Making the Pieces Fit

Nicole Spring

“It takes a village to raise a child.” But what if the village doesn’t understand enough about the child? I often have to explain and even defend why Autism Society Wood Buffalo choose to use the puzzle piece to represent us and the work we do. The use of the puzzle piece to represent autism has been known to cause some controversy. Some see it as depicting a person with autism as broken or not whole. The Autism Society of the RMWB looks at the symbol differently, however.

We do not see autism as a mystery needing to be solved, nor do we believe a person with autism is missing something or needs to be fixed. The pieces of the puzzle, for us, reflect the services, supports and community awareness that need to be put together. You see, the individual is whole already – the whole centre piece. Our goal is to finish the picture around the person. If we can strengthen existing supports and services, create new ones, and raise awareness in our community, our belief is that we can enhance the picture.