AUTISTICS ARE NOT INHERENTLY VIOLENT.

Last year, when I saw my cardiologist, she asked about how my blood pressure was, and as soon as I mentioned I felt it soar when I saw the evil dutton on television, or heard his voice, she said, "So, you have responses with your blood pressure when you get worked up." She knew straight away that he is a polarising figure and that I'm on the side of those who despise him.

I had a mini-meltdown when my mother said something about the wheels on my car and my response was, "Is your name Marilyn?" (my friend, Marilyn and I have the same political values and another friend's brother is an asylum seeker, who worked at a car detailing place and I took my car to him for a clean. I discuss my car with people who have the same political values, not diametrically opposed ones). As a general rule, I deplore cruelty, but I have to admit, I become extremely angry when I see injustice and injustice that can be avoided.

I have seen people say that autistic people are violent, when nothing can be further from the truth. When you see an autistic person having a meltdown it can be confronting, I'll give you that, but a meltdown is a response to extreme stimuli. For me, seeing the evil dutton's nasty face, hearing his horrible voice talking about something I vehemently disagree with is horrendous. Likewise, hearing the obnoxious being he supported with his condescending voice and his smirking arrogance is sheer hell.

Hearing the whining voice of a politician from Queensland attacking my neuro-tribe in the Senate, along with her right-wing nonsense, is like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.

So, this week, the murder of Eurydice Dixon, an aspiring Melbourne comedienne, was in the news, and the fact that the alleged murderer is autistic has caused me to want to correct some misinformation. As well as autism, the alleged murderer has sexual sadism disorder. I have only encountered one autistic person with an unhealthy obsession with sexual activity. In the alleged murderer's case, it was his sexual sadism that led him to allegedly stalk, rape and then murder Ms Dixon, not his autism. In the case of Stephanie Scott, a teacher, she was a symbolic target because the man responsible was autistic but when he was at school, had been grabbed by the neck of his jumper by a teacher to stop him from walking on grass, giving him the sensation of strangulation, so he harboured a desire for revenge, and even though Stephanie Scott was not responsible, she was the target being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Similarly, in Western Australia, a man murdered his wife, his daughters and his mother-in-law and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is autistic, but autism was not the motive for his murder. Likewise, some of these people who commit mass murders, who may be autistic, cannot blame autism for their crimes. For example, Tasmanian mass murderer, Martin Bryant, may be autistic, but he had a fascination with guns and a history of cruelty, such as hitting a classmate over the head with a spear-gun, while spear fishing, and THAT was the motivation!

Autistic people are more likely to be victims of crime, than perpetrators. An injustice is more likely to rile us.

When you see an autistic person having a meltdown, we are not violent, we have a response to extreme stress that sees the pressure valve being released. It is best not to talk to an autistic person while having a meltdown, just give us space and time, and if you are on the receiving end of something, we will most likely be embarrassed about it. So, give us some space and understanding and try to cut us some slack. And above all, try to understand us and cut through the misinformation the right-wing is notorious for.