felinesaresuperior wrote:
i read in the internet an autistic man got lost somewhere and for some reason his dog ran away. a man who specializes in finding lost autistic people went straight for the river, because he knew autistic people are drawn to water by nature. the man was found safe and sound.
i love watching fountains, the waves on the beach fascinate me and i love watching the river of lake. but i thought nts like it too.
I found the statement of the search and rescue individual, however well intentioned, incredibly mis-informed.
It's true that many with moderate or low functioning autism have a fixation with water. However this man seemed to either have HFA or AS and likely had no more of a fixation or attraction to water than anyone else in the desert. Additionally, his initial plan was to follow the river as a guide to his destination.
Rivers are also things many people go to and follow in survival situations or when they're lost - rivers lead to the ocean, and also provide a source of food and water.