The changing puzzle piece symbol for autism

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This may have been posted before, but I found what seems to be an old puzzle piece logo used to symbolize the idea that autistic people are difficult to comprehend and autism is a puzzle that needs a solution/cure. I'm guessing that the crying child was supposed to symbolize how miserable the creator imagined it was to be autistic, trapped in a puzzle and unable to contact the "real" world. I know some members find the puzzle symbol offensive, but I think autism is a genuine mystery to most people. Does anyone else know anymore about the history of the puzzle piece symbol they can share?

Some articles about its history here:

https://autisticandunapologetic.com/201 ... -new-logo/
https://i1.wp.com/the-art-of-autism.com ... .jpg?ssl=1
https://intheloopaboutneurodiversity.wo ... or-autism/

Personally I'm inclined to see the puzzle piece as a symbol, not of autism per se, but of puzzled parents and puzzled professionals, who, apparently, have all too often been utterly clueless about what it's like to be autistic.

Thanks heaps Mona, that is exactly what I was looking for!

I agree with you on the meaning of the puzzle I never took it as anything but until I saw some youtube videoexplaining autism speaks the organization ...

the puzzle piece itself made me think they are referring to the autistic person. As the missing piece in society, who needed to be included or else the puzzle of us as humans, remains incomplete. I saw it as a compliment really

I love puzzles, so it suited me nicely that way. It puzzled me that maybe not all ASD folks love puzzles - perhaps a higher ratio than NTs I wondered.

I am not a puzzle. Changing the color palette to be more rainbow does not change that symbolism for me. It is just another failed attempt to please both sides(Rainbow colored symbols have been used by ND groups to symbolize inclusion and the Autism Spectrum)

Its sometimes suggested we like actual puzzles as frequently stated in the movie "The Accountant". Not the case for me but it was a good movie anyway even if silly in places.

Personally your never going to please anyone put a rainbow looking flag and you'll annoy straight autistics who dont want to be confused with being gay.

Put something showing superpowers and you'll offend the parents / carers of the severly autistic adult as being inappropriate.

The sooner the great diagnosis split the better so all this sillyness can end.

Then we can just say we have a fault with genes x

That particular picture was the National Autistic Society's logo until about 2001 ish. The child part makes sense because the NAS was/is mostly aimed at children, and used to have 'children' in its name.

I assume that since children tend to like playing games etc, that a puzzle piece would be appropriate.

Now, why it seems to have stuck with other people, I don't know. I'd say its not really that appropriate where adults are concerned, but puzzles can be fun, and the multicoloured puzzle pieces do look quite cool.

Maybe the new autism logo could be a Tetris piece .

I just did a bit of digging, and apparently, the puzzle piece did indeed originate with the National Autistic Society:

I have called this talk 'Perspective on a puzzle piece' the logo of the Society, and I therefore should give a brief history of it. It was designed by a parent member of the Executive Committee, Gerald Gasson, and the minutes of the Executive Meeting of 14 February 1963 read: 'The Committee decided that the symbol of the Society should be the puzzle as this did not look like any other commercial or charitable one as far as they could discover'. It first appeared on our stationary and then on our newsletter in April 1963. Our Society was the first autistic society in the world and our puzzle piece has, as far as I know, been adopted by all the autistic societies which have followed, many of which in their early days turned to us for information and advice.

The puzzle piece is so effective because it tells us something about autism: our children are handicapped by a puzzling condition; this isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not 'fit in'. The suggestion of a weeping child is a reminder that autistic people do indeed suffer from their handicap.

If, in the future, we can invest in our Society even more thought, effort and commitment, our puzzle piece will, at least in this country, become no longer just a logo on a letterhead but a symbol of hope for autistic people and their families.

Taken from http://web.archive.org/web/200111090940 ... uzzle.html

There are loads of genes possible though. Hundreds of gene markers have been identified as being likely causes of what is overall recognized to be asd
They know the exact gene they think its related to for my son n i.. Except they haven't researched tht one.. But it's on file now in their data bank too...the chromosomal abnormality