Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain, impacting how a person perceives and socializes with others. Research suggests that ASD develops from a combination of genetic influences and environmental factors, including social determinants. About 1 in 10 people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition, but other causes are not known.
Autism is a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. There is no single cause for autism, but genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to pesticides before birth or maternal immune system disorders, may play a role in its development. Genetic factors include gene variants, which some people inherit from their parents.
There are many known environmental, genetic, and biological causes of autism, with genetic factors being predominant in the appearance of ASD. The cause of ASD is not known, but scientists believe it is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Vaccines do not cause autism, and it can affect people in the same family.
While there is no single cause for autism, genetics play a major role as well as environmental factors. Although autism does not appear after early childhood, some people are not diagnosed until their adult years. Understanding the main reasons behind autism is crucial for understanding its impact on individuals and their families.
📹 2-Minute Neuroscience: Autism
Autism is characterized by impairments in social communication and interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors. In this …
Are you born with autism or do you develop it?
Autism is a genetic condition that affects the brain’s functioning differently from others. It is a birth defect, with signs indicating early symptoms. Those with autism live their entire life, and while there are no medical treatments or cures, some individuals may require support. Despite this, autistic individuals can live a full life, and being autistic does not impede their quality of life.
What are the main causes of autism?
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a condition affecting communication and behavior, typically appearing by age 2. It affects 1 in 36 children, with the CDC reporting that it affects 1 in 44 children. Risk factors for autism include having a sibling with autism, having older parents, having certain genetic conditions, such as Down, fragile X, and Rett syndromes, and having very low birth weight.
People with autism may have difficulty with communication, social interaction, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and inability to function effectively in school, work, and other areas of life. Scientists are still working to understand why some people develop autism and others don’t.
What is the strongest cause of autism?
Autism is believed to be primarily caused by genetic factors, with early studies estimating heritability at over 90. However, recent studies have estimated heritability at between 60 and 90. Despite this, most cases of autism occur sporadically without family history. It has been hypothesized that spontaneous de novo mutations in the sperm or egg contribute to the likelihood of developing autism. Two lines of evidence support this hypothesis: individuals with autism have significantly reduced fecundity, making them 20 times less likely to have children than average, and the likelihood of having a child develop autism increases with advancing parental age.
The first genes to be definitively shown to contribute to the risk for autism were found in the early 1990s by researchers looking at gender-specific forms of autism caused by mutations on the X chromosome. An expansion of the CGG trinucleotide repeat in the promoter of the gene FMR1 in boys causes fragile X syndrome, and at least 20 of boys with this mutation have behaviors consistent with autism spectrum disorder. Mutations that inactivate the gene MECP2 cause Rett syndrome, which is associated with autistic behaviors in girls and is embryonic lethal in boys.
How can autism start?
Specific genetic alterations in a parent’s genome can elevate the likelihood of a child developing autism, even in the absence of autism symptoms in the parent.
What is the first cause of autism?
Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause, but it is likely due to various genetic and environmental factors. Genetics may involve various genes, such as Rett syndrome or fragile X syndrome, which can increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder in some children. Other genes may affect brain development, communication, or severity of symptoms. Some genetic mutations are inherited, while others occur spontaneously. Environmental factors, such as viral infections, medications, pregnancy complications, or air pollutants, are being explored as potential triggers.
A controversy surrounding the link between autism spectrum disorder and childhood vaccines has been ongoing, with no reliable study showing a link. The original study that ignited the debate has been retracted due to poor design and questionable research methods. Avoiding childhood vaccinations can put children and others at risk of catching and spreading serious diseases like whooping cough, measles, or mumps.
Can autism be prevented?
To increase the chances of having an autistic child, lifestyle changes such as regular check-ups, balanced meals, exercise, good prenatal care, and taking recommended vitamins and supplements can be beneficial. It is essential to consult a doctor before taking any medication, especially anti-seizure drugs, and avoid alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It is crucial to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid alcohol consumption.
Can stress in pregnancy cause autism?
High stress during pregnancy does not necessarily lead to a child with autism. While some studies suggest a link between stress and autism, other factors like genetics and environmental factors also play a role. High stress levels during pregnancy have been linked to adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and developmental delays. It is crucial for both maternal and fetal health to manage stress levels during pregnancy.
While there is no definitive answer to whether stress during pregnancy causes autism, some studies suggest a link. It is essential for women to reduce their stress levels to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. By taking care of their own health and well-being, women can help ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby.
Who is most likely to get autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects social interactions, communication, learning, and behavior. It can be diagnosed at any age but is considered a “developmental disorder” due to symptoms appearing in the first two years of life. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), individuals with ASD often experience difficulty with communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors, which can impact their ability to function in school, work, and other areas of life.
Can you develop autism later in life?
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from disruptions in brain and central nervous system growth early in development. It is present at birth and cannot be developed later in life. There is no official diagnosis of acquired or late-onset autism, and if a person shows autism-like symptoms in adulthood, they are typically due to other similar conditions. Common early signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder include:
- Disruptions in brain and central nervous system growth at birth.
- Inability to develop symptoms later in life.
At what age is autism developed?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by behavioral symptoms that often appear early in a child’s life, often by 12-18 months of age. Early signs include issues with eye contact, joint attention, pretend play, and nonverbal communication. Many parents are unaware of these early signs and do not recognize autism until their children start speaking at a typical age.
📹 Decoding Autism: Unraveling Early Brain Development with Eric Courchesne
Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., explores autism, highlighting its complexity beyond the brain and its connection to genetics and brain …
*IMPORTANT NOTE* While this article uses terminology that is common in the scientific and medical community, it’s important to note that many who are part of (or connected to) the autism community prefer to describe autism in a non-pejorative manner that does not imply that autism is a pathology. This has led to the avoidance of terms like disorder and disability when describing autism. An alternative is to describe autistic individuals as neurodiverse, and non-autistic individuals as neurotypical. The neurodiversity movement points out that variation in neurological development is common, and the resultant differences in functioning are not necessarily pathological. Indeed, in some cases, the differences in brain function that occur in autism can offer advantages over typical brain function, especially in certain environments. Many clinicians and autism researchers are thus adjusting their perspectives on autism to at least incorporate a neurodiversity perspective into the traditional medical model of autism. Doing so has the potential to improve how autistic individuals are treated, both in medical and societal settings. Additionally, I have learned since posting this article that many find the puzzle piece symbolism to be objectionable for various reasons (e.g., due to its association with Autism Speaks, due to the implication that autistic individuals are “missing something”). I was unaware of these issues with the puzzle piece symbol, and I chose it simply because I thought it meant autism was a puzzle we are still trying to figure out (the same could be said for almost any aspect of brain function).
As an autistic person I want to say this for all others out there. We are built different, not incorrectly. I think it’s time for me to add something after a few years have passed. I’m not going to say autism isn’t a struggle. It very much can be and is so, even for myself. But, while it can be a challenge and feel like a curse to some. I don’t want anyone, for any reason, to see autistic people as a diseased group, a people that need to be “fixed”. Because that’s not the case. We have our struggles, we have our problems. But that doesn’t mean that what we are is wrong.
