0:00:03.300,0:00:06.570
When we examine 100 random teenagers,

0:00:06.570,0:00:09.440
we would find that while[br]they all look different,

0:00:09.440,0:00:12.470
their minds work in very similar ways.

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One of two however, have minds[br]that are atypical in a particular way.

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They could be diagnosed with autism.

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This happens to boys four times as much,

0:00:24.129,0:00:28.209
perhaps because diagnosing them is easier.

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Children and adults who are considered [br]autistic experience the world

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differently because they were born with[br]various degrees of neuroatypical traits.

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Most autistic children have[br]more refined senses

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and share a deep desire to bring[br]the logic into their surroundings.

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Some seek repetitive behaviors[br]that follow specific patterns

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and many appear to be asocial[br]and avoid eye contact.

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Autism is not a disease and[br]therefore cannot be cured.

0:01:01.974,0:01:05.690
Since all our brains are different[br]and there is an endless range

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of nuances in their architecture,[br]autism is defined as a spectrum.

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On one side of the spectrum[br]is high-functioning autism,

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also known as Asperger syndrome.

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These children are highly intelligent,[br]and have extreme abilities

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and interest in specific areas.

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In the middle, are those with average[br]intelligence and some problems

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learning new things in school.

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On the far end of the spectrum

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are children with severe[br]learning disabilities

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who may require[br]support in their daily lives.

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Timo, a young boy,[br]can help us understand

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how living with a[br]neurodivergent mind can be.

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His mum noticed early on that[br]her boy would avoid eye contact

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and that he would often become[br]upset if she hugged him.

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He never returned smiles[br]and engaging him in play

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with friends often ended in a tantrum.

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His mother suspected something to be[br]wrong, when Timo still wasn't speaking

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more than two or three words at a time[br]even after turning four years old.

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She sought help and Timo was diagnosed[br]with autism spectrum disorder,

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or ASD for short.

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Timo has an atypical perception.

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When reading books or watching[br]movies, Timo's brain picks up

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and organizes the information differently.

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While his neurotypical peers[br]categorize things and from schemas,

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for example, they identify everything[br]with four legs that barks as a dog,

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for Timo, each type of dog is unique and[br]categorized in Timo's mind individually.

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His attention to detail and inability[br]to generalize makes Timo more objective

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in his perception of the world[br]and less prone to a framing bias.

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However, it also makes all sorts of[br]new experiences incredibly complex,

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which is why he loves to follow a rigid[br]daily routine to limit his sensory input.

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Timo is highly sensitive.

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His brain amplifies whatever[br]input it perceives.

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He hears everything and[br]has a heightened sense of touch.

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However, this superpower makes[br]situations where many people speak

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simultaneously very challenging.

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Timo hears everyone, but [br]understands nothing.

0:03:33.730,0:03:38.000
The sensitivity to touch makes[br]eating an intense experience.

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If a texture or flavor is too much[br]to handle, Timo won't eat it.

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Also walking barefoot on wet grass[br]or playing in dirt overwhelms his brain.

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He has a fascination with logic.

0:03:54.230,0:03:59.174
Timo naturally looks for patterns[br]that bring logic into this world.

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Sometimes he also tries[br]to bring order into his own

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behavior and ways[br]of moving his body.

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When structured patterns[br]are broken, he gets upset.

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It freaks him out when someone counts[br]to 8 but doesn't continue to 10.

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Doctors call it an obsessive-compulsive[br]disorder or OCD.

0:04:21.090,0:04:23.979
Timo experiences social disconnection.

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He has trouble connecting[br]with others, because social settings

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overwhelm his sensitivity[br]and desire for order.

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Because human emotions[br]are incredibly complex

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and don't follow a set[br]predictable pattern,

0:04:37.815,0:04:41.424
Timo often finds himself[br]misreading situations

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and upsetting people around him.

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As a consequence, he avoids[br]people and rarely makes eye contact.

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Which doesn't matter that much to him,[br]since most of the things

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other people talk about, are illogical,[br]irrelevant, and boring anyway.

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For 4 years, his mother had him[br]treated by a therapist

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who would show him images of faces to help[br]him learn to identify feelings.

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This meant he got better at[br]identifying facial expressions

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and corresponding[br]emotions.

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However, personally, he is still not[br]very interested in reading faces,

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or establishing new social contacts.

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He has two friends who share the same[br]interests and couldn't wish for more.

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Since Timo's autism is not[br]an illness we can treat,

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but rather a different way of[br]him experiencing the world,

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the question remains whether we[br]should try to change him through therapy

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or accept him for who he is.

0:05:44.389,0:05:46.210
So what do you think?

0:05:46.210,0:05:49.270
Should we treat children with[br]autism with therapy

0:05:49.270,0:05:53.629
or celebrate them for who they are?[br]Or perhaps do both?

0:05:53.629,0:05:57.930
Maybe it's not their atypical[br]minds, but our stereotypical

0:05:57.930,0:06:00.689
way of looking at them[br]that needs correction?

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To get a three-dimensional glimpse[br]of how an autistic girl expereinces

0:06:06.669,0:06:11.289
her own surprise birthday party,[br]or to download this video

0:06:11.289,0:06:13.054
without background music,

0:06:13.054,0:06:17.594
check the descriptions[br]below or visit sproutsschools.com.

0:06:32.492,0:06:36.046
Sprouts videos are published under[br]the Creative Commons license

0:06:36.046,0:06:40.351
that means our videos are free and[br]anyone can download, edit, and play them

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for personal use. And public schools,[br]governments, and non-profit organizations

0:06:45.810,0:06:50.557
can also use them for training, online[br]courses or designing new curriculums.

0:06:51.127,0:06:54.128
To help us stay independent and[br]support our work,

0:06:54.128,0:06:59.170
you can join our patrons and contribute,[br]just visit patreon.com/sprouts.

0:06:59.170,0:07:02.389
Even one dollar can make a difference.