I was just looking up some of Tony Attwood's material on the internet today when I stumbled upon a video on F******k announcing that Tony himself has been diagnosed with autism.
https://www.facebook.com/100063865020935/videos/955852933799256
I don't know him personally but it doesn't really surprise me, what with his almost obsessive interest in Aspergers Syndrome, and his son Will being diagnosed.
Yes, I'm similar, and I'm sure that would resonate with many of us here. In my judgement Attwood does not look like an autistic person simply working hard and using intellect to navigate conversations. He's far more natural.
For clothes, I just feel before I buy. I try to buy cotton or linen for anything next to my skin. I tend to wear long-sleeved shirts so that anything in the way of scratchy wool is not next to my skin. I remember looking for a lightweight rainproof hooded jacket (cagoules are the worst thing in the world) and feeling dozens of them in multiple shops until I found one I could stand. I have become quite expert at removing labels from clothing.
Noise is a problem, I cannot hold a conversation in high background noise, or if there is a radio or TV on. I jump out of my skin if there is a loud noise, even when I am expecting it. I guess ear plugs would work except I cannot stand things in my ear canal - thanks autism!
Yeah, I get why sensory stuff feels like the real clincher - like proof you can't fake or ignore. For you, tactile (those damn labels and synthetics) and noise? That's classic. it's the same for loads of us - lifelong, quiet killers of comfort.
On Attwood... he doesn't spill much about his own sensitivities in public. From what I've seen - his blogs, interviews, even that fresh reflection on recognising his profile - he talks about sensory processing a ton: how it's core to autism now (DSM-5 nailed it), how over-sensitivity isn't just "annoying" but can be straight-up painful, how exposure therapy backfires and makes it worse.
He mentions hypo/hyper across sounds, textures, lights, smells - stuff like covering ears or seeking deep pressure. But personal? Nah. No "I hate wool" or "crowds make me melt" anecdotes. He's all clinician, not confessional. Maybe he's private, or maybe it's just not the bit he shares.
Still, you're spot on - the criteria expanded, caught him (and you) because those traits were always there. If he ever does open up about it, it'll probably be something understated, like "I always needed quiet rooms."
Your tactile and noise thing - any tricks you've found that actually work? Like seamless clothes or white noise?
I saw that clip too - it's fresh, right? Posted just last week or so.
Tony doesn't come out and say "I got diagnosed" like it's a headline - he talks about recognising his own autistic profile after decades in the field. Like, after 50+ years studying it, the penny finally dropped for him. No big shock, honestly. The guy's spent his life deep in it - obsessive interest, son's diagnosis, all that. It's almost poetic.
Makes sense why he connected so hard with autistic folks - he was probably seeing bits of himself the whole time.
Doesn't change what he's written, just... adds a layer. Kinda nice, actually. Like the expert finally joining the club.
You okay with that? Or does it feel weird?
I am introduced to someone new I can never remember their name afterwards
Ditto.
If I can manage to do so - I try to find out something unusual from people (an interest, a pet's name, something less commonplace ideally) - to hopefully give me something to act as a "hook" against which to tie together the other new information / context and aid future recall.
It isn't fail-safe (I find it worth the extra effort ...more times than not).
When it is more likely to all fall apart; in the presence of complex competing background noise - game over.
I mask seamlessly the vast majority of the time and I am, even by allistic standards, reasonably eloquent and capable of adjusting what I say to suit my interlocutor(s). Where allistics use subconscious abilities to navigate conversations, I use my intellect, the result appears to be the same, but is achieved by very different means. It can be tiring, of course, like being on stage having to remember lines and stage directions all the time I'm in out in public.
As an example, when I am introduced to someone new I can never remember their name afterwards. My brain is too occupied, gauging the strength of my handshake, remembering to smile and think of something appropriate to say, for any 'bandwidth' to be left for taking in information.
By the time I was assessed, I too was an expert on autism. I am a biomedical researcher by trade and, once I had an indication that I might be autistic, I researched the hell out of the subject. At the assessment I was just honest about my traits and history. I imagine that Attwood was also. While I could see what the 'most autistic' answer to a question would be, I only answered what was the case for me.
I think it is a bit strange to go for a test when you are an expert in what is in the test. When I did my test It was blind and I never knew what was on it on purpose. I think it will be may be hard for an expert to fail. I would trust though that this persons case was genuine.
He's a great man, and it's not for me to decide who is or isn't autistic, but my own view is that I'm not persuaded. I don't see anything autistic about him and his communication style seems highly neuronormal to me. I feel the same about Sol Smith, whose book I recently started and abandoned because I couldn't see any connection with what I understand as autism.
Interesting news. I braved F******k to see the video. Tony has done so much to advance the understanding of autism, and I am pleased he has discovered his own autism. As he says, it explains why he chose his specialism! I am really pleased that he is one of our tribe.
The expanding diagnostic criteria caught up with both of them. For one, I would like to know what sensory difficulties they have, as these are usually lifelong and, to me, are a bit of a giveaway.
My sensory problems are mostly tactile - synthetic textiles and clothing labels - and noise. When I found such things in the literature on autism (and diagnostic manuals) it was the clincher that convinced me that I was autistic.