I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of 69 nearly 6 years ago. Prior to that, I had been misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic (while I was institutionalized, mind you) and wasted the prime of my life cowering in the shadow of that conclusion. My proper diagnosis was extremely liberating, particularly since it made me realize that a diagnosis is an explanation, not some life-defining label. This had the added effect of almost eliminating the depression I had had all my life. I came across a meme on FB that asked the question, in three words, what advice would you give to your 18-year-old self? Mine would be, Normal is Overrated. There are gifts that can be found in an autistic brain.
Kids with autism aren’t stupid or broken. They need a different environment to thrive. They learn differently and no one knows how to teach them. They socialize differently and no one can talk to them. They have different needs and no one knows how to help them. They aren’t stupid, but they are at a disadvantage because they are usually alone in their lives
One hypothesis is that autistic brains are far more plastic than a “neurotypical” brain. This would seems to align with the atypical connectivity mentioned. This can be a major strength in terms of having a unique perspective and being able to integrate information from diverse sources to solve problems in innovative ways. What wasn’t addressed in the article is why autistic brains seem to run more on a manual, logic-based framework rather than an automatic social-hierarchy based framework. Neurotypical people seem to innately grasp distinct social interaction behaviors and reinforce social hierarchy, while autistic one’s require a clear logic framework and step-by-step procedures in order to inform and execute their actions. This would explain the difficulty in innately understanding social norms, since most “norms” are largely arbitrary (as evidenced by widely differing norms across different societies) and many processes are never explicitly explained. For example, I never understood the point of small talk or how a back and forth conversation functionally worked. Once I learned that humans evolved as a close-knit tribal species, the importance of knowing the current emotional state of others and the ability to predict the behavior of others through data collected via conversation became clear. I then could integrate this model of the purpose of social conversation and create a protocol to follow in real life. It sounds ridiculous typed out, but this was a game-changer. Decades of observing others never yielded an innate understanding like it does for non-autistic people.
Being autistic, I have noticed that neurotypicals are more confident that the majority have accurate concepts about reality. That many acquaintances of a neurotypical believe something makes it easier for them to accept that concept as true. This characteristic allows them to save mental processing. I find it more laborious to calculate the probability that something is true. I am not so confident about concepts that represent aspects of reality. But I can spend a lot of time developing a concept. I am completely veiled in recognizing the subtlest body language meanings and even obvious gestures such as a smile barely dent my awareness of their meaning. I see it but I don’t assign it as much relevance. That instinct is very broken in me.
I am autistic . I am a 15 year old girl and struggle a lot with communication and am sometimes non verbal . Whilst this is hard, I would not say that I am challenged, I am gifted by this condition . I am extremely academically smart and am predicted A* and A**s in every one of my exam subjects . Autism also has resulted in me being very good at art . I can replicate perfectly any picture in any media such as pencil or digital art and, because of this skill and my creative abilities, I also find things such as article editing and photo editing come naturally to me . Sometimes I do wish that I was “normal” ; my oddities no longer effecting my relationships with others and how I view the world . However I now see my condition as a gift and am working on accepting how my brain works and the way that I am .
I’m autistic, I was diagnosed at 4 years old and for most of my life I’ve been bullied for it. They said my brain was “formed incorrectly” but I like to think of it as “formed a slight bit differently”, it’s not a superpower like some media presents it as, but it’s not a thing that puts a stop to my everyday life. I think it’s just the thing that makes me who I am, and I wouldn’t wanna swap it for the world!
I’m an autistic male and I’m 23 years old, and I feel like I’m more observant than a lot of people around my age. I can’t tell if it’s my autism or if it’s just how I have grown up. Either way, it doesn’t help with my depression because I overanalyse a lot which can sometimes make me see things that aren’t there.
Good article, thank you! I would like to point out that the way you’re describing the symptoms is based mainly on studies done in male children. Women with autism have a strong ability to copy social behaviour, which makes it alot harder to diagnose (hence only 20% of diagnosed autistic people are female). Also restricted and repetitive behaviours is very stereotypical, most of the high functioning autistic people don’t do this. You often really can’t see it when observing someone. What I think charactarizes an autistic person is that they’re struggling with an overload of unfiltered information daily, they miss the automatic translation in their head of what is normal/typic, often resulting in panic attacks (tantroms/implosions), anxiety, depression, and sometimes even psychosis.
I was diagnosed back in 2003 with asperger syndrome. And honestly despite all the people saying that it’s a strength, that normal is overrated, etc. I can honestly say I hate it. I feel like it’s held me back a lot, not just socially, but in other areas of development. I struggled a lot with schoolwork outside of a handful of subjects that interested me and lagged behind in every other class. I had to finish highschool a year and a half late simply because it was difficult to even attempt classes I wasn’t interested in. I couldn’t focus. There are a couple of sensory issues that are a problem as well. Certain noises trigger a disproportionate amount of anger or discomfort. Taste is another, I only really eat the same seven foods over and over with only occasional differences because nearly everything else just tastes gross to me. Which is a shame since I love cooking, but not eating. I often wonder how different my life would have been if I didn’t have this (in my opinion) mess in my head. I don’t feel special, I feel broken.
Fun fact: Evolutionary biologists believed that autism may had arose from experienced hunter-gatherers during the prehistoric age. Their heightened senses could had aid them in tracking prey and looking out for predators, while their repetitive behaviours may had stemmed from the practice of stockpiling, weapons maintenance and other strenuous tasks required to uphold a well-supplied food cache and bundle of javelins/arrows needed to hunt down game. Since they are also solitude in nature, they don’t have to share their food with others and are much less likely to be unfairly offed by potential competing cave dwellers.
I am a 16 year old girl, and me and my therapist both agree that i am on the spectrum, although I would need my mom to get me formally evaluated. I was tested at 13, but lied and masked a lot of my behaviors as much as I could, because I was scared of being put in a special ed program and feeling even more alienated. Recently I have been experiencing serious burnout, and it is likeI moving backwards. Sounds and environments hurt more, and my social anxiety is far higher than it ever has been. I think it’s because I tried to hard to be “normal” for so long, and I simply do not have the mental energy to suppress meltdowns anymore, and school has been so draining for me, I fall asleep all the time because I’m just so exhausted. Being autistic as a girl is also a bit different from being autistic as a guy, it can show different traits and be a different experience because of the difference i. male and female brains. the studies and tests for autism were based around research done on male patients, and so it is quite a bit harder for women to get a diagnosis. I feel as though an official diagnosis would help me understand myself better, and find better resources in the future when I go to college and start having more responsibility for my own medical care and mental health support. My mom however, does not want to get me a diagnosis, despite me and my therapists reasoning, as she says I “shouldn’t label myself” or “put myself in a box”. Honestly though, I think she is scared of having an autistic child.
