Incredible Minds

17/12/2025

16/12/2025

Lately, I keep hearing this idea that autism is a superpower. It’s used by people as a comfort or an open-minded, accepting way of talking about neurodiversity. I know the people who use this term mean well or truly believe that is the case.
It’s also used by the neurodiverse themselves. I heard Australian actress and personality Chloe Hayden use it recently. Now, she is very successful and happy and I’m glad for her. But what about the people who haven’t had that level of success and still struggle with day-to-day living? They might well be wondering where their superpower is?
As a parent of a neurodiverse young man, can I tell you how much I hate the word ‘superpower’? Every time I hear it, it’s like a knife twisting inside me. I detest how it glosses over the truth, how it shrinks something so complex, so challenging, so deeply woven into a person’s life, into a cheerful little saying.
Because when you live with autism—or love someone who does—you know it’s not a superpower. You know that it isn’t that simple. These people do not wear their un**es on the outside of their pants.
For me, this isn’t theoretical. It’s my son. It’s the young man I’ve watched battle through this year with more courage than most people possess. People see him for a moment and tell me how enthusiastic he is. How willing to learn and always wanting to please he is. How I should get a pat on the back for raising such a contentious and delightful young man. As if these words make everything fine and sooth over every difficult moment he (and I) experience. What they don’t see are the nights he can’t sleep because his mind won’t switch off. They don’t see the sensory overloads that make him sleep like the living dead in the middle of the day. They don’t see the devastation of having to live in a world that is so hard for him to understand and fit into.
They certainly don’t see him after driving seven hours home from losing his fifth job in twelve months, tears streaming down his face as he says, “I’m sorry I’m such a failure.” Tell me—where is the superpower in that moment? There is none. There’s just heartbreak, frustration, and a young adult who feels like he’s letting himself and everyone else down for simply for trying to survive in it.
When people call autism a superpower, it feels like they’re wiping away the gruelling parts—as if acknowledging the struggle is somehow negative. Believe me, the struggle is real. Sensory overload, meltdowns, shutdowns, executive dysfunction, none of these are quirks. They shape every day and every choice he makes. And pretending otherwise doesn’t help. It only creates pressure. It makes autistic people feel like they should be exceptional just to justify their existence. It makes employers and partners expect talents that may not be there. It makes the battle invisible. It erodes their self-confidence.
What terrifies me is that this stupid word ‘superpower’ will convince neurodivergent people that they should be able to cope with everything, that they should push through every difficulty because everyone keeps telling them they’re “special.” As if being human, vulnerable, overwhelmed, or lost isn’t an option. And look, some autistic people have found their niche and are incredibly successful – perhaps they do use that wonderful ability of being able to stay focuses for hours on end for something great. But not all of them have and this must not be forgotten.
I don’t want my son (or anyone) to feel inferior because they haven’t found their ‘superpower’. I don’t want them to think they must be extraordinary to be worthy. I want them to know it’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to need support. It’s okay to have limits. That’s not failure. That’s life.
I understand how positive the use of ‘superpower’ can be and how it could build up neurodivergent people’s confidence. But I despise it because it erases the people who are still trying to find their place, the ones who are hurting, the ones who haven’t discovered any so-called gifts. Those are the people I worry about—the ones who might look at that word and wonder why it doesn’t apply to them.

15/12/2025

❤️💔

12/12/2025

Quiet space is open in Catherine street, Incredible Minds. If anyone would like to use it.

12/12/2025

Don't forget Catherine street at Incredible Minds has a quiet zone. If anyone needs tonight, for the Christmas pageant.

09/12/2025

Thanks a million. Good luck with everything you do in the future. But you won't need it.

30/11/2025

And the race is over.

29/11/2025

Its the duck race come and join us

21/11/2025

For all my year 12, and all my year sixes, this is for you.

21/11/2025

Hidden disabilities, also known as non-visible disabilities, are conditions that are not immediately apparent to others. Examples include mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, chronic illnesses like asthma and diabetes, neurological conditions like autism and ADHD, and chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a globally recognized symbol used to discreetly indicate the wearer may need extra support.

20/11/2025

Shout out to one of our newest Gold Sponsors this year Therapy 2 Thrive Solutions 📣📣

Therapy 2 Thrive provide a personalised, client-focused therapy designed to support not only children and young adults but their entire families.

Get in touch with the team today on 08 8536 4838 and see how they can help support your family.