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Decoding an Autism Mystery:Why do Autistic Children Withdraw

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Sare
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04 Feb 2014, 10:02 pm

Hi,

I'm posting this articled published online on 2014-02-03. I don't see it posted, so I am adding it.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/11406/decodin ... themselves

Cheers,

-------------------------------------------

Quote:
Many autistic children seem to be living in their own worlds, a place they are perfectly happy to be in, withdrawn from their surroundings. Many also have trouble sleeping, are hyperactive and it seems to be impossible to shut off their brains for even a moment. The truth of the matter is that they cannot shut it all off, with the autistic mind working an average of 42% more, according to the latest findings in a University of Toronto and Case Western Reserve University joint study. What does that mean though?

Thoughts on Autism
Autism in itself is an interesting disorder. Many specialists might even prefer to use the word "condition" instead, while the opposite end of the argument might call it a mental disease. I call it disorder, personally, because the brain's structure becomes disordered, with different neurons firing about and a generally larger brain looked at. Furthermore, you have the staunch believers in vaccinations causing autism, a theory I cannot follow as twin studies show an extremely high prevalence among identical twins, compared with fraternal or siblings of different ages. As such, autism is a genetic disorder, aggravated by environmental aspects.

An autistic child's brain simply never seems to stop. This might very well account for much of their behavior, as well as the manifestation of savantism or high-functioning gifted attributes. A diagnosis on the spectrum does not mean a child is of low IQ. They may very well be the smartest children in their classrooms, simply misunderstood and mishandled.

[Moderator edit: The quoted text has been truncated. Please don't copy/paste entire articles here - this amounts to republishing and may cause problems due to copyright infringement. Always provide a link to the full article and either add your own summary or quote a short extract.]


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Willard
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04 Feb 2014, 10:46 pm

Quote:
the "Intense World Theory" is quite certainly correct, referring to the autistic mind as the result of the hyper-functioning of brain circuitry leading to over-stimulation. This means that what is absolutely impossible to comprehend for the neurotypical individual is a daily norm for the autistic, including hyper-perception, hyper-attention, hyper-memory and hyper-emotionality. As such, the theory proposes that the autistic becomes trapped in a limited, but highly secure, internal world with minimal extremes and surprises.


Thus the strict adherence to routines. The more structured you keep the things you can control, the fewer unexpected, overwhelming surprises you have to deal with.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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04 Feb 2014, 11:42 pm

In a speech, Temple Grandin said she was not allowed to stim during lunch, but she was allowed to stim during rest period after lunch.

about 14 minutes into her speech

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgEAhMEgGOQ[/youtube]



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05 Feb 2014, 3:20 am

Thank you for sharing this.

I look forward to a good discussion on the findings in this article.

Now, would someone please make those 'Vaccine Theeory' people go away?

Please?


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pensieve
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05 Feb 2014, 5:49 pm

I'm not sure if it's thinking 42% more at rest that makes us withdraw. I'm with Willard; the fact that we process too much and we have to have more control with routines, and for me, anything different will just spin me into a panic. I also think that maybe special interests might come from this and the fact we think so damn much.

I withdraw because I've got no real interest in people and later on when I try to become interested I realise how damn hard it is so I withdraw again. I need something more stimulating and thought provoking than what a social situation can give me.

I'm interested to know if this is all connected to the 42% thing or if it's separate.


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Ann2011
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05 Feb 2014, 10:20 pm

Sare wrote:
Quote:
The brain is a complex structure in itself and what was discovered is that the "Intense World Theory" is quite certainly correct, referring to the autistic mind as the result of the hyper-functioning of brain circuitry leading to over-stimulation. This means that what is absolutely impossible to comprehend for the neurotypical individual is a daily norm for the autistic, including hyper-perception, hyper-attention, hyper-memory and hyper-emotionality. As such, the theory proposes that the autistic becomes trapped in a limited, but highly secure, internal world with minimal extremes and surprises.

I found this article very insightful especially the above. Except for the last sentence which implies that becoming "trapped" is inevitable. I don't think this is true.


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Eccles_the_Mighty
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06 Feb 2014, 12:56 pm

I reckon that the article is just right, if only because it described my childhood perfectly. I spent most of my time in my room because that's where all my books and posters were and I felt safe.


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06 Feb 2014, 1:20 pm

When I was seven my dad died and the house was full of so many people,there had never been that many before.Of course they are trying to hug and comfort.I could not take anymore so I went off to hide.In the garage was an old giant tube radio and I crawled in the back of it.I just needed to be alone.A well meaning Aunt came looking for me,I didn't answer her calls.And then my foot slipped and bumped of all things,a cow bell(why it was in there I don't know),she heard it and made me come out saying it was not good to be alone at a time like this.It must have been incredibly stressful for me,I climbed out with a dreadful sinking feeling and have no memory of the rest of the day.