Growing up, I kept hearing stories about parents who would rather have dead kids than autistic ones (looking at you, anti vaxxers) and that led me to believe autism was something like a death sentence, where if you “had” it you’d never be able to live a regular life. Then I was diagnosed with it at sixteen. For a while I was devastated, I thought I was always going to need support, that I would never be able to live on my own, but as time went on and I talked with my therapist I slowly came to realise that wasn’t true at all. It’s not a death sentence, it’s not something bad or something to fear in yourself or in others. It’s taken a long time but I’m learning more every day and now I can finally look back and say, “it all makes sense now”
Perhaps others would not agree, but I wouldn’t want to be neurotypical myself. Sure, I would probably understand people better and not habitually interrupt people when I get excited (working on that), but I know I have a phenomenal ability when it comes to philosophy, self-analysis, psychology and other human emotion-related things. Autistic people are by nature self-centred, and I follow that trend 100%. However, I have found that I can apply the things I learn about myself (because I am always thinking about myself) to others, so accurately that others have remarked on my ‘startling insight’ into people’s motivations and intentions. Granted, while I am very talented at analysing people, I’m pants at actually applying this quickly. It’s more like a slow realisation followed by the even slower realisation of how to apply what I learned. Still, I like my brain how it is. It’s really quick at some times, and pretty slow at others, but to me it’s like putting points on your D&D character. Want more intelligence? Take points off strength. That kind of thing. To me (at least as a high-functioning autistic), it’s a fair trade.
To be on the spectrum, I was ashamed of it for a long time because people would harass me for it, and it took me a LONG time to become as self assured as I am today. My advice to you all is this: people who mock you for who you are are NEVER worth your time, and you need to be FEROCIOUS and STAND YOUR GROUND. It took me far too long to learn this, and now that I know it, I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life.
I feel like I’m in a bit weird space when I read these comments. Long story short, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which- if I remember right- is on the Autism Spectrum. In school, I often sit alone- not because people tended to avoid me (which- they kinda did), but because it felt more comfortable. The people who’d break the mold and come over were usually guys who thought they’d find an easy target to get some laughs out of. Hell, one day, I even got a ‘Kill Yourself’ note in my locker once. Thing is, when I received it, I didn’t feel anguish, sadness- no. I actually felt excited. Like it was a game to cut the everyday routine of classes. I actually had a positive reputation among the faculty at the time, so they agreed to look into it. I was having fun looking for the culprit and everything- even though I knew I should’ve felt depressed or something along those lines. I was also the kind of guy who’d question a lot of things. “Why do people blame a Concept when the real culprit is another sentient being- then move on with a ‘That’s just life’?”, “Why do we have to follow this rule? What is it’s purpose?”, “Why are people online always seeking out something to hate, ‘criticize’ (insult), or push down in favor of the (seemingly) one thing they enjoy?”, “Why are people so beguiled by catchy one-liners like ‘The ends justify the means’ instead of making their own conclusions on what is justified and what’s not?”, and other questions like that. I know I gave my parents a bit of a hassle, growing up.
16 year old female here! I was diagnosed as autistic a long time ago (3rd grade or so) since I’m lucky enough to have parents who noticed I was diffrent from other kids; this feels relieving to hear some of the exact science behind it, it’s so validating and comforting to know that I’m not “broken” like how adults in my life have called me; I’m just wired differently. though while I’m on the topic it makes me curious, since I struggle with this lots: does anyone else struggle with understanding hygiene? I’ve always had the hardest time comprehending it; I can’t brush my hair by myself properly and my mon always tells me I never bathe myself properly when she notices my state of hygiene, no matter how hard I’ve tried it never turns out right when it’s apparently so simple, and I wonder if this is a thing that’s due to autism or something else entirely.
You’ve got it the wrong way around and there are clues to it in the very beginning of the article. Autistic brain has more connectivity and more neurons on average. The “neurotypical” brain is merely a modification of the monotropic baseline which endowed “neurotypicals” with polytropism, at the expense of higher functions required for survival, such as heightened perception, pattern recognition, clear and logical thinking and communication, all of which are hallmarks of autistic neurology. The issue here is that neurotypicals have become the majority due to evolutionary preassures of forced conformity and sharing confined living space with un-related individuals, as well as the propensity to follow charismatic leaders… Which brings us to the dire issues we face today, in spite of our incredible technological advances. There is nothing to fix in autistic neurology and yet, so much to fix in the current society, majority of which are “neurotypical” humans.
Conversations between other people used to seem like magic to me. I couldn’t possibly understand what devilry people were using to understand each other so quickly and coherently without using words that clearly elucidated their emotional states. What’s funny is – this was comorbid with bipolar and intense bouts of mania. So what I lacked in social understanding, I made up for in these episodes of extreme energy where I wanted to be around people and interact with them and have relationships. So eventually I did learn, just in my own unique way.
I just finished a really complicated project where I had to relate ASD with abnormalities in cell communication and specific genes where basically I was like, “I’m not sure and neither are researchers. Something something WNT/β-catenin blah blah neural pathways blah blah here’s 20 genes and their various effects,” where I essentially came to the same conclusion. Your articles are always very interesting and informative, thank you!
Diagnosed with Asperger’s at age 4, and I’ve always worn it on my chest like a badge of honor. I’ve never seen my autism as something to be ashamed of. That doesn’t mean I don’t have any challenges, mind you. That said, I really hope the world stops looking at autism like some curable disease or some extreme disability that requires physical restraining. High-functioning autism is a thing. I have it, and I know others who have it, too. Autism as a whole should be treated as something that just makes people a little different, but not inferior. Sure, it might make some things in life more difficult, but it’s not the end of the world. I like to think that my autism makes my life a little more interesting.
Hi, speaking as an autistic person I’d like to let everyone know that the autistic community is moving away from using puzzle pieces to represent autism. I appreciate there is no ill intent in the article but the puzzle piece has generally negative connotations regarding autism, so anyone reading this should avoid using it in the future in regards to autism. A rainbow infinity symbol is the symbol we use to represent ourselves, so use that instead.
At 37, I was diagnosed with Autism. This was a big change in my life and explained so much. However, a lot of problems occurred with the diagnosis not be full since I also was PTSD but am waiting for further diagnosis here. Because it took too long for me to be diagnosed with the disorder, I went for years without the help and was labeled as just “weird”. I was bullied at school and high school and my university classmates found it odd. Add a mix of domestic violence and I’ve basically been mentally screwed, with the possibility that all that made a trait worst and magnified things further. I can now apply for finical help but it took too long. My father used to tell me there was nothing wrong with me and I “invented” issues, bearing in mind this guy was an abusive control freak so… Yeah… I was also already diagnosed in my 20s with Dyspraxia but my father accused me of wanting only more money and that if I register it I’d be kicked out of the house. In reality, he thought it would reflect on him bad to have a kid like that and he is now in his 80s… In short… He was old fashioned and had only knowledge that was out of date and incorrect, but couldn’t accept he was wrong. I think the hardest part is you can’t use autism as an excuse to not fail, but it is still a restriction on what you can do. Its something people forget. It goes back to the whole “anyone can be an astronaut” but in reality, this is not true as genetics and upbringing provide different approaches and capabilities in life.
