autism are written with the intention to end these offensive beliefs and misunderstandings. So when I read that these articles are considered offensive as well, I was really thrown off and decided that I need a better understanding here.

Now, I can go ahead and read about the symptoms of Asperger's and how "people with different places on the Autism spectrum differ in their everyday functionality" and blah blah blah, as written by psychiatrists and therapists and professionals. I refuse to do this, because YOU have a voice, and I'd much rather learn from you than from someone who will only speak for you and give me the "basics and facts". Disorders are far more than basics and facts, and no two people are exactly alike, so I shouldn't have to assume what you experience without actually knowing the reality of it.

Regarding the posts and the articles and whatnot, I suppose I can try and compare the situation to my self-harm history and experience to see if maybe I do understand more- or less- than I think. If you think it will be triggering, skip the following paragraphs between the asterisks (though I will not write about anything graphic or overly detailed).

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1.) I have old, but very noticeable, self-harm scars. I don't self-harm like I used to, but still struggle with it from time to time. I am not ashamed of my scars, and I do not believe they should lessen my self-worth. However, I'm often inclined to hide them when I go out in public; not because I am afraid of being insulted or bullied, but more so because people sometimes point them out since they feel bad for me, and tell me "it gets better" and to "stay strong", etc. I appreciate their kindness, but I don't want pity. I don't want to seem like I'm showing off my scars to get people's attention, and I don't want to discuss my self-harm because I hate opening up about my personal issues so suddenly. There's a lot more to me than my scars.
2.) On some occasions while going out (and many occasions with my immediate family), people have told me how to get rid of my scars and how I can use this scar cream and that oil and lazer scar removal and how it'll look like I never had scars in the first place. Here's the thing: I never asked these people how I could get rid of my scars. I don't want to get rid of them, nor do I need to. I suppose people mean well when they tell me these remedies, but they don't seem to realize that they are basically implying that I would look better without my scars; that they are an unacceptable flaw. (Another example might be the quote "Wrists are for bracelets, not for cutting", because it sounds a lot more like "You're not supposed to cut yourself, normal people don't do that" and also insinuates that all people who self-harm cut their wrists and that's it.)

Comparing Autism to my situation in #1, you are not your Autism. You are a human being with traits, qualities, talents, hobbies, opinions and passions, and that makes up a greater percentage of who you are than your disorder does. You want every aspect of you to be seen, not just your disorder.
Correct?

Comparing Autism to #2, your Autism does not make you flawed and therefore doesn't need to be corrected or cured, because there's nothing wrong or unacceptable about it. You can change habits that might put yourself and/or others in danger (if you even have any), or improve upon something that will make for a better personal quality of life, but you don't need to change the parts of you that are completely harmless and shouldn't be viewed as a threat. Also, no two people who have Autism are the exact same and should not be viewed as such.
Correct?
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Sorry for such a long post, but if you read it all the way through, thank you so much for hearing me out. Like I said, I mean well and I want to make whatever changes I must, in order to be more supportive.