None of us really believe Intense World Theory, right?

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You really seemed to miss what they were saying. For myself, I agree completely with their research. It matches my own personal experience for all these years I've been alive. The world IS more intense to me than to most people I know. Part of the Autistic reaction to that is to move inward, to shield oneself from the stimulus. The other part to that is that because of the way our brains react to, and because of the stimulus, it is often more difficult to communicate with the outside world.

What I do like most about what they say is that they are NOT trying to do away with Autism & Autistic people (unlike some other group…), rather, they are saying, "how do we help Autistics work with what they have in order to live a better life." I prefer that they want to build bridges instead of eradicate a (supposed) disease and the people who have it.

I don't really think that I have a greater perceptive range than neurotypical people, or a heightened state of consciousness. It is more like a broken filter. NTs are able to filter out and ignore irrelevant sensory information, whereas my brain desperately tries to make sense of noises and visual impressions that have no relation to me whatsoever. Which irritates me, distracts me, causes unnecessary stress and leads to sensory overload at some point.

While I do notice minor details that NTs might ignore, these details are usually not very important and the stress caused by my unfiltered perception is a huge trade-off. At least for me, autism is a disorder that greatly limits my ability to function in busy, noisy environments. Not to mention my lack of social skills. I mean, full-blown autism undoubtedly is a very limiting disorder, and my Asperger's or HFA (not sure which one it is) is simply a milder form of autism. I can't see how this mild form of a disabling condition would make me superior to NTs.

At least not as far as perception goes. When it comes to rational, analytical thinking, I sometimes like to think that I have a bit of an advantage over many NTs. On the other hand, there are also many NTs with an analytical mind and excellent critical thinking abilities who, unlike me, also possess exceptional social skills. So I'm probably kidding myself when I think that autism gives me any special powers. But of course that doesn't change that ASDs are not a mental disease, merely a developmental disorder. Or a phenotypic variation, if you so will.

And, one sees the variation on how Autism expresses itself on just this short thread alone.



TheSunAlsoRises

Multicellular organisms would've never developed had it not been for the invasion of archaea into our eukaryotic cells. For instance, the multicellular organism is formed by a series of growth and then cell death, e.g., in the spaces between our fingers, and mitochrondria actually make that possible because they are the instigators of apoptosis (programmed cell death).

Good book on the topic: Power, Sex, and Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life

It's not a theory, it's a description.

I would say the theory very closely describes my own personal experience too.

I wonder if the epigenetic component might not ultimately mean that drug treatments could be developed. After all, there is a good deal of research into compounds that manipulate epigenetic marks. This might, in theory mean that marks left by "toxic insult" could ultimately removed through medical treatment, silencing the expression of bad genes. It would seem this might potentially eliminate the negative effects of the toxic insults while leaving the brain's unique "wiring" intact. An interesting possibility, anyhow.

By which I mean it's superficially good - as any of us could come up with a superficially good theory of autism - but they appear to have gone way beyond actual science trying to imagine mechanisms. The stuff about toxins for example, wtf is that about? I guess they're trying to inflate themselves and buy a corner of the market.

I like Mottron's ideas better; they don't overreach.

God I'm tired.

It's like literary theory. I once got in very deep s**t with the department chair for quoting Stephen King-- "Can't a story just be a story?"

Can't a person just be a person??

Do we have SO FAR to go???

God I am so tired. So damn tired.

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/co ... _self.html

There could be a very simple answer to all of this.

For all of their babble they have never defined "A differance in thought and perception." Perhaps they can see it, but lack the ability to understand that we have two brains, and some use both.

It will be up to us to self define.

This is the first link I ever posted, I do not know if I did it right.

It is worth reading, and does explain why we have a different range of perception, and why they never will.

Hypersensitivity here too, though I've managed to acclimatise somewhat over the years. I'm able to detect faults in sound recordings and my proofreading powers are a little freaky. Dripping taps drive me crazy.

I don't think that's *everything* behind autism, but it's certain a big factor. The methodical thinking aspect is another one. I took a long time to figure out socialising, and that was mostly at an intellectual level, learning how people think and react. I could probably have become very good at manipulating people if I'd wanted to, but all my life I've just wanted to be left alone. I like company, but in small doses. It's just too much hard work.

When I found the intense world theory for the first time, I found near-verbatim duplications of things I had said in my lifetime. It was rather enlightening, and I didn't find it insulting at all.

I don't get the neurology behind it (naturally) but I do find it hard to listen to or read just one thing while there's music or TV going in the background. Trying to figure out what to do or say around people I like but who probably think I'm weird really makes me anxious and upset. I do have many more memories that go way back further than most people I know. Lights do start to hurt my eyes once the sun goes down (wtf???). I do find rocking or repetitive motion in a quiet private place calms me down. I also seem to notice a lot of double standards in the everyday world and society that annoy me but I don't do anything mostly coz I'm not motivated enough to start arguments or get into debates with people. I would have to say that yes, for me the world is a pretty intense and confusing place to be.

I think this theory makes so much sense.

And I think it fits the wider autistic spectrum. Those who are in some sense autistic, but not diagnosably so.

I think there is definitely something right about this theory.

I've overcome so many of my limits. And I have a good social life. That changes in myself that have helped give me that social life haven't magically made my brain an NT brain. Nope, still not NT. This theory fits that. (Note, I say "helped give me that social life" because some of the changes that gave me a social life are external; but there's been much internal change too.)

[sarcasm]

Please tell me that you are not seriously promoting the 'work' of a man when even the well known scientific journal 'The Fortean Times' feels the need to add this disclaimer to the article?



Seriously?

What exactly was it that attract you to this as a reality based explanation of autism was the complete absence of any credible science or evidence or was it the continually referencing of left-right politics and hindu mysticism?

You are going to take a man who claims this seriously:



[/sarcasm]


Insert epic facepalm here....

I have to say I agree with the general concept. It does explain some of my own life experiences and issues, for example, when they changed the lights at work, and it was about 10 times brighter. I nearly ran out crying until I took half the light bulbs above my cubicle out. I also think though that parts of it can apply more to some people than others.

I've often wondered about dreaming in color, I've had people tell me it is impossible, though not recently... Is that something that only occurs with Aspergers or in our families?