Holden Wall

My altered version of the ad is an attempt to shift the narrative of autism. I turned that frown upside down (literally!) in order to remove the negative subtext of the original ad. A diagnosis of autism should not be a condemnation, as autistic behaviour is not an incorrect way of being that should be “corrected” to fit in with wider society. I have changed the slogan from “Got autism? Studies have shown a link between cow’s milk and autism” to “Got autism? No problem! There is nothing wrong with you” to  present a more reassuring advertisement. Instead of blaming autistic individuals and their parents for “causing” autism, a better approach would be to supply autistic individuals and their families and friends with resources to foster connection and policy changes.

I have also changed the organization sponsoring the ad from PETA to ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network), because PETA has no place distributing an ad about autism. ASAN is an organization that has been created by and for autistic people, and has the slogan “nothing about us without us”; the purpose of this organization is for autistic people to help empower other autistic people across the world to take control of their own lives on the basis that autism should not be considered an inherently unhealthy diagnosis. It is not a disease, but is an alternate way of existing in the world; difference does not indicate illness, and autism does not necessitate a cure. ASAN works tirelessly to connect with other autistic people and to change public policy and public perspectives of autism, and to remove the shame embedded in a diagnosis of autism.

This ad is intended to serve as a means of reaching out to autistic individuals who may feel powerless in their lives, to their families who may have negative associations with autistic diagnoses, and to the general public who may, as PETA’s original ad portrays, believe that autism can and should be prevented. My edited version of the ad aims to shift the narrative of autism towards a healthier, more empowering perspective.

In 2008, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) launched a campaign against the consumption of milk. The advert posted above was spread widely, with a page posted on their blog further explaining PETA’s view and citing studies that had supposedly demonstrated that the behaviour of autistic children had improved once the children had stopped consuming casein (a protein found in milk and other dairy products).

The problems with this advertisement are several. Time News magazine, The Atlantic newspaper, and various other news sources have criticized the ad in 2008 when the campaign was first launched, as well as in 2014 and 2017, when outrage around the ad was re-ignited. One of the central problems is that the studies cited by PETA have been discredited because of the research methods used as well as the small sample group (only 20-36 children in each study). One of the studies PETA references has even been removed from the National Library of Medicine PubMed website.

In addition to the bad science PETA uses to justify their claim that dairy products can cause autism and intensify socially unacceptable autistic behaviours, the subtext of their imagery is problematic. The frowning face in the bowl of milk shown in the advertisement demonstrates PETA’s clear belief that autism is bad, that autistic behaviours and individuals are unwelcome, and that autism can and should be avoided (in other words, autism = sad face). This is a troubling message for autistic individuals, their family members, and the general public. This kind of messaging perpetuates the idea of autistic folks as Other, instead of incorporating a wider understanding of the diverse ways in which people can exist in their bodies and interact with themselves and one another.