It has come to my attention that there are several pending House bills, most notably from OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino and Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, that seek to promote the well-being of autistic persons. While the intention of the bills is laudable, as an autistic individual myself, I have some deep concerns about it. To protect the well-being of autistics, we must first define what autism is. However, based on the bills, it seems that the definition is mostly based on a medical aspect of autism from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that characterizes autism as either a disorder or a condition.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/163662/autism-is-a-disability-not-a-disorder

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