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Cornflake
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06 Feb 2014, 4:07 pm

[Moved from News and Current Events to General Autism Discussion]


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06 Feb 2014, 11:24 pm

Today, I did EEG, and the readings were bizarro, and my labmate asked me if I was stressed out, but I felt relaxed and normal.


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07 Feb 2014, 2:37 am

I'm now picking up on times when my brain won't shut up. It usually happens but now when I notice it makes me laugh.

You know I can watch a movie and focus on it, understand what's going on yet think up scenes for my own script in my mind?

I can't even stop thinking of other things when people talk to me too. I think I just mentioned that above.

I like it. I can pretty much turn off from this world and be alone with my thoughts. If I get writer's block (like that ever happens) I can just get away fro my computer or pad and then the ideas will flow again.

It might explain why we are so prone to anxiety and depressive disorders.

I have ADHD and bipolar on top of autism too. Sometimes my thoughts make me want to put my head through the wall.


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Marybird
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07 Feb 2014, 5:02 am

When I withdraw into my own world I am thinking about and analyzing things. I spend most of my time in my own world. Even when I was a small child I was always thinking about and analyzing things.
My mother got mad when I did this. She thought I was doing nothing but staring into space.
Kids at school called me 'outer space'.
Reading this article made me happy. I feel like I finally have permission to withdraw. There is nothing wrong with it and it is natural for me.



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07 Feb 2014, 9:49 am

Sounds about right.



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08 Feb 2014, 9:11 pm

*Bump*

Sare wrote:
Hi,

I'm posting this articled published online on 2014-02-03. I don't see it posted, so I am adding it.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/11406/decodin ... themselves

Cheers,

-------------------------------------------

Quote:
Many autistic children seem to be living in their own worlds, a place they are perfectly happy to be in, withdrawn from their surroundings. Many also have trouble sleeping, are hyperactive and it seems to be impossible to shut off their brains for even a moment. The truth of the matter is that they cannot shut it all off, with the autistic mind working an average of 42% more, according to the latest findings in a University of Toronto and Case Western Reserve University joint study. What does that mean though?

Thoughts on Autism
Autism in itself is an interesting disorder. Many specialists might even prefer to use the word "condition" instead, while the opposite end of the argument might call it a mental disease. I call it disorder, personally, because the brain's structure becomes disordered, with different neurons firing about and a generally larger brain looked at. Furthermore, you have the staunch believers in vaccinations causing autism, a theory I cannot follow as twin studies show an extremely high prevalence among identical twins, compared with fraternal or siblings of different ages. As such, autism is a genetic disorder, aggravated by environmental aspects.

An autistic child's brain simply never seems to stop. This might very well account for much of their behavior, as well as the manifestation of savantism or high-functioning gifted attributes. A diagnosis on the spectrum does not mean a child is of low IQ. They may very well be the smartest children in their classrooms, simply misunderstood and mishandled.

]


It seems to me that typically developing people may need to seek out social interaction to stimulate their brains.
Autistic people can retreat to their inner worlds to make sense of the world and so are not compelled to seek out social interaction.
Does anyone else relate to this?



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09 Feb 2014, 2:12 am

pensieve wrote:
I'm not sure if it's thinking 42% more at rest that makes us withdraw. I'm with Willard; the fact that we process too much and we have to have more control with routines, and for me, anything different will just spin me into a panic. I also think that maybe special interests might come from this and the fact we think so damn much.

I withdraw because I've got no real interest in people and later on when I try to become interested I realise how damn hard it is so I withdraw again. I need something more stimulating and thought provoking than what a social situation can give me.

I'm interested to know if this is all connected to the 42% thing or if it's separate.

It is possible that you've got no real interest in people because withdrawing into a brain that generates so much activity in a resting state is so much more interesting than interacting with people.
Maybe withdrawing is not a protective encapsulation that traps the autistic in a limited internal world, but actually is a preferred state. A state that is more appealing than interacting with the outside world.



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09 Feb 2014, 2:34 am

Marybird wrote:
pensieve wrote:
I'm not sure if it's thinking 42% more at rest that makes us withdraw. I'm with Willard; the fact that we process too much and we have to have more control with routines, and for me, anything different will just spin me into a panic. I also think that maybe special interests might come from this and the fact we think so damn much.

I withdraw because I've got no real interest in people and later on when I try to become interested I realise how damn hard it is so I withdraw again. I need something more stimulating and thought provoking than what a social situation can give me.

I'm interested to know if this is all connected to the 42% thing or if it's separate.

It is possible that you've got no real interest in people because withdrawing into a brain that generates so much activity in a resting state is so much more interesting than interacting with people.
Maybe withdrawing is not a protective encapsulation that traps the autistic in a limited internal world, but actually is a preferred state. A state that is more appealing than interacting with the outside world.

You have a point.
I didn't have many sensory sensitivities when I was younger. I just seemed underwhelmed by the world.
Now I'm both underwhelmed by the world and overwhelmed by my senses.


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