Why Greta Thunberg Should Go Back to School

“As a fellow person with autism, I hope to make clear why educational support—and going to school—is so essential to the lives of people with autism.”

To begin, for the purposes of this discussion, I will not be commenting on the content of Greta’s climate activism itself, even though it has likely come to considerably define her life. I am in no way claiming to be a climate scientist and—partially for this reason—I will refrain from making any definitive statements about climate change, as either a scientific or political concept. What I am familiar with are teenagers like Greta Thunberg and the significance of attending school at such an age. As a fellow person with autism, I hope to make clear why educational support—and going to school—is so essential to the lives of people with autism.

In Gabriel Andrade’s recent Merion West piece concerning Greta, Andrade greatly acknowledges that the approach Greta represents — the use of a script-reading child — should not be practiced when a society is trying to engage with a complex issue, like global warming. “Angry children who read scripts but are not really capable of answering questions or engaging in debate” Andrade writes, “do not bring much to the table other than feel-good hipness.” Greta might be a very intelligent girl — whether or not you include her script reading skills when judging her intellect — but that doesn’t make school redundant. Greta’s father, Svante Thunberg, somewhat agrees and questions her decision to leave school. Like most fathers, Greta’s father supports his daughter in what she is doing—but for reasons other than the climate: “I did all these things, I knew they were the right thing to do…but I didn’t do it to save the climate, I did it to save my child.”

Greta has been rather outspoken about her disorder — Asperger Syndrome (AS)— and perceives it as a “superpower.” Few would discourage her from seeing her condition in a positive light. I, myself, am an advocate of this type of optimism—partly for its suggestion that there is a positive side to autism, something that certainly is the case. Nevertheless, one should be careful with assuming that said “superpower” is a fixed feature of the autism spectrum. That is, individuals with autism shouldn’t approve of the diabolical saying: “You’re perfect as you are.” The Canadian psychologist, Jordan B. Peterson, among others, has also  articulated a version of this idea.