I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism when I was a child. My parents told me I had it. They told me all about it, but I didn’t understand or pay much attention. All I saw and knew was I had that autism and that I was different. Back then, I hated being different or being forced and told to be different. I wanted to be and do what made other folks happy and successful. I hated having autism, and I hated how often I would stumble and fall growing up and dealing with life. Nowadays, I’m trying to get out of that toxic mentality and not look at my autism as a curse.
To be fair though, as an individual who is diagnosed with “high functioning” (never liked that term) autism, it becomes less of a disability in my country (England aka shit Island) every year as awareness, understanding and acceptance (socially and physically) has gradually increased. Here’s to a better world for all!
The main issue with ASD, and a problem that arises quite often, is that the spectrum has become so broad that signs of other mental illnesses are often lumped into it. For example, I was initially diagnosed with Autism several years back. But it turns out I had schizoid personality disorder, and the symptoms of that illness misguided the diagnosis.
There’s some things wong here, as an autistic person. – The puzzle piece is offensive. It is associated with Autism speaks, a hate group under a disguise basically, and associates Autism with immaturity and children, implying that adults cannot be autistic. – It is shown as a disease. Traits are called symptoms and the word risk is used. – I see people using high function/low functioning in the comments. These labels focus on the views of the neurotypicals around us rather than the thoughts and feelings of us. Better terms are low needs and high needs.
I’ve delt with high functioning autism for many years now, and while i can’t speak for everyone I’ve made great progress in being a working member of society and making my condition a strength rather than a weakness, i try to speak for the community and make people understand that auists aren’t at all inferior or incapable as much as i can
Sometimes I think it’s really cool that I can have 3 different thoughts running concurrently. One thought doing logics and problem solving, one thought running my physical body, retaining spacial awareness and can sometimes even carry out conversations, and another thought strictly for keeping myself entertained, daydreaming, stuff like that. I would say that it helps me stay productive, but only happens when there’s something I care about. I struggle to find topics I genuinely care about, but when I am passionate about something, I flourish.
I had been diagnosed with high-functioning autism by the age of 3. I became so enamored with games that i started seeing them more clearly, their mechanics, and development process each time before even beginning college, and i would do that every time I play one, even today. I love to talk about games with my friends so often that some just don’t like it. But that didn’t stop me. I did get to study game design, and it was a dream come true, I started creating articlegames because it was my passion, but I also enrolled in 3d modeling, graphic design, vfx and other parts of the digital industry. I’m thankful for my mom for doing the impossible: Getting an autistic kid into the normal current (instead of special education class)
Important to note that autism come in MANY different colors and sizes. That’s why it’s called a spectrum. I got me a bit of Asperger but I can confidently say it has slowly decreased over the years (I’m 32 now). Had a period where I used Citalopram and that actually seemed to help a lot too 🙂 Would almost call myself “normal” nowadays, but that term is pretty tainted by itself, unfortunately…
What means risk factors? It’s genetic, it runs through my family line, but they are all very high functioning, so no one even got diagnosed. Moreover, I enjoy being on the spectrum. From my perspective I consider neurotypical people much more disordered than those with autism. I don’t think it should be labeled as autism spectrum “disorder”. It’s stigmatizing and simply untrue.
My inner journey with myself and my Autism took many turns. For many years I knew I had it but didn’t really understand what it meant, so I didn’t even pay it mind. It wasn’t until I was in High School that I really started to figure it out. I realized why I always acted so different from the other kids in Pre-School, Elementary, and Middle School, why certain textures and feelings were so unpleasant, why I would look everywhere but someone’s eyes during a conversation, why I’d be told something and forget it moments later (Though that might be caused by my ADHD, which I also have), why a sudden change in my schedule would bother me so much, why some teachers would speak to me and treat me differently from other students, and why I would gain massive interest in specific things for short or long periods of time. My initial reaction wasn’t very pleasant, being shame and denial. “I’m normal. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just like everyone else.” I would say those things to myself, I thought that if I was different from all the ‘normal’ people I was inferior or less capable. It was a horrible stage of self doubt. I think a big thing that snapped me out of that phase was seeing other people with the same conditions as me. It made me feel less alone, and made me feel validated. Another thing was probably just maturity, I did a lot of maturing and self improving during my Sophomore and Junior year. I was eventually able to realize that there’s nothing wrong with the fact that I am autistic.
I would love a article done on Dyslexia so I can quickly link it to people who think my issues are words moving around or spelling or reading (which yes it is an issue with spelling and reading but this is not what the main issues I seem to have and I am unsure how to explain it to people other than saying its like English is my second language and dyslexia is my first language as I learned English in a different way) I was diagnosed by a neurologist and it is genetic and my memory is really good, when I had to take the dyslexic IQ test I got a very high score and my memory was better than the doctors so I am wondering if there is any reason behind this and how I could explain my struggles better to people. (The ADHD might also be a factor) back when I was a child when I was asked to write from a blackboard, I never understood we had to go from top left to right and continue, I just wrote the words down the way or across the way, just literally copying the blackboard but not in the way you would read it, almost like I was drawing the letters as a picture instead of writing them. (My mother would joke I was Japanese in a past life)
As an autistic person I didn’t enjoy this, talking about how we have trouble with socializing and the “risk” of autism. Man, we’re just different. In a mostly autistic society, you NT would be considered weird, you would be impaired. It’s not something broken in us, the world is just cut for a very different majority. Not meaning I want a mostly autistic society, but there is no disease, no shame, no risk of being autistic. We’re just like a different brand of brain, no more no less.
I’m of the opinion that many “autistic” traits are simply the consequences of us being different and not and implicit part of that difference. For example, we may struggle socially because society is built for neurotypicals, and trying too hard to fit in may cause excessive stress that may eventually lead to a tantrum or something similar. And our behavior isn’t necessarily more “restrictive” than that of neurotypicals; As an autist, I tend to notice plenty of “restrictive” behavior in neurotypicals. It’s just that most of them agree on what’s considered “weird”.
I have very high functioning autism, nobody really ever suspected me of having autism. Taking the IQ test basically doctors discovered my literacy/ English levels were lower(in the low 90s or average) while my physics and mathematics understanding was in the 120s region(qualify as genius). I’ve found ways around problems that others never thought to be possible and will go far deeper into a subject I genuinely care about than many people would. I am not a socially dependent person, but I’ve spent a lot more time with friends recently and it’s been great. Every once in a while we reach a long pause and I can’t figure out what to say(that’s my biggest issue). But autism has never harshly effected my everyday life.
Got diagnosed with autism as a kid, from baby to toddler, I never spoke until one day I asked my mom what’s for breakfast in full sentences, as I grew up, I was completely unaware that my brain worked differently but the only things I’ve noticed myself is I have a lot of trouble with math and writing, here I am now as an adult knowing I’m on the spectrum
I agree with the idea from the comments that maybe science could shift some terminology. Like, variations instead of abnormalities, stuff like that. This sure is a complicated and debated issue bc there are objective difficulties, and then there are social ones or environmental ones (like light/noise pollution), that just come from other people and are not the problem with the way autistic bodies/brain work. Also RE the pinned comment: neurodiversity is so much more than just autism.
