What common traits do ALL people with Autism share?

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What is the common link that all people with autism have? We all know that there are a common lists of symptoms. But very few people have all symptoms. What common trait or traits are shared by everyone with Autism from the highest function mildest form of Asperger's or HFA to the most severely dependent person with classic Autism?

I'm thinking of three things:

1. A tendency to live or spend a good deal of time in one's own world.

2. A tendency to live inside oneself with a significant gap between one's own internal world and the world outside oneself.

3. A history of having a great deal of difficulty relating to other people.

Of course there are many traits common with people with various levels of Autism Spectrum Disorders. But what unites the common experience of everyone who has Autism. I think these three pretty much do. Do others disagree or do others have in mind other traits that all people with Autism across the Spectrum share in common?

Last edited by r2d2 on 21 Sep 2014, 9:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think there is not a single trait that all people MUST have in order to "qualify" as autistic. People are very different and may be affected in many ways. Some are affected most in social interaction, others mostly in their learning ability and planning and others mostly in their work environment, whereas others experience difficulties in all these fields. Everyone's unique.

Breathing?

I would think that is what the diagnostic criteria is.

To the OP:

You've described me to a T. The thing with me is that I live in a time warp and that time warp is very unusual to North Americans, though it might be common for the British population. I know it would be better for me to live in the present, but it's hard for me to live in the present if I don't like the popular culture, and looks of today. Therefore, it could be hard for me to relate to people my own age and younger. I was never really interested in the NT World, so it doesn't bother me.

Let's see...

Severe disability to form social relationships which leads to chronic, soul-crushing loneliness and high % rate of suicide?

I think that's the one shared trait if any.

Common symptoms, and read a textbook or ask a psychiatrist/clinical psychologist.

Having a slightly different wiring of the brain is all I can think of an ASD thing what all people with ASDs share.

Only one that I can think of: they breathe.

Edit: Looks like Aspie Utah beat me to it.

GMTA!

Not everyone on the spectrum has this. Generalization.

In another thread <click>, it was suggested that social cognition deficits are the common core of ASD.

It took me a while to get it. Now I do.

Remember that the question asked is what common link all who are autistic have.

That means that if there is even one autistic person who doesn't share that trait, then it is clear that not all have that trait.

In other words, every singled autistic person must share that trait with no exceptions of any kind permitted.

That describes me very accurately as well, except my past is 19th century European culture which I try to immerse myself into. I don't relate at all to 20th century North American capitalism, gun culture and religious bigotry although I respect American ingenuity which landed man on the moon. I try not to think too much about the present because it's all gloom for me. A logical progression from the post WW2 technological advances should by now have eliminated global conflicts and world poverty and led to colonisation of the other planets and stars. Instead self interest is destroying the planet. We can't even agree on a global strategy to prevent global warming.

1. Love Star Trek

2. Love cats

3. Keep a calculator that can do cube roots with me almost all the time.

1 Our brains conduct signals and electricity at faster speeds
2 We are all adversely affected by normocentric bias
3 Our neurotransmitters are differently distributed from the NT distribution
4 We have no innate ability to engage in social games based on ego, social ambition and hypocrisy*
5 We all have tremendous, untapped and largely unsupported, under-recognised, and undervalued potential
6 There is a gulf between the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living.

*Some acquire this through social learning

Last edited by B19 on 23 Sep 2014, 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.