Autism And The Spiky Profile
When you excel at some things and struggle with others
My life is a study in contrasts. I can hold my own in a meeting with senior managers discussing strategic policy but struggle to make a phone call to change a medical appointment. After a morning structuring my thoughts into a written submission, I head out to buy lunch and put a dint in the car as I back into a railing. I provide advice to colleagues throughout the day but I can’t remember if I had a shower yesterday or whether I’ve paid the electricity bill and who knows what I did with the car keys when I came home.
I completed two university degrees and two graduate diplomas before I managed to get a drivers licence. I’m yet to navigate the process of buying a car on my own. The prospect of going through a fast-food drive-through is so daunting that I’m yet to attempt it.
This is what life is like when you have a spiky profile: a phenomenon whereby the disparity between strengths and weaknesses is more pronounced than for the average person. It’s characteristic among neuro-minorities: those who have neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD. When plotted on a graph, strengths and weaknesses play out in a pattern of high peaks and low troughs, resulting in a spiky appearance. Neurotypical people tend to have a flatter profile because the…
