I realize that more and more of my output lately is in some way related to the autism spectrum. I also just realized that the first time I mentioned autism on here, it kind of came out of nowhere. Since this website started out as a movie blog, and I'm not exactly the best at keeping up-to-date, some long time readers might think that I'm lying about being on the spectrum. Or if I'm not lying, then I started bringing it up as a ratings boost. I assure you that neither of those things is the case. Since some of you might not know what autism is, after all, how else does that vaccine myth persist unless some people think it's a literal disease, today I would like to explain what it actually is.
Wikipedia describes the autism spectrum as...
"...a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the fifth revision of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5)... These disorders are characterized by social deficits and communication difficulties, stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests, and in some cases, cognitive delays."Wikipedia, Autism spectrum
Other signs include and are not limited to:
- Tactile sensitivities
- Sensitivity to bright lights and/or loud sounds
- Extreme attention to detail
- Overly literal thinking
- Apparent difficulty empathizing, but we DO have feelings.
- Lack of and/or difficulty recognizing facial expressions.
Many people consider it a childhood illness, but it lasts throughout life, and the degree of symptoms fluctuates over time as well. Not all autistic people are alike, it is after all, the autism spectrum. For example, it was once thought that autism occurred in boys four times more frequently than in girls, but more recent studies have suggested that it is actually quite egalitarian in regards to gender. We have all variety of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious views, and every other distinction you could name.
Some of us might have extreme skill in specific areas, these people are referred to as "savants". Savant syndrome, although it is commonly associated with autism, is not exclusive to it, even some neurotypical people have it, and only 10% of autistic people are savants. The actual area of expertise is often of a logical nature, such as mathematics or law, and/or oddly specific, like unit conversion or copyright, but it doesn't have to be. I for example, while I can certainly see the appeal in hard sciences, tend more towards the humanities.
And there is a difference between a savant and someone with a special interest. A special interest is something that takes up a lot of our thoughts, it can be comforting. Cynthia Kim, who runs a blog called Musings Of An Aspie, which explains this kind of stuff better than I ever do, describes it as, and I'm paraphrasing, "like a hobby, but to a greater degree" Here are some of mine.
- Doctor Who (the revived series)
- Welcome To Night Vale
- DVDs
- the Internet
- Lego/Bionicle (faded a long time ago)
- Film/storytelling in general
- Speculative fiction
- The bibliography of alternate history author Harry Turtledove (faded)
- The "Camp Half-Blood" series of books by Rick Riordan (faded)
- Harry Potter (faded)
- the 1998 film Pleasantville (slightly faded)
I've gone slightly off topic, and I've probably reached my writing limit for the night, so here are some other things you should know about autism.
- Be patient, we think in a fundamentally different way.
- Try not to be distracting.
- Never use the r-word. (You know what I'm talking about.)
- Be specific in your language. (Especially grammar.)
- And never intentionally lie to us.
Have a nice day.
Greg.B
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