Brian Marick

39 traits that make up autism. Collect them all! (Image description contains as many as will fit.)

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-autism-spectrum-isnt-a-sliding-scale-39-traits-show-the-complexity/

(Treating completely normal – even mandatory – behavior like “insistence on a consistent daily schedule” or “tendency to think or talk about the same topic over and over” as pointing to a “disorder” is, well, I just don’t know.)

Mar 17 at 1:28pmWeb
Show threadArtyom BologovMar 17
@marick thanks! Now I understand I’m not autistic at all. Some match, but most don’t.
Show threadMike StockdaleMar 17
@marick "affinity for making lists, memorizing facts, or learning about technical subjects" :)
Show threadBrian MarickMar 17
@mikes It does seem overbroad.
Show threadRon JeffriesMar 17
@marick
There is no abnormal, only many different kinds of normal.
Show threadBrian MarickMar 17
@RonJeffries Nascent blog post somewhat addresses that. Wittgenstein was all over that decades ago.
Show threadKonrad HinsenMar 23
@marick I doubt we will see much progress on understanding autism as long as the focus is on "disorder". I'd like to see a map of neurodiversity, from a research rather than treatment point of view. Including characteristics that are considered unproblematic (e.g. aphantasia or hyperlexia), and including "disorders" seen as distinct from autism (e.g. dyslexia). With that map, we could start trying to understand neurodiversity.
Show threadBrian MarickMar 23

@khinsen As I think categories in real life don’t have necessary and sufficient conditions, I agree.

At least autism discourse talks about a spectrum rather than a binary opposition. So that’s progress.