Mum shares honest pictures of autistic daughter after online critics say she's too positive

'This is what autism 'looks like''

A mum felt forced to share photos of her autistic daughter's 'violent' outbursts online to silence critics who said she was too positive.

Imgur user kazzaunit posted the pictures online, after she had comments on previous photos of Molly, aged seven, questioning the authenticity of the little girl's disability.

She wrote, 'Due to negative comments I felt I need to add this, you are right autism isn't always this cute...' on the picture gallery titled: 'This is what autism 'looks like''.

'Is this what you want to see?' Molly's mum addresses the critics

The mum, who regularly posts pictures of her gorgeous little girl, who has ASD and ADHD, found that she was receiving negative comments off users who thought Molly was too cute to truly be autistic, and that 'it could be worse.'

One wrote: 'Not to be that person, but this is what "higher functioning" autism looks like. I'm happy for you guys, honestly, because it could be worse.'

While another said, 'I don't see how these pictures make anybody understand anything. She's adorable yes but how is that connected to autism?'

'Have to collect her from school as she isn't coping,' Molly's mum writes. 

Another user who said they had an austistic son said, 'This is what autism 'looks like' for you. For me it's a lot different.'

In response to the comments Molly's mum posted new photos with the caption, 'Is this what you want to see?'

The mum wrote: 'She can't cope walking to the shop, there might be people, too much noise, unexpected situations. She doesn't sleep, she is aggressive and violent and suicidal, she has no danger awareness and runs in front of traffic and has to use a buggy to get home from school.

Read more: Mum left amazed by partner's list of 'honest' advantages to having a child with autism

'This is what happens in shops,' the mum captioned this picture.

'I wanted to highlight the other side of autism, the one where the kid is having a good day and coping.

'[If] she doesn't 'look autistic' that's the side of it that nobody has compassion for. If she looks normal she should be able to fit in right? Is my kid not the socially acceptable type of disabled?'

The pictures have since received over 400 comments full of supportive messages for Molly and her mum. One kind commenter wrote, 'Sorry that some people are so disconnected from their own humanity that they attacked you and your lovely little girl. Keep up the good work.'

'What [Molly] wants more than anything? Acceptance.' 

kazzaunit added that all she really wanted to do was help her little girl to feel normal: 'What [Molly] wants more than anything? Acceptance', she wrote.

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Lifestyle Writer

Gemma Chandler is a lifestyle writer specialising in kids' educational media across a range of topics including nature, history, science and geography across digital, print, social media and video channels. She joined Creature & Co. at 2015, shortly becoming Digital Editor of National Geographic Kids magazine.