Autistic 8-year-old pens heartfelt letter asking if autistic fairies exist
If some people have autism, do some fairies have autism too?
That’s what 8-year-old Cadence pondered on in a heartfelt letter shared on her blog, I am Cadence.
“Dear Fairies, I want to know please, is there an autism fairy?” Cadence writes. “What is her job in fairyland? Can she visit me? I am autism too.”
“I will be very gentle and I promise I’m a kind girl and won’t put her in a jar,” she adds.
In answer to the young girl’s plea, the ‘Queen Fairy’ penned her own response, which was also shared in the blog post.
In it, she explains that there are no autistic fairies.
“In Fairyland, where your world ends and our magical one begins, physical and brain differences are not much thought about; they are just a part of each fairy’s unique way of being and doing,” it says.
“So no, there is no special Autism fairy. But kindness, compassion, understanding, friendship, teamwork, courage and hope… That is the real magic of Fairyland and it is your magic too.”
The letters are part of a common thread on Cadence’s blog that sheds a little light on how it feels to be autistic and aims to challenge the way others see people with autism.
In a recent post, Cadence questions why people label autism.
“I don’t think that’s right. My label is Cadence. One of my ingredients is autism.”
For good measure, she includes an adorable illustration comparing her “ingredients” to a can of tomatoes, including things like “autism,” “clever cells” and “caring cells,” as well as proudly declaring that she has more ingredients than tomatoes.
You do you, Cadence!
