Autism Spectrum: Atypical Minds in a Stereotypical World

When we examine 100 random teenagers,

we would find that while
they all look different,

their minds work in very similar ways.

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

They could be diagnosed with autism.

This happens to boys four times as much,

perhaps because diagnosing them is easier.

Children and adults who are considered
autistic experience the world

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

Most autistic children have
more refined senses

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

Some seek repetitive behaviors
that follow specific patterns

and many appear to be asocial
and avoid eye contact.

Autism is not a disease and
therefore cannot be cured.

Since all our brains are different
and there is an endless range

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

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

also known as Asperger syndrome.

These children are highly intelligent,
and have extreme abilities

and interest in specific areas.

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

learning new things in school.

On the far end of the spectrum

are children with severe
learning disabilities

who may require
support in their daily lives.

Timo, a young boy,
can help us understand

how living with a
neurodivergent mind can be.

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

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

He never returned smiles
and engaging him in play

with friends often ended in a tantrum.

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

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

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

or ASD for short.

Timo has an atypical perception.

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

and organizes the information differently.

While his neurotypical peers
categorize things and from schemas,

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

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

His attention to detail and inability
to generalize makes Timo more objective

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

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

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

Timo is highly sensitive.

His brain amplifies whatever
input it perceives.

He hears everything and
has a heightened sense of touch.

However, this superpower makes
situations where many people speak

simultaneously very challenging.

Timo hears everyone, but
understands nothing.

The sensitivity to touch makes
eating an intense experience.

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

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

He has a fascination with logic.

Timo naturally looks for patterns
that bring logic into this world.

Sometimes he also tries
to bring order into his own

behavior and ways
of moving his body.

When structured patterns
are broken, he gets upset.

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

Doctors call it an obsessive-compulsive
disorder or OCD.

Timo experiences social disconnection.

He has trouble connecting
with others, because social settings

overwhelm his sensitivity
and desire for order.

Because human emotions
are incredibly complex

and don't follow a set
predictable pattern,

Timo often finds himself
misreading situations

and upsetting people around him.

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

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

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

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

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

This meant he got better at
identifying facial expressions

and corresponding
emotions.

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

or establishing new social contacts.

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

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

but rather a different way of
him experiencing the world,

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

or accept him for who he is.

So what do you think?

Should we treat children with
autism with therapy

or celebrate them for who they are?
Or perhaps do both?

Maybe it's not their atypical
minds, but our stereotypical

way of looking at them
that needs correction?

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

her own surprise birthday party,
or to download this video

without background music,

check the descriptions
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