If I asked the average person (or even those who use or promote the symbol) what it actually means or represents, or what it signifies to an autistic individual, they couldn’t tell you. This is often the case in society, but this has triggered me for a while, so I wanted to address it.

The jigsaw puzzle piece – the little icon that has become the emblem of autism awareness. At first, it seems like a friendly symbol representing the complexities of the human brain. If you start to really question it, you soon see it with a different light – or atleast I did when I put my autistic logic to it! 

To me the jigsaw puzzle piece suggests that being autistic is like a puzzle waiting to be solved. The fact is, neurodivergence isn’t a mystery to be unraveled! Autistic individuals are people with different strengths, challenges, and ways of experiencing the world. So, if we’re talking about puzzles, let’s be clear: there’s no ‘solution’ to being autistic! It’s not Sudoku where the goal is to fit every number into the right box.

I also feel the jigsaw piece implies that autistic people are somehow incomplete. The idea that we are a “piece” of a puzzle insinuates that we don’t make up a whole picture on our own – that we need other neurotypical pieces to fill in the gaps and create the full picture. I personally find it massively condescending!

The irony that while the puzzle piece should symbolise a need for understanding and acceptance, it reinforces the idea that autistic people are somehow ‘less than’. It suggests that we are a jumble of traits that need to be fitted together correctly to make sense. 

This colourful childlike design is often associated with childhood. Many autistic adults (myself included) feel that this focus on a childlike symbol overlooks the experiences and challenges faced by autistic adults. This marginalises the voices and realities which we are fighting to change daily.

The origins of the jigsaw piece are tied to a time when the understanding of autism was limited.

The original design of the jigsaw piece was created in the 1960s by the National Autistic Society in the UK, intended to represent the idea that each autistic individual is unique much like how a puzzle piece is distinct. Yet, here we are, decades later, using a symbol that’s as outdated as the house phone. It reflects a sign of the times with its archaic views, echoing a narrative that neurodivergence is something to be fixed or solved. It’s patronising at best and damaging at worst.

Shall we use a plain, boring square to represent neurotypicals? Something with a shape that embodies the predictability and conformity that society seems to crave on a superficial level! Would that be acceptable?

The jigsaw piece for the neurodivergent and a monochrome square for the neurotypical!! 

In a world striving for inclusivity and understanding, why are we still using archaic symbols that preserve outdated views and understanding? With new understanding and developments in how we view autism, surely this puzzle piece needs to go – just like the stigma that is associated with autism.