The autistic community prefers not to use the puzzle piece symbol, due to its association with Autism Speaks, an organisation that focuses on the difficulty of raising an autistic child, not being an autistic person (along with a list of other problems). Currently, I have seen the infinity symbol used frequently to represent autistic people.
So, the brain grows and integrates at a higher rate than usual, and somehow it’s still considered a disorder… My dude, I love your articles. I love this series. I’m now kindly asking you to be sensitive to the audience when reporting on science that is still being sussed out, especially when an entire group of people have been systemically silenced about their own minds. The current term many of us prefer is Neurodiverse, not disordered. There isn’t anything wrong with our brain. There is something wrong with the world we live in.
I was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 12. I always knew I was strange, and unlike neurotypical people. Understanding subtext in any given conversation has been nothing short of mysterious and challenging on a daily basis. And so that struggle persists at 23 years old. Still very young, but it’s gotten old for so long, now.
I was diagnosed with autism as a child, my father was a drug addict and my mother has serious psychological disorders, these conditions forced me to mature at an early age, I was always a sensitive child and later I noticed I was very empathetic towards people and my dream quickly became to be a psychiatrist, while I may not have directly achieved that dream I’m a social worker now and the field I excel at in particular is communication. While I’m extremely proud to be deviating from socially inept standard that has been given to autism, my point isn’t to brag. My point is that each and every individual differs. I think that’s why autism is hard to classify, my autism is different from yours and mine affects me in different ways. one’s fatal flaw might be another’s greatest talent. And I always fought back against labelling people based on a diagnosis and instead tried to push people to see the potential and strengths of the person they’re dealing with. We as people are diverse and unique, don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do. don’t let a diagnose define who you are. use it to understand some things about yourself but don’t let it become your personality more than you have to.
Something interesting I have observed over the years, is most individuals (including many experts), have a rather fascinating misunderstanding of Autistic Communication. The assumption being that it isn’t spectacular. This is both true, and false at the same time. Communication exists in two condensible forms in my experience: Precise, and Transient. In the case of precise, I am largely referring to written communication, but it can be verbal, and this is in regards to interpretation of words used. As a high functioning ASD individual, I have discovered that when compared to almost everyone I have ever encountered, my use of language is much more precise, and developed. I recently had an issue at university, where the I contested a mark I lost, because a question was asking about measurement of a Proline concentration against Glycine. It asked why can the glycine SC not be used to measure the unknown proline concentration, explain your reasoning. So I did. The question asked for my reasoning, not “the” reason – there is a difference. The latter implies a strict, inherent, absolute answer, whilst the former implies an interpretative answer. The other communication type I have labelled as transient, relates to the real time communication we experience. Everyone develops a general frame of reference for how to interact and interpret prgamatic lagnuage and general communication. HF ASD do this also, with two minor variations: 1. The Frame of reference is usually unique to each person, that is to say, there is more than one, thus it is less easily applied to new social contacts 2.
No hate here but using puzzle pieces to represent autism can be very offensive to a lot of autistic people. The symbol is associated with Autism Speaks, a group which a lot of autistic people feel are a hate group and demonise autistic people for financial gain. The symbol also has been used to send the message that autistic people have a “piece” missing or that they are “puzzling” which is a very insulting suggestion. Instead of using the puzzle piece, the preferred symbol for autism and autistic community is a rainbow infinity symbol, which represents the spectrum and was designed by and for autistic people to replace a symbol associated with hate and fear.
I was just diagnosed with autism at 29. I’m glad I have a diagnosis, because it will help me develop better coping mechanisms now that I have a foundation upon which to build treatment and support. I’ve already started the healing process from the social and emotional trauma I endured in my childhood, and am on the road to fully accepting and understanding myself. I also no longer associate my autistic traits with just cons to my personality they should be repressed, but normal occurrences in regards to my brain and working with them or through them.
I have been binge-watching your 2-minute and 10-minute neuroscience articles for the last couple of days, and have found them very educational and enjoyable. I’ve only just dipped into the ’Pathology & Disorders’ playlist, and thought it would be interesting to know more about what neuroscience currently says about Autistic brains and how they are different from allistic (non-Autistic) brains (or at least what can be said in 2 minutes). So I was dismayed to see my neurology so lazily characterised. • Autistic brains are neurodivergent (differing from the neurotypical ‘average’ brain), not ‘disordered’. This is a biased value judgement. • Having an Autistic brain is not a disease, so there are no ‘symptoms’. Traits perhaps. • I don’t have ‘impairments’ in social communication and interaction. I simply communicate differently from neurotypical people. See for instance research by Catherine Compton at the University of Edinburgh: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362361320919286 and doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171 • So-called ‘restrictive and repetitive behaviours’ are actually either things that we’re passionately interested in, and things that give us pleasure, or coping mechanisms we resort to when we’re under extreme stress, which may go unnoticed by neurotypical people because of our very different sensory profiles. • We are not ‘individuals with autism’. We are Autistic people. There are many reasons the vast majority of Autistic people prefer this way to describe ourselves, the main one being that most of us couldn’t imagine being, and wouldn’t wish to be, anything other than Autistic: there is no ‘autism’ we ‘have’ that we could do without.
I’d definitely say there’s a strong genetic history in my family. My entire paternal side, myself, my cousins and it probably goes back generations since my dad is 100% High functioning, we’re all autistic. I’m literally the last fighting for a diagnosis being a woman. It kind of explains why, even though I don’t see them often and we all ‘appear’ normal, that we’re able to blend in and I feel far more comfortable talking to them than my maternal cousins.
I’m not entirely sure why half of the comments section is arguing and enraged about the use of “disorder” or “high functioning vs low functioning” or other terms. I’m in my forties, I was in a medical profession too and I have Autism, my son has it, 3 of my nephews do and one of my nieces. Now then, maybe this is simply an age gap thing, but within the last few decades they keep changing the words to avoid offence. You guys need to understand that simply changing the words is just moving the goalposts and that it’s just making the conversation more difficult. Some of the changes are good but not all.We changed them to a spectrum because it made more sense, since not every condition presents the same. At the same time though another thing was born from this- hiding what you are. “I have ASD” obfuscated what it is to those not in the know.To some that was good because we wanted to fit in but the truth is simply changing words to avoid hurt feelings is frankly dumb. “High, mid, low” help clinicians and strangers discern what level you are at a glance, in times where a doctor or stranger may not have time to dive into your full report or explanation. The article using jigsaws to emulate connection is perfectly fine as a metaphor, since we are talking about neurological connections and the article is trying to explain a complex topic in a short period of time to people who want to know about Autism and assumably don’t know the terminology. As for “disorder”, look, it’s a medical and scientific term.
