Evolving discourse about autistic individuals swims in murky territory, with ongoing debates over how the autistic community should represent itself and how the neurotypical population should engage with them. One tendency that has emerged is the depiction of autistic individuals as kind and well-intentioned but also simpleminded and guileless. This, in combination with the dominant imagery of autistic individuals as children, has created an atmosphere in which all autistic individuals are stripped of their human complexity by the neurotypical gaze, and by extension are not given the fulfillment, support, and resources needed to make possible a life of sufficient quality.