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News › The topsy-turvy world of autistic people
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Personal Stories: The topsy-turvy world of autistic people
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Posted by Sylvia on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 (23:06:44)
DC Military 12/03/2004
By Eric Sewell
I enjoyed the movie Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman as Raymond, an autistic savant with photographic memory and an inability to empathize or relate emotionally to others. I personally could relate to Raymond because I too am autistic. My purpose in writing this article is to offer a general explanation of what autism is and is not.
I am motivated to do so because I know firsthand how frustrating it feels when others misunderstand my autistic behaviorisms. While autism has no medical cure it is enough for me when others understand why autistic people think and communicate differently. I believe that where there is understanding there can be friendship. And where there is friendship there can be opportunity for great personal and professional growth.
What is autism? Autism is a neuro-biological disorder. Autism, and autistic behavior, is due to a physiological dysfunction within the cortex of the brain. In essence, autism affects the way a person interacts socially. Autism may appear from birth or from infancy, and causes difficulty in developing normal social relationships, and in normal communication. Autism can be described as a severe disorder of communication, socialization and imagination.
Autism is not confined to children, i.e. autistic children do not grow out of autism. Autism lasts throughout life. Autistic people do not necessarily have special or 'savant' skills as was portrayed in Rain Man. Some autistic people do have unusual abilities, musical talents, exceptional rote-memory or even lightning-speed mathematical calculation. However, these cases are in the minority (about 10%) rather than being the norm. Autism is found at all IQ levels and general learning difficulties commonly accompany autism about 50% of the time.
Autism is a condition with a wide-ranging spectrum of ability ranging from mild to severe. No two individuals with autism share the same identical characteristic impairments. Because of the varying range of abilities, the condition is often referred to as Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Those on the higher end of the spectrum are relatively able, and are said to have Asperger's Syndrome. I inherited the disorder from my father who inherited it from his. In my family the severity ranges from highly functioning autism (HFA) to severely autistic and nonfunctioning.
Individuals with ASD look no different from other people, resulting in autism being thought of as an "invisible disability." Some autistics interact with others, but in a rather unusual way. We appear not to pay attention to the responses of the people we approach. This is not due to a lack of concern but rather a lack of neurological ability in the cortex of the brain.
We neurologically are not capable of doing so other than through mimicking observed behaviors of normal people in like situations. I still remember locking myself in the bathroom as a young child in order to practice showing emotion in my facial expressions and body language in the mirror. I wanted to fit in socially with my peers.
Autistics appear to show a lack of appreciation for the functions and pleasures of social communication. Even those of us who have worked hard to learn how to socially interact are still generally inclined to talk 'at' people rather than talking with people.
Autistics have a general lack of understanding of language as a tool for conveying social and emotional information to others. This has been one of my greatest challenges. I may be able to ask for my own needs but find it difficult to talk about feelings or thoughts and to understand the emotions, ideas and beliefs of others.
Autistics have poor comprehension of the information conveyed in body language, e.g. gestures, facial expression, posture, tone of voice, etc. We generally do not gesture, or use tone of voice, etc. to convey information appropriately.
Autistics generally show only a literal understanding of the language, and are challenged to pick up the subtle meanings in language. The subjects that autistics talk about are often limited to a few specific interests. I like to discuss accounting, math, historical or scientific topics and issues. I get bored with other topics because I seem to be incapable of appreciating discussions involving anything other than facts and absolutes.
Having said all this I hope the reader will be better equipped to interact with an autistic person, or coworker, and have better insight into the "why" autistic people come across so different socially.
We are different only in the way our minds process information. We are alike in our desire for attachment, relationships, and friendships. We are different in how we go about attachment, relationships, and friendships. We are alike in that we have good hearts and are inclined to have a strong aversion to physical aggression and deception. We are caring human beings but unintentionally may come across as a modern day version of Spock from Star Trek. We are alike in that we too have families, careers, dreams and aspirations for a better life for ourselves and for our children.
And we are alike in that we share this beautiful world full of hope and promise for a bright future together.
Eric Sewell has worked in public accounting since 1997, has a BS in Accounting from George Mason University, is a proud member of the American Institute of CPAs, Virginia Society of CPAs, National Association of Enrolled Agents, and the National Association of Tax Professionals. He resides in Fairfax County with his wife and two children and may be reached with questions and comments via www.EricSewell.com
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Posted by Sylvia on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 (23:06:44) (3199 reads)
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