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talk about spectrum

longman

I went to a lecture last night by a paediatric neurologist about new directions in autism. There were some interesting ideas that have given me something to think about, I thought I might share the points that struck me.

On the autistic spectrum a division was made between about 1.5% who qualified for an official diagnosis and up to 30% who had significvant social interaction difficulties on that account, but were outside official diagnosis. That at least is comforting with regards to people saying everyone is on the spectrum. Why more of the 30% aren't diagnosed seems to lie with politics and maintaining statistics about health, as well as the cost factor.

I had formed my own theory that my difficulty socialising caused me to overly analyse and worry about why I couldn't socialise properly, and why things went wrong. And that led to low self esteem and anxiety.

The perspective I heard last night was that NTs don't develop an understanding of social cognition processes because it happens instinctively so they don't have to analyse it and don't think about how it comes about (so presumably don't even remember social gaffs). Whereas people on the spectrum by necessity analyse social interchanges and become expert at it (but at the cost of increased stress and worry).

Main message was the need to increase self esteem and self confidence, and give children on the spectrum space to explore and expand their knowledge. A lot of harm done by trying to get children on the autistic spectrum to be like their parents, or fit parental ideas of success. The evidence seems to be that given the opportunity to develop special interests and skills, many children on the spectrum do better.

Which brings me back to an underlying concern of mine, voiced in the lecture, that early diagnosis may be imposing unnecessary restriction by trying to change things, and doing more harm than good.

I confess I'm not sure where my preconceived ideas merge with the talk in this synopsis, so if anyone has heard similar talks, but not sure I've got the facts right,  its a personal impression here. Likewise apologies to anyone giving such talks if I've got things askew.

Parents

  • If you look at most of the approaches to helping children and teenagers on the spectrum they are about getting them to conform, on the basis the more they conform the easier it will be for them as adults.

    That may be valid thinking but doesn't take account of the psychological damage in the process. Most of these solutions reinforce negative feelings because they focus on the idea that the individual can change their ways to improve their lives (ie fit in like a 'normal' neurotypical).

    Very few of these methods are accompanied by any strategy that recognises the possibilities arising from being on the spectrum and creates opportunities to explore that potential. Its all about denial of what they are like, and trying to make them change.

    An obvious example is Social Stories. If people aren't making eye contact, and therefore have difficulty reading visual cues in faces, repeatedly going over and over pictorial story lines may help people anticipate social processes, but are more likely in the process to demoralise the individual and undermine self esteem.

    The proponents of such solutions don't understand that if someone cannot do something, hammering at it robotically as if somehow the change will be forced, show extraordinarily blinkered and narrow training.

    And the really serious outcome is that this PROGRAMMING stops, or is less omnipresent at Transition. By adulthood none of the real problems individuals face have been addressed, only loads of programming and brainwashing that has no scientific provenance. So they are not now equipped for the adult world, and have crushing low self confidence and low self esteem.

    Sadly they might have had tougher lives growing up, but might have been better equipped without the BRAINWASHING.

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  • If you look at most of the approaches to helping children and teenagers on the spectrum they are about getting them to conform, on the basis the more they conform the easier it will be for them as adults.

    That may be valid thinking but doesn't take account of the psychological damage in the process. Most of these solutions reinforce negative feelings because they focus on the idea that the individual can change their ways to improve their lives (ie fit in like a 'normal' neurotypical).

    Very few of these methods are accompanied by any strategy that recognises the possibilities arising from being on the spectrum and creates opportunities to explore that potential. Its all about denial of what they are like, and trying to make them change.

    An obvious example is Social Stories. If people aren't making eye contact, and therefore have difficulty reading visual cues in faces, repeatedly going over and over pictorial story lines may help people anticipate social processes, but are more likely in the process to demoralise the individual and undermine self esteem.

    The proponents of such solutions don't understand that if someone cannot do something, hammering at it robotically as if somehow the change will be forced, show extraordinarily blinkered and narrow training.

    And the really serious outcome is that this PROGRAMMING stops, or is less omnipresent at Transition. By adulthood none of the real problems individuals face have been addressed, only loads of programming and brainwashing that has no scientific provenance. So they are not now equipped for the adult world, and have crushing low self confidence and low self esteem.

    Sadly they might have had tougher lives growing up, but might have been better equipped without the BRAINWASHING.

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