The Face of Autism
What is “genius”? Was Albert Einstein a genius? Is the character of Sherlock Holmes a genius? What about Bobby Fischer? Or Charles Darwin? These geniuses — real and imagined — have one thing in common: they are all autistic. Autism. We hear it so often it has almost become a buzzword. Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder. Asperger’s. Besides these names, what do we really know about this mysterious and invisible neurological condition?
For many of us, autism conjures a mental image. Some associate autism with people who appear to be “low functioning” in some areas but have seemingly superhuman skills in other areas . Sometimes we think of someone who is great at math but has learning disabilities in other areas. Sometimes we think of someone with abnormal speech patterns or poor physical coordination. And sometimes, someone who doesn’t speak at all.
Hollywood loves to show off its ideas of autism. Rain Man, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Doctor, Sherlock — all of these shows and movies feature a main character who is, at least for pop culture’s sake, autistic. Most of these characters are extremely smart, to the point of genius. And of course they all have similar levels of social dysfunction, similar social abilities, and similar habits. Oh, and these characters have one more thing in common: they do a very poor job of portraying autism.
Autism is not a simple diagnosis or a straightforward neurological condition. Modern psychology often refers to autism as a “spectrum”, or an array of distinct features that come together under the umbrella of a single diagnosis. To further complicate matters, the features of the autism spectrum are not simply “on” or “off”: they are a sliding scale. One autistic person might have a few mild traits, and may have no trouble passing as neurotypical. Dan Aykroyd comes to mind. Another autistic person may have many strong traits that may prevent them from speaking, moving around or otherwise functioning in society.
Because we have to consider the intensity of many traits rather than a simple one-to-ten scale, autism may be easier to visualize as a pie chart. Each individual has a chart with their traits labeled in each section. The Number represents the ability each person has to use that trait. The traits range from Zero to 50, Zero being low ability, 50 being high ability.
These traits are most commonly associated with the ability for people to function at societal norms. This is not however, how a lot of people see autism. There are a few things we could blame for that.
The way Hollywood portrays autism 95% of the time is purely for show. For the sake of drama being drama. They choose the “most autistic” traits they can think of, without consultation from actually autistic people. From the way hollywood portrays autism it would be impossible to get an actual grasp of what autism is really like.
Fortunately, there is still some hope for Hollywood. In the show Bones, Emily Deschanel plays Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who is clearly autistic. The Creator, Hart Hanson, Based Dr. Brennan off an Autistic friend of theirs, which is perhaps why the portrayal is such an honest representation of an autistic woman. And while the character of Dr. Brennan is on the autism spectrum, she, like most people who live with autism, live a successful and socially-connected life.
It’s well known that the scientific community has for years thought that autism in girls only happens in 1 out of every 4 cases of autism.
However, Research has been slowly trickling in telling us girls make up closer to 1 out of every 2 cases of autism at least.
That however still doesn’t count the thousands of women and girls who will never be found or diagnosed. These women on the spectrum have been called “the lost girls,” as so many slip through the cracks of diagnostic world.
The statistics also don’t account for the staggeringly different environment girls will generally grow up in as opposed to boys. There is more pressure on young girls to learn social protocol. Learn how to make friends, gossip, dress normally and act as what society would deem as “normal”. Boys have much more leeway to be antisocial and awkward. What’s the saying? Boys will be boys.
When an autistic person is having a conversation they are constantly calculating, thinking, and translating the things they’re going to say and do. All of course for the benefit of others understanding what they are trying to convey. Then add external stimuli like the roar of a busy restaurant, or the buzz of a bustling office. Even simply the ticking of a clock. It becomes very easy for the autistic mind to become overwhelmed.
women are generally able to hide, or camouflage their symptoms much more easily than the Male Populace. I believe this is due to the fact that females are raised differently.They strive to be as normal as their peers. To fit in at work or school.
¾ of those who have autism also have comorbid conditions. The most common are anxiety, depression and gastrointestinal issues. Other comorbid conditions could be OCD, ADHD (Inattentive type, or Hyperactive type), Sensory Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Dyslexia, Sleep Issues, Tourettes, Dyspraxia, Echolalia and Learning disabilities.
Because of Comorbidity Woman are very often misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis can range from, personality disorders, schizophrenia and social phobia. To Bipolar disorder or having a mix of non-psychiatric conditions.
Autism isn’t a disease. Autistic people don’t want to be cured. They want to be accepted. they want accommodation so they can live their lives to the fullest. To thrive.
Isn’t that what everybody wants? To live their best lives?
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