Back in late January of this year, this article depicting a Florida cheerleader asking an autistic classmate to prom circulated the world wide web, warming the hearts of all who encountered it. According to Today, Mikal Bartosik, a varsity cheerleader at Park Vista High School in Lake Worth, Florida, asked a classmate who has autism, Jonathan Ramilo, to go to prom with her by using a ginormous cookie cake. The story blew up, with many commentators praising Mikal's act of kindness and the impact that she has made on Jonathan's happiness.

It is true that Mikal's intentions are nothing but kind. She put such a bright smile on the face of her fellow classmate and, yes, her act is certainly honorable. However, the entire message of the article has a (likely unintentional) ableist tone.

In the story of the cheerleader and the boy with autism, what most people are failing to realize is that by making such a huge deal out of the fact that a cheerleader would ask a boy with autism to prom, they are forcing the boy with autism into the role that he will never be able to escape: the lesser person yearning for special attention. In reality, this is not the case. Instead of weighing heavily on the fact that he has autism, the story should have been reported as such: Girl Asks Boy to Prom, He Says Yes. There is nothing inspirational or heroic about two friends enjoying a school dance together. Saying otherwise just reinforces stereotypes that all autistic people are sitting in the background, waiting for someone like Mikal to notice them, which is simply not true. Mikal and Jonathan are just two friends, enjoying the time that they are spending together, regardless of their stereotypical "places" in the status quo.

To get a better perspective on the issue, I asked my friend and speech duet partner, Dylan, who is on the autism spectrum, to go get some food with me. To prove that there is, in fact, nothing life-changing about going out with a person with autism, I'll recount the date in its entirety:

1. We went to Denny's. (Score!)

2. As per usual with Dylan and me, we belted show tunes the entire way there.

3. I ordered pancakes. He ordered spaghetti. It was almost 12:30 in the morning.

4. We had such a good time talking about musicals and John Mulaney that I completely forgot what the point of this whole outing was until Dylan reminded me that I was supposed to be interviewing him. About the viral article, he said, "Thanks for asking. Nobody really notices the ableist undertones of articles like that. They make it out like we want special attention or favors, and the truth is that we don't. I don't need anything. I'm awesome, and I would never change a single aspect about myself. I'm great just how I am."

5. We tried to watch Hercules on VCR when we got back, but at this point, I was about to pass out where I sat, so Dylan picked me up over his shoulder, flung me onto my bed, threw a blanket at me and left my apartment.

So there you have it. Going out with your autistic friend is nothing to wear around like a badge. Going out with Dylan does not make me inspirational or worthy of praise. It does make me a girl who went to Denny's at 12:30 in the morning with one of her closest friends. Just like going to prom with Jonathan only makes Mikal a girl who enjoyed a school dance with one of her closest friends. The fact that the media had to point out that one of the teens has autism sets up an ableist perspective of which we all need to be aware.