When done right, some colours become synonymous with the things they are used to represent. Take for example the healthy green hues of the Samaritans logo or the sleek, futuristic black of the Apple apple. Even in the world of literature, its hard not to see a hopeful yellow background with a powerful red centre and think of Superman.
The puzzle piece is becoming more and more stigmatized in the autistic community, and I completely understand why. As the symbol becomes more known to originally representsomething missing from autistics, the more the autistic community is rejecting its use.
Shauna Gilligan is a writer and mother of a son on the Autism Spectrum. In the article below, she
When you look for an image describing autism and autism awareness, a puzzle piece immediately appears.So why do we use this symbol? What is the history of this symbol that we think describes autism? Why has this symbol been preferred by associations, parents of children with autism, and autism activists?
People that dislike the use of the puzzle piece do not like being perceived as less-than, mysterious, or somehow incomplete as if they should strive to become neurotypical. In the age of neurodiversity, people with autism are not the marginalized community they once were and more people have accepted that autism is not a puzzle to be solved.
The puzzle piece symbol was first used in 1963 by the National Autistic Society, in a logo which depicted the image of a crying child in the centre of the piece. The supposed aim of the image was to symbolise how people with autism suffer from a puzzling condition and are unable to fit in.
It is a rainbow infinity sign, has been posed as an alternative. The logo celebrates diversity and hope. It should be common in the Autism Spectrum Disorder acceptance movement.