I was a 100% healthy newborn despite being born a few weeks early. But huge. My body grew proportionally with my huge autistic brain. I have a picture of my nursery group at age 4, I was more than twice the size of normal toddlers! I lacked the social skills but not the enthusiasm, so I carried those poor kids around like ragdolls. I also learned to read and write and do maths on my own long before school. Autism was kind to me, other people were not. Parents and teachers shouted at me all the time, saying I should know better with my intellect. Other kids bullied me and if I fought back, it was my fault of course, being so large and scary…
This is very interesting. When i was a child my brain and head grew very quickly (my head was too large in comparision to the rest of my body). Now i possibly know why. And yes i have been diagnosed as on autism spectrum (ASD). Some people assume that people with autism are not intelligent. This is far from the truth. Many of the well known scientist and inventors had autism. (Although depending on the time period they may have not understood what autism is yet)
27 year-old full grown boy here that’s in the high-functioning spectrum and is asexual typing in and have to say, this was so-well explained and straight through the bullet! ♠ So many people don’t understand that being autistic or an aspie depending on the term one may want to be called is similar to playing Super Smash Bros. Classic Mode on Very Hard as our neurological people (a person without autism), is playing Classic Mode on Very Easy or at least Easy. The reason? It’s because being on the spectrum, it can come into many challenges. I can definitely explain from my experience. #1: Lack of eye contact while having a conversation with another person and feeling too nervous. #2: Being overwhelmed in loud large crowds that may be too noisy to be in. #3: Being sensitive to light as my mood would be slightly affected on the time of the day or having a favorite color of the outfit I would wear. #4: Being obsessed with a certain topic we may be interested in (such as Geography for example), I am deeply interested in country maps, country flags, & even languages of the globe. 🌎 #5: We do come in different levels of the spectrum as someone like me may seem normal in public but you can easily tell I’m not once you get to know me more. Not to mention there are people that are mid & low-functioning that need more help in social situations and even the simplest tasks to communicate as well. We are also 1% of the global population which is extremely rare even though we are the same population of Germany for example (around 77 million people give or take) as I don’t even recall meeting another autistic person.
My autism is my superpower, so many ppl come to me for logical solutions, no matter their age or gender. Its only a disability because we live in a world that caters only to neurotypical ppl. I honestly don’t think anything causes it, which is why scientist still haven’t figured it out. Just theories. What causes it is GOD. our creator chose some of us to naturally think outside the box, and unfortunately, for some, this means it comes with a lot of negative side effects when dealing with the world as is. I hope all my autistic brothers and sisters have some ease and reprieve, its difficult at times but let’s try to focus more on how autism makes us strong, too. We are the way we were always supposed to be.
Wonderful and informational article! According to a research I read not a long time ago, it seems that due to how the reward system’s neural pathways limited formation in the prefrontal cortex in those on the autism spectrum, the reward values of social interactions for them are smaller than in humans that are not autistic. I always thought which way does the correlation there go.
I wonder, as argued by the animal behavior scientist Temple Grandin (who is autistic), if there are multiple distinct types of autism. Perhaps the difficulty in finding the precise genetic underpinnings and neural correlates is partially due to the fact that autism is a spectrum composed of multiple distinct conditions. Do you know of any research along those lines?
I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of 11. Copying the socializations of others helped me to communicate with others in a less robotic way, though others do describe me as “intense”. When it comes to special interests, I stay locked on for at least a year, my longest one lasting 5 years.
Autistic people are not a risk nor something to be cured. I’m glad there is some discussion about Autisim but having a negative bias or a bias towards seeing it as a negative sends a false signal that it is inherently bad. Also puzzle pieces are incredibly offensive in this context because they have been linked to calling autistic people broken/ comparing them to a puzzle piece as well as the symbol is used by a group who tries to forcefully change Autistic individuals. I hope you take my words into consideration. /gen Edit. I’m sorry if I come across aggressive that is not my intention so I added a tone marker ^w^
I am autistic, cuz of that i went through years of bullying. Like going through hell. And so at some point i wanted to suicide. However, one idea went through me, i began to wonder „what will happen tomorrow? What will i see?” Thus my suicidal thoughts left me, leaving alone only endless depression that was comforting me. Being alone feels comforting as well. As if i was born to be one with darkness itself… And yet, when i play articlegames i am completelly different person, why is that?
Autism has both brilliantly helped me and made things impossible. I have an intuitive understanding of science and math that has let me breeze through school, but my own brother is impossible to understand since I literally never have any idea whether he is joking or serious. Autism is the result of misreading the instructions for making the brain. It’s still made and works, but there’s bits in the wrong place and put together oddly.
There is nothing wrong with being autistic. It is not some neurotype that should be feared, cured or criticized. As an autistic woman, it is so incredibly offensive to me to be reduced to a disease, disorder, deficit and or problem. We (autistic individuals) think differently and we cannot hide our responses to stimuli in the way that allistic people can. We would not be considered as “disabled” if our society accommodated all neurotypes. We are oppressed and disabled because we live in a neurotypical dominated world… not because we are autistic. The medical field has historically been gender-biased and ableist when it comes to those on the autism spectrum. Maybe don’t use medical description to describe human beings.
I still don’t think of it as a developmental ‘disorder’ merely because my brain developed in a way that is atypical for the majority of others. For me, it is about differences in perception and response. I have an IQ of 148. Does that also amount to a ‘disorder’ because it put me in the upper 2 percentile of intelligence? Things aren’t helped by the fact that the DSM -5 defines autism as ‘persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts’ and ‘restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities’, that are ‘present in the early developmental period’ and ‘cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning’. Note the language used: ‘impairment’, ‘disorder’, ‘deficits’. It fails to grasp the challenging aspects of the autistic experience, and pathologises the positive ones.
I’m a high functioning and I just want to say that Autism discrimination is pretty stupid. We are still normal people, dang it! It’s just some things are slightly different. I feel bad for everyone out there who was told that their brain was “Built incorrectly” after getting diagnosed with it. That’s stupid. I remember having this social skills thing due to it where I kept getting told that some of my actions where “Unexpected”. I hated every time they used that, also along with “Goals”. They treated me like I was some sorta 4 year old some times too, well at least I think so. Anyways, yea.
these terms high and low functioning are harmful- no one is less than or better than anyone else. All our brain connectivities are varied, but the autistic brain has most difficulty understanding themselves. Just bc some people can’t follow rules, can’t choose to conform doesn’t make them disordered or diseased. We need to understand there is no normal and that our oppressive systems play part in shaping our minds and in turn our behaviors (along w genetic factors). When you see an autistic person screaming or hitting themselves they are reacting to being subdued, restricted, and misunderstood. That would drive anyone to sadness and anger. Imagine you can’t communicate effectively with those around you, you can’t mask, you can’t figure out the game or the rules, all the invisible barriers people have created for us. Some can learn to mask and play along, but it leads to meltdowns and burn out eventually. I hope for a day we can accomodate all of our needs.
