Is there an opposite of autism?

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If autism is black (or white, whatever) and NT is gray, then what's on the other end of the scale? Does the question even make sense? I mean, if there is (or was) a disorder or condition that's the opposite of autism, what would it be?

Paris Hilton.

Well, according to Christopher Baddock, author of The Imprinted Brain, it's schizophrenia.

Jenny McCarthy.

Some pretty funny answers here.

But the short answer is "no." There is no real opposite if you consider "opposite" in it's dictionary sense, or as in "black and white" as you did.

That's about like asking, "Is there an opposite of jazz?" or, "Is there an opposite of the ocean?"

There are plenty of things that are different from Autism, or NOT Autism, but they aren't "opposite." Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means it presents itself in many different ways. The best way to envision the spectrum is as a portion of the rainbow. Pick any one color, and there will be an opposite to it somewhere else in the rainbow (a second color that if combined with the first color, will cancel each other out if one is filtered through the other). For example, if you pass red light through a green filter, you won't see any color (black). But if you combine red and green, it makes white. Neither black nor white are technically colors. One is the absence of all color while the other is the presence of all colors.

Autism, because it is a spectrum, is made up of a variety of colors but only among a narrow band of the rainbow. You might find an infinite variety of shades and colors within that band. The only thing you can really say for certain is that all colors outside the band, combined with all colors within the band, or the one filtered trough the other, will produce no color (either black or white).

So I guess we could say the opposite of Autism is "Anything that isn't Autism."

But that isn't a very useful statement.

The opposite of cancer is anything and everything that isn't cancer, but knowing that doesn't help us understand its causes, find a cure, or help you cope with it.

Counsellors, psychologists, therapists, all those other touchy-feely types with fake-science arts degrees.

And that "empath" woman from the regurgitated Start Trek series.

Oh. Damn.

Is this thread a joke, and I missed it?

If so, go figure...

I agree, MrXxx.

Christopher Baddock's "The Imprinted Brain" approaches autism and schizophrenia in a heavy black and white fashion. He explains his theory using a lot of stereotypical traits from both sides, and spends less time exploring the middle, although he acknowledges it briefly. (He also repeats himself to much, but that's an unrelated issue I have with his book.) Other than that, it's an interesting read, but disappointing overall.


Here's an excerpt from the introduction, which piqued my interest, but the theory fell flat in the end:

I think that in a way there is:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Syndrome

Along with mental retardation, "most individuals with Williams Syndrome are highly verbal and overly sociable having what has been described as a 'cocktail party' type personality..........[because of changes in the amygdala, which controls fear] people with Williams Syndrome can so willingly talk to anyone, including strangers".

Ok, the "highly verbal" part isn't opposite. But the "cocktail party personality" and "overly sociable" and "willingly talk to anyone including strangers" makes this a syndrome that is arguably the exact opposite of Aspergers Syndrome.

edited to add; combine this with the description in Molecular Biologist's post and I think we have a solid winner for the exact opposite syndrome.

"A Genetic Drive To Love, Yet Distanced By Differences"
by Alix Spiegel
NPR, Morning Edition, 3 May 2010
"People with Williams syndrome -- a rare genetic disorder with a variety of symptoms -- are known for being almost compulsively loving and trusting. The syndrome is often called the "anti-autism" because people with Williams, rather than isolating themselves from others, are hyper-social. Children with Williams, for example, often climb into cars with perfect strangers or tell random salespeople that they love them."

Full text and audio:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =126396171