The essence of Autism!

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Agreed; if we didn't all "see people as special", we would all have prosopagnosia. But we don't; only some of us do. (I make this statement because it's the face-recognition area of the brain that is shown in functional brain scans to be the area that lights up when you look at people, but not when you look at non-human living things or inanimate objects. Dysfunction of this area leads to developmental prosopagnosia.)

Even those of us who use the same cognitive processes for people and objects can still consider people much more important than objects. I certainly do. After all, NTs use the same cognitive processes to consider a $100 bill and a $1 bill, and they still consider the former much more valuable than the latter. Using the same cognitive machinery to process people-related information and object-related information doesn't mean that you don't consider people-related information more important.

I agree with this too.
How I describe the core of my disability when it comes to ASD/SPD things is that I can't filter, and I don't habituate.

The lack of filtering is what seems most core to me. I can't filter between relevant and irrelevant stimuli when it comes to sensory processing, when it comes to trying to understand other people, when it comes to trying to understand emotions, when it comes to how to cook a meal, and so on.

What other people view as "important" or "unimportant" at subconscious levels is different in me.

Last edited by Tuttle on 14 Mar 2012, 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If it helps regarding my description, I think of filtering as a processing issue.

I assumed you did, I just was thinking that in particular is the central processing issue that I have.

Ah, okay.

I have that issue to varying degrees. It comes up a lot in crowded, noisy places or whatever. It happens to me in video games when I have to fight more than a few enemies at once, but I think I actually do better in video games because they're largely predictable.

He's making some useful clear cut distinctions between ADHD and autism bit also making them sound like complete opposites, which further complicates matters for people who definitely have traits of both or even both disorders.

As far as hyperfocusing goes, I would say I have the ADHD perservation aspect ALONG with what he's saying is actual hyperfocusing.

I don't know if there were more videos, I only watched that short second clip about hyperfocusing but he's implying that when the person with ADHD does it they're not doing anything special; aren't actually "focusing" and are probably not taking in details. Autistic hyperfocus is known for attention to detail and is considered a superior form of focus.

I do both....when I'm hyperfocusing it's like the "laser focus" they speak about in autism but other times I'll spend hours doing something completely unproductive, not taking in details and not being able to shift focus. He's basically saying people with ADHD are brain damaged and are never truly hyperfocusing.

I get that he wants to communicate the seriousness of the disorder to folks but he's making ADHD sound like it's neurological causes are so different from AS that they couldn't coexist.

I also think that the idea that the core of autism is being unable to relate to people as special is rubbish

That statement bothered me at first too. But I think it may be that he is saying that as an NT to other NT's-- to them, the biggest problem with autism is the social aspect. It's what they value the most.

I won't even get into the whole perseveration/hyperfocus thing. Let's just say I disagree. All this aside, I think he's a brilliant speaker, and has a lot of impact, most of it positive, on making ADHD better understood.

I agree.

I wouldn't say I'm incapable of relating to another person as "special", but socializing seems to be the most important thing for most NTs, even the very intelligent ones.

One distinction between Aspies and NTs that I've heard made by a lot of professionals is that for many on the spectrum it boils down to valuing information/learning/objects MORE than people, even though people with AS aren't incapable of forming those connections and I identify with that a lot.

There are many Aspie-like NTs who love learning and information the way an Aspie does and might even be obsessed to some extent, but at the end of the day their natural inclination is to seek out like-minded individuals to bond with. Left to my own devices and with enough money to make all of my problems go away I very likely would never speak again O_O

This is an explanation I've used a few times, although I say "Aspies value information/learning/objects more than they value interaction with people". Softens the blow a little bit

Hmm... wouldn't that just be introversion? An NT introvert prefers spending time alone, too, and has to be alone to relax. And there are autistic extroverts.

I think maybe it has to do with social interaction being very cognitively taxing for us; and everybody handles that fact differently. Some people, who are naturally extroverted, learn how to compensate by developing strategies that let them be with people without getting overwhelmed. Other people prefer to be alone most of the time, and come out to interact at their own pace. And yet others interact in alternative ways--structured socialization based around a hobby, online communication, writing and reading, or choosing social groups away from one's own age bracket or culture where the differences are expected and not considered such a bad thing.

That is a pretty succinct way to describe it to an NT though, particularly if they are trying to understand the behaviour of a young classic autistic child.

It might not work so well with aspies though.

Jason

I don't think it's the same as introversion. I have talked to several aspies and auties who agree that the primary reason that they don't have conversations with people for social reasons, it's for information exchange. Some people will say that if they wouldn't speak to other people at all and would live as hermits if they could. They just don't have much desire for interaction with other people. Their studies and interests are far more interesting to them than other people. I guess if the question is whether it's because they're autistic or because they are introverted is more difficult to say. I personally fit the explanation pretty well, and I would say that I could be defined as an introvert. Whether I am autistic or not is not official, but I know that I share this trait with other people who are autistic, along with a number of others.

I found his statement about "not relating to people as special, as humans" very thought provoking.

Its not quite right because that would equate to sociopath and the only true sociopath I ever knew is very sociable, loves the company of people, it just doesn't matter what people they are, or what lasting impression he would leave.

But it made me think of my younger childhood, maybe I only related to some people as special (eg family). I am happy to be anyone's friend, I am happy alone, but I never seek to make friends from the people around me. Maybe I don't see the potential for them to be special to me before they seek me out and make a connection.

I guess I was more inclined to make friends with a friendly dog than another child, the dog was more likely to be good company.

Maybe he's referring to Autism ( not Aspergers) with "people as not special." Or maybe the context is in a relative manner.

I've noted Dxd mothers here, that know their children, how to read them well, etc.

In fact, there was a parent ( here) that had a split family; one NT child and the other Aspie. She noted their distinct behaviors and traits. They both had her traits, but she understood her Aspie child better or related more so.....they were special.

Asperger's is autism.

Much of what is written and said and assumed about autism is based on external observation with little apparent concern for the person being observed. Much is assumed to be static and never change from childhood.

But mostly, when someone says "the heart/core/central deficit/definition of autism is about how autistic people relate to other people" they're leaving out a lot of autism to make that determination. That betrays their particular priorities, as well as a lack of understanding of autism.

It's not that no one who's autistic is incapable of seeing people as special, or doesn't see the point in seeing people as special, it's that it's not the central defining element.