As an individual with autism I have a way that I explain it to people A normal brain runs a windows OS • can be tempermental • is usually stable • the older the os the more antiquated the mindset. Other mentle issues are like say, an apple OS • much more tempermental.. • Easier to break harder to fix • more likely to break down under stress. • difficult to learn but easily mastered • the older the os the more likely its broken beyond repair. • Is still functional but needs help And then there is autism Which I equate to the various types of Linux OS • tempermental but easily fixed (in most I lnstances) • does not always work with others well. •has many iterations (the spectrum) • some are a broken mess (low functioning) while others are often very stable (high functioning) • No two versions are the same If this makes sense, congratulations you’re a nerd! Jk I’m just hoping to teach about it and bring understanding to an issue that is poorly understood but often made into a curse. And, for some it might be. But in my case I would not have it any other way. May you find peace in these troubled times
Please stop putting jigsaw pieces in our brains though, it’s really offensive, we are autistic not brain deficient with bits missing.yes it’s genetic. I am diagnosed with ASD,most of my kids have it and other people in my family either have autism, ADHD or both,that’s just how it is….oh,I have 1 neurotypical kid out of 5,but he doesn’t feel left out.
“Those at risk of Autism.” Stop talking about Autism like it’s some sort of disease. That is the absolute worst thing you could do to us. You’re literally talking about a huge variety of people who are different like we’re broken or wrong, then presenting it in a way that’s ‘warning’ others about what ’causes’ autism. We’re human beings, not errors or mistakes. You really need to review these articles before releasing them, because this sort of thing is exactly why people are terrified of people with Autism, because of fear mongering like this portraying us as something that shouldn’t exist, or dangerous or violent. Do some proper research and actually talk to people with Autism. We’re not symptoms, we’re human beings. Let someone who is autistic, explain it in a way that doesn’t promote fear mongering or negative/dangerous portrayals. Ladies, gentlemen, all in-between and outside of, Imagine all of our brains are like scripts that you write code in. Each person has a language that’s specific to them, such as JS, Python, C+, C# and so on. Let’s say that the person reading this is an ‘average’ person, so your code would be Python. You go up to someone who is Autistic and their code is C#. You try to add to their script, but you only know how to write in Python, so you write python code in their C# script. This results in mental errors, causing frustrations and meltdowns because we genuinely cannot understand what on earth you want us to do. You can spam as much python code as you want but at the end of the day, we just simply cannot read it.
Was diagnosed with HFA at 4 years old but I didn’t know about it until I was 18. So unfortunately I was left wondering why I struggled so much with social interactions compared to my siblings. Consequently this left me being a victim of bullies as I didn’t know how to respond to them properly. Nevertheless, victimhood serves no benefit to my well-being. After I found the diagnosis reports I made a conscious effort to improve my social capabilities aswell as autistic-style strategies to navigate life. Like the comments say “We’re built different; not incorrectly”.
What I found fascinating, was that after those years of evolution of mankind, the years where the brain was getting larger and larger, something else happened. In chart form, you can see a consistent linear increase in the brain size that was occurring during the evolution of mankind, and this linear increase leads all the way up to 3,000 years ago. Shockingly, 3,000 years ago, suddenly and rapidly, a reduction of the brain size had begun. The theory of the cause behind this reduction, is that mans intelligence was beginning to be replaced with being knowledgeable instead. And thus a stupid and gullible brain that in turn accepts without ever questioning that of which it is being told of or informed of, is a brain that will rapidly acquire knowledge. As a consequence of this, this gullible brain will whip through grade school and university and pop out the other end with at least one PhD. On the other hand, a wise intelligent brain that questions everything, is also a brain that learns at a slow and wise pace. However, the educational system qualifies such a person with such a brain, as a mentally challenged person. This is fascinating indeed !
The choice of terminology here is othering. Autism is not a disease, nor a disfunction, and yet all the language is slanted to the negative — “risk factors,” “cause,” “impairment,” etc. Try editing the language to make it sound more neutral. Autistics are NOT DISFUNCTIONAL. We simply function on a different plane.
Been a while since i got the feeling “loss of identity” and finally tried researching for it.. In some random articles i can see autistics commenting their struggles on a new trend, or the tone of a voice, so much more but i forgot… The masked autism symptoms are also happening to me rn.. I always end up looking at my hands and idk why haha. Anyways, i hope that i won’t be too disappointed with what I’ll discover(what i know is still lacking).. I don’t have money for diagnosis and/or therapy so i will need to find out all these things about on my own 🙂 (i saw somewhere that you can self-diagnose as long as you did a lot of research about it, since a lot of psych major people also do the same… Whew, i better not get panic attacks after this……) Wish me luck!!
please do not pose these as “risk” factors as if we are a bad thing, diseased – the use of “disorder” is medically correct (see ableist language in the DSM-V), but many of us do not appreciate it – we are, as another commenter asserts, wired differently (atypical, neurodivergent) not incorrectly – please update your article to reflect more inclusive language and frameworks
I was diagnosed with Autism around 7 years ago it’s really hard though because I’m high-functioning which is good in a sense but it’s also really hard to explain to people about mistakes I made where I acted overly sexual or took a joke too far and it’s hard to explain to them that I genuinely can’t really control it it’s like a second part of me takes over until I snap out of it, it’s easy for me to get into legal and social issues when I just don’t understand what I was doing at the time. Autism to me is just linked with very impulsive inappropriate behavior in social situations for me at least but it’s also partially to do with my history of trauma and whatnot that I’ve been working on but its certainly true that Autistic brains overly think or examine or act irrationally in situations that make them uncomfortable it’s even worse when you feel like everything is your fault and you pile the guilt and the shame onto yourself for something you didn’t even realize was happening. Autism is certainly challenging but not unmanageable.
What has always been interesting to me is how autism is specifically classified as a disorder. I’m not really offended by the term, it just confuses me a little. Yes, it does cause some issues with communication for me, but it doesn’t actually cause that much suffering; I suffer significantly more from my depression than my autism.
In my experience, I consider it to be more of a disability of circumstance. Not a disability in that the condition causes any sort of inherent distress or harm, rather, it can inhibit my ability to function to the same degree in a world which is structured for neurotypical people. Similar to how the DSM removed the classification of Asperger’s entirely for the more practical application of providing accommodations to all autistic people, I think the status of disability serves more as a practical status for autism as a whole. It means that autistic people are able to acquire resources and accommodations that would otherwise be denied, despite the fact that they can be crucial to our wellbeing and ability to sufficiently function. Of course, there are comorbidities which can cooccur with autism, though I usually separate those from the actual property of “autistic” itself. Being more susceptible to conditions such as ADHD, OCD, certain intellectual disabilities, etc can often be observed at higher rates among autistic people, though are not necessarily the same thing as “autism” itself. I think that can be a fairly key distinction to address, since a lot of the time people tend to “cure” autism through the lens that autism itself is the problem rather than the societal inability to accommodate autistic people historically (which will hopefully continue to improve as mental health, developmental, and neurological sciences do) as well as the inability to separate the comorbidities from the autism.
Autism isn’t much of a disadvantage on the lower end of the spectrum. We get to avoid a lot of typical brain function that companies love to exploit, (social norms being the worst offenders), become hypertalented in everything we love to do, and just live without worrying about what’s popular, and just being true to ourselves. I’d say that’s pretty priceless. All we really sacrifice is social ease with non-autistic people, others generally not liking being around us who aren’t autistic, having sensory problems that can be a little annoying somtimes, having ttouble with some systems most people see as easy, and occasionly certain patterns we might not like. I am really proud to have autism. You don’t have to be if you have it, I reconize the negitives are a bit much for many, but I am just so happy I can take the positives for granted.
