It is tough to summarise or timeline global changes and events, even in the near present.
We have had the mainstreaming of Crypto Currencies, a globe-stopping pandemic that we are all just still coming out from, the launch of the Metaverse, Genetic altering in vitro procedures, Apple’s visor on mixed reality, a potential cage fight between Elon and Zuckerberg (the shame of a mention). The Wars in Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan … And the dramatic, more intense and frequent changes to the global climate. And you can’t help but wonder, when it comes to the buzz, Twitter taking to threads and all sorts of peer-to-peer services popping up are the in-conversations, but very little is mainstreaming on what an inclusive society looks like regarding persons on the autistic spectrum, neurodivergence.
In teams, workplaces, powerhouses, religious settings and everything in between, families and persons on the spectrum are, have always been there. They are overcompensating, struggling, some thriving, and many hiding. However, it seems we readily dismiss conversing about making society more aware and fairer for persons on the spectrum. I remember entirely misreading my colleague’s needs as they struggled to concentrate in a chaotic sensory environment. I still kick myself mentally every time I remember how I was and acted. Would apologising help? Definitely, but the individual would be more lost than not with my guilt trip that sadly is their norm, perhaps even questioning what I wanted from them now by apologising!
Before we judge individual mannerisms, preferences, intolerances, and oddities, do we ever bother to get to know who they are, or what it can be like?
So why is there such an offshoot regarding awareness of the autistic spectrum?
Basically, lots, and I mean lots of people, don’t know, don’t truly understand what it’s like to be on the spectrum until it’s a lived experience you ACTUALLY acknowledge.
It’s also always been there, so putting a box on it is hard. I once heard someone say we are all on the spectrum because we can all be a little odd, at times, especially around communication, but this is not true; that is not what it is like to be on the spectrum(please read the links at the end of the post). Regression behaviour analysis might now point out Tesla (the scientist), Mozart, John the Baptist, the Wright brothers, and the list goes on as persons on the spectrum; sadly, I cannot think of any women right now (feel free to comment if you do) so it feels like a presence that's always been there but then you are not really sure, and I get why it might be confusing too and maybe offensive to label inappropriately, so we do the other thing ignore. Its easier.
And sadly, escapism is always better than facing reality (did I mention the potential cage fight). It is like watching The Meg - again, only to dull the sense versus the English Patient. A part of us doesn't want to know, doesn't want to see, doesn't want to acknowledge because it has always been there, and it still feels so sad for many, and it's so diverse and complicated. Why tie up Chat GPT with social stories for learning how to socially adapt responsively. Why throw new light on multiplayer online games like Fortnite as a communication link and predictive environment? Why tie remote working and elective home education to suitable forms of working and learning. It takes out all the fun.
So what is Autism?
Loads of good material to read on that (see some common links at the end of the post), but in my humble opinion and understanding (still learning), it really comes down to these three things:
1) Communication issues this does not only mean the inability to speak
2) Behavioural oddities (in my opinion) as a result of communication issues
3) Imaginations: This was the most challenging part for me to understand because this is the aspect that we all do some form of, but a person on the spectrum would perform repeated actions or recall thoughts, recreate feelings on an almost obsessive or tunnel vision way to anything really that is of interest to them, if not harmful to others or has negative consequences to them, it will always still be seen as an extreme, I get flavours of this when my four-year-old starts and finishes a sequence of play that is precisely the same way, uncountable times over the years and going, amongst other mannerisms, it's incredible, it looks like hard work because she keeps to the timing in an extraordinary manner that I found hard to keep up as an adult, but she can and thrives doing so. This could be referred to as machinations and will go along with stimming (to be discussed in detail later). But it’s all so extraordinary and very possibly 'the ordinary' for a person on the spectrum. Forest Gump also comes to mind; he seems to walk and run at one point for years, never really stopping, he was a curiosity, a hype, and then an expired event, but he kept going until he decided to stop. He needed that amount of time and to be in that state to process what he needed to. And this is where the extraordinary comes out, which could be savant-like because it's meticulous mastering in sometimes a very niche, to me, insignificant aspect. But this is just who they are, seeing, feeling, and interacting with the world as we know it but in a different way, hence the term neurodivergence. The best way to observe this is to give any child an item, don’t tell them what it is or how to use it, but just watch. Again we all do some form of self-discovery even with an instruction set visually mapped out for us, but at some point in most people's lives, we kind of naturally get what the mass society needs, wants and expects from us, organically. For persons on the spectrum, it’s a challenge; one leap forward opens up ten more steps of the unknown, the unmastered. I recently had a chat with a speech therapist, and she said a lot of persons on the spectrum, currently about 40%, would not verbalise (speak) or take a longer time than expected, with some speaking in their late twenties, but that’s because they have had to learn and re-learn EVERY single word! I couldn’t believe it; we are so lucky to be wired up the way we are that intrinsic behaviour takes up naturally and almost effortlessly, but those that are not the amount of effort required it’s just extraordinary to me, but how exhausting!
I am hoping the next time I meet someone on the spectrum, and it looks like we are having a scripted conversation or they literally run out of words! That I would be more patient. Gosh, a daily challenge!
So going back to all things trendy and how it seems that inclusion never really points to a person on the spectrum. What could be the way to start to address this?
Former President of the United States Obama once described what characteristic or who he would like to see in his team. He talks about how we can be good at describing a problem or pointing it out in extraordinarily creative ways; this throws me back to root cause analysis (eek). But he instead looks for individuals that are looking for solutions, just as eager or more so to solve problems, and that is what I want to talk about.
Once upon a time, I would downplay accessibility; it was essential but not as necessary at the time to get the 'Must' have feature out there for the sake of the greater good, but now I feel we have to make an effort to be holistic we have to consider just as equally how daily events, products, and environments can be suitable for all. Bumping up accessibility features benefits all. As much as I felt that Andriod operating systems and the plateau of devices that it supports makes software available to all to explore and create, it is also a minefield and complete chaos to those that need accessible features and operations to be consistent, more and more I find that Apple products appeal and are synonymous with persons on the spectrum, the hardware is shaped and put together in a way that intuitively and almost organically encourages interaction, and the best part is that the experience is one and the same with these hardy, albeit expensive devices. This certainty of experience and clever user design has been responsible for expanding the world of persons on the spectrum, especially those drawn to visual stimulation from mobile devices. So I am excited about the possibility of Apple's visor and the idea of mixed reality, especially around my daughter's communication and understanding of the world.
In our very busy lives, can we also squeeze some time to read materials or do a course to understand more about Autism? So please read the following below; it won't take anything away from you.
If someone shares with you that they are autistic or might be, listen to them. If a colleague hints about special needs at home or someone they care for, don't be polite and say nothing but find out more. If a nursery, park, or leisure area is opening up or asking for opinions, and feedback through consultations, imagine and advocate for inclusive spaces, visual scaffolding with; pictures, illustrations, and explicit instruction/signage. Look out for those that seem like they are struggling with sensory overloads and create quiet or calm spaces, and the best advice I give myself is never really judge; listen much more before you decide.
Links
What is Autism
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/adults/
https://autismsociety.org/the-autism-experience/
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour/obsessions/all-audiences
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
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