Autism is more common in boys than in girls, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect young girls all over the country. Now girls living within the autistic spectrum have a new role model in the Miss America contestant from Montana, Alexis Wineman.
Not only has Wineman made her diagnosis public, she is making autism her platform for the pageant, naming it “Normal is Just a Dryer Setting: Living with Autism,” according to Yahoo! Shine. With just two days before the competition, she is hoping to gain the support of the public.
Wineman, the current Miss Montana, is the first contestant to have the developmental disorder. Though her symptoms place her on the mild end of the spectrum, she does have some of the traditional characteristics of autism.
There are not many celebrities that openly discuss an autism or Asperger’s diagnosis, leaving autistic children with few role models. Having an example to look up to can go a long way in showing kids with developmental disabilities just how much is possible. Alexis Wineman could very well become the example for children with autism to follow.
Wineman admits that there are some aspects of potentially being Miss America that could be problematic. Travel that disrupts her schedule might be troublesome, as is picking up on social cues. She told a Fox News reporter recently that, “Just pacing around for 45 minutes is pretty much how I get a hold of myself."
Young girls with autism all over the country will be rooting for the beauty from Montana, hoping that her beautiful face will be forever associated with the developmental disorder that they live with every day.
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