I have a few misconceptions I would like to clarify here in the comments as someone with autism – A lot of us find functioning labels harmful, and prefer to talk about support needs. Saying someone is low functioning takes away from their unique abilities as a person and implies they would never be able to function, and high functioning people are assumed to be “normal” which means they don’t get the support they need. – We also prefer to use the infinity symbol (specifically gold or rainbow) to represent us, as the puzzle piece was coined by Autism Speaks, a charity that has been known to demonize autism and work to “cure” us. -Some people think we are emotionally unintelligent, or emotionless because we don’t express our emotions in a neurotypical way. This is false, and autism is actually linked to a strong sense of justice If you prefer functioning labels or the puzzle piece, that’s okay! It’s just very important to listen to other autistic voices and make sure we are heard when talking about autism because often we are pushed to the side in discussions about ourselves
My little brother suffered from autism for most of his life but my dad and stepmom just physically punished him all the time and called him lazy. They bare no responsibility for the risk factors that led to his condition. Both of them are older, work more than 12 hours a day, excessive drinkers, etc.
I have autism, had no idea increased brain size was associated with autism. I noticed in doing some initial research on it, its only about 15% of the reported cases (and I suspect even lower today). Which makes me think that maybe its one of those different causes of autism, of which I believe there are several since currently its just a classification of symptoms. That brain expansion probably explains the “autism look”. Interesting ive been looking into this stuff for so long and never heard about that.
I was diagnosed with ASD/PDD at the age of 2 to 2 1/2, I couldn’t talk until the age of 4 1/2 to 5 which at the start I have harder years of raging like a snow leopard attacking the red panda for good because I was trying to communicate, I have been right now doing fine, a lot of therapy helped me to be in a better place. At my early teens because of puberty and a lot of arguments I’ve been going through episodes of my depression, anxiety, and anger management. I felt like I wanna kill myself for this reason because the way I acted and being a victim and being tattletaled by someone you know. Now I got a lot of friends and family members to talk and communicate.
“Risk Factors for autism”, “Damage caused by…”, “Disorder”, and “challenged”… Don’t treat Autism like a disease. It’s different for everyone, and I can only comment on myself, but for me, it’s kind of like Linux: harder to learn, less convienient, and nothing ports, but much better for more coplicated topics, and delving into intricate fields of study and neuanced artforms. I find learning, whether it be Japanese, Linux, Quantum Physics, Set Theory, Calligraphy, or antkeeping, to be extremely fulfilling. But I get distracted easily due to my ADHD, and somtimes fail to pick up on subtle expressions and arbitrary conventions. Also, I mainly identify people by their voice, and inspect the auditory qualities rather than facial expressions when I do look for post-lexical information. There’s strong evidence that Einstien had autism.
Ah yeah, this rapid brain development. I remember nothing in school was ever challenging enough, no adult I met could satisfy my endless questioning, everyone ended up saying “I don’t know, it’s too complicated” at some point. I only met the first person I could have conversations on my level in high school and only got to meet people smarter than me, that I could learn from, at engineering uni. I seemed to freak adults out with the way I spoke like one, with the boldness of my questioning, disregarding people’s emotional attachment to any ideas, taboos.
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s level autism in 2019. My mom and sister always knew I was different but autism wasn’t that well known (Or taken seriously, especially where I live) until after I left high school around 2016. Looking back, I can easily see I had it and I’m very surprised I didn’t get punched in the face a lot during my high school years since I couldn’t read a room for the life of me (A problem my mother still has nearing 60 and after seeing some of her traits, we think she has it and her father had it too). We figure it runs in the family since I have four cousins with autism levels more severe than mine. Since 2019 though, I’ve looked back to where I was and look to where I am now and I’ve come so far, not just mentally, but physically and socially as well! I am now able to read a room easily and catch myself when I’m about to say something that maybe shouldn’t be said. Speaking of, I’ve heard one of my friends girlfriends say that her son used to have autism but she beat it out of him over the course of his life and cured him of it (She even knew I had autism and still said that to me and has even said in the past that vaccines cause autism, which they DON’T and that autism is a horrible thing that no human being should ever have). Needless to say, I have NOTHING to do with that horrible human being because that a very toxic way of thinking about autism because I’m happy with what I have. I wouldn’t be the Lego Set building, Undertale loving, obsesses over something for a long time when I really like it, person I am today!
As someone with autism, the push to change the fact autism is a disorder is just disturbing and upsetting. The fact is, it is a disorder. It is a problem that genuinely makes life harder for people. By wanting people to act like it ISN’T a disorder, you’re implying having disabilities is a bad thing. Ironically, this push by the community is, in my opinion, incredibly ableist and isolates autistic people like me from the community. Who take comfort in the fact my disorder and experiences aren’t my own fault, and I’m just playing with the cards I’ve been dealt. If we don’t acknowledge the fact its a neurological anomality, how can we get help for it? I just find it sad the community works so hard to uselessly soften up the words we use for autism, rather than destigmatize the reality of having a disorder period. Autism IS a disorder. It’s a disability! Science doesn’t care if that hurts your feelings! Change people’s hearts, not their language. Actually help autistic people who need it.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Autism, and I think I have it. All of the symptoms and indicators I read about I can relate to. I am going to see a doctor soon for it. I’m well into my 40’s and it is very frustrating to know that I’ve possibly lived with it my whole life, and realizing why I was the way I was as a kid growing up to now and all the problems I dealt with because of it. I now wonder if I may have ended up with a better quality of life if I had been diagnosed early on as a child. But I have to remind myself not to get angry or depressed over it. But it’s not easy.
I have never felt “impaired” in social communication and interaction, any more than I imagine a normal person feels impaired in mathematics. From my perspective social communication and interaction are merely skillsets (no more special or important than any other skillset) that take a great deal of effort and practice to develop. While mathematics and logic come more or less naturally, taking very little effort to develop. I think a good way of putting it is that it’s more of a reallocation of neural resources to emphasize different capabilities than a true “disorder”.
They wouldn’t let me go without an aid throughout all of school, even though in high school I showed multiple times I could do without one when my aid got sick and they couldn’t find a substitute. They refused to understand that I’d like flip because it wears you down having someone(however well intentioned) constantly looking over your shoulder telling you to get to work.
While we are born “differently,” it’s a far stretch to suggest that we are still “normal” as nature intended us. Autism still causes issues that aren’t typical and would be a classed as a degeneration in the face of evolution. Hence, I don’t agree with the notion of normalising us as just having “different brain structure.” Even though we do, it should be treated much the same as if you have mental conditions.
Because of the dehumanisation I endured, that autism was used to justify, I began calling Autism Spectrum Disorder “Arbitrary Subhuman Designation” instead, in a blatant mockery of the very concept of autism itself. All I wanted was to be a proper human being, and not some soulless chattel of the Autism Industrial Complex, which I hardly need say, is more real than autism itself.