Study: Autism as an Advantage

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Well, I guess we all knew this already, but here's a researcher saying it. The article is from the American Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists website.
http://speech-language-pathology-audiol ... ntage.aspx

Autism As an Advantage
It is in some spheres, professor maintains.
Posted on: December 26, 2011

Laurent Mottron, MD, PhD, believes that the different brain structure of individuals with autism should not be considered a deficiency. Research reveals that many of these individuals - not just "savants" - have qualities and abilities that may exceed those of people who do not have the condition, said the director of the autism program at Rivière des Prairies Hospital in Montreal, Canada, and professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal (Nature, 479: 33-35).

"Recent data and my own personal experience suggest it's time to start thinking of autism as an advantage in some spheres, not a cross to bear," said Dr. Mottron, who also initiated the Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders at the university.

His research team, as well as others, has established and replicated the abilities and sometimes superiorities of individuals with autism in multiple cognitive operations, such as perception and reasoning. Several members of his group have autism. One of them, Michelle Dawson, is a particular success. She makes major contributions to the understanding of the condition through her work and judgment.

"Michelle challenged my scientific perception of autism," Dr. Mottron said. Her insight is the interpretation of autistic strengths as the manifestation of authentic intelligence rather than a trick of the brain that allows individuals with autism to mindlessly perform intelligent tasks. "It's amazing to me that for decades scientists have estimated the magnitude of mental retardation based on the administration of inappropriate tests and on the misinterpretation of autistic strengths," he added. A word was coined for that: normocentrism, meaning the preconception people have that if they do or are something, it is normal, but if a person with autism does or has it, it is abnormal.

There is a strong motivation for this perception, Dr. Mottron said. It is the standard rhetoric of fund-raising and grant applications. But it comes at a cost in terms of how people with autism are designated in social discourse.

"While state and nonprofit funding is important for advancing our understanding of the condition, it's exceptional that these tools are used to work toward goals identified by the autistic community itself," he said, noting that many people with autism end up working repetitive, menial jobs despite their intelligence and aptitude to make much more significant contributions to society.

"Dawson and other autistic individuals have convinced me that in many instances people with autism need opportunities, frequently support, but rarely treatment," Dr. Mottron stated. "As a result, my lab and others believe autism should be described and investigated as an accepted variant within human species, not as a defect to be suppressed."

He said science should do its part to bring back people with autism as members of the general community.

I think it has been for me.

I'm not diagnosed and only discovered that I was autistic after my 60th birthday, although I felt I was "different" somehow all my life.

I have found that my ability to focus deeply, combined with an ease at performing repetitive tasks and a love of research, made it easy for me to compete at the workplace. I retired shortly after my 54th birthday (but had been working since I was nine, so I was ready).

I now act, write and enjoy several artistic efforts: painting, photography & Cartooning.
I have a new daily comic strip (launched just a few days ago) called, In the Dark. The title is a metaphor for my inability to read non-verbal communication.

yours,

... Jim

I think it has been for me.

I'm not diagnosed and only discovered that I was autistic after my 60th birthday, although I felt I was "different" somehow all my life.

I have found that my ability to focus deeply, combined with an ease at performing repetitive tasks and a love of research, made it easy for me to compete at the workplace. I retired shortly after my 54th birthday (but had been working since I was nine, so I was ready).

I now act, write and enjoy several artistic efforts: painting, photography & Cartooning.
I have a new daily comic strip (launched just a few days ago) called, In the Dark. The title is a metaphor for my inability to read non-verbal communication.

yours,

... Jim

That's really good to hear, Jim. An example of being able to put advantages and strong points to good use. And that was back when people didn't even know the word "autism," much less have any understanding of it. It's encouraging to hear you were able to use your strengths.

This certainly applies to me. I've found the only time I'm inferior and deficient is when I try to beat the normals at their own social games. When I finally allowed myself to be who I am, I found in many ways I'm far above the crowd, though certainly not in all ways. After all, AS is about an uneven profile of abilities.

I think the reason is most normal people would rather die than be different than others. For these people, they can only be as good as society is, which leaves much to be desired. I think when we aspies quit worrying about fitting into the proverbial box, and be ourselves, our only limits are our own abilities.

A frequent poster had an aphorism that went: Being well adusted to a sick society is no sign of health. This is not only correct, but what being an aspie is all about.

Thanks.

It's ironic that because I didn't know that I wasn't "supposed" to do some things, I was able to do them.
I've never been able to read fiction, but learned how to write it by researching the cognitive scientists, Michael Austin (Useful Fictions) and David Hermann (Story Logic, Narratologies, and others).

It's fascinating reading.

About ten years ago I slipped on an icy driveway at work and hit the back of my head.
I could feel life slip away.
I later learned that it was part of my memories that were being lost.

Fortunately, it was only neural typical conditioning that I lost.
Unfortunately, I could no longer learn.
It happened around my 50th birtday and I didn't know I was autistic and hadn't learned to use my native language yet.

I rewired my brain by writing 9300 jokes.
In the process I learned what a joke was.

Woody Allen said it took him about 1000 jokes before he learned.
(I guess he must be about 7 times smarter than I am.)