Autism is fundamentally NOT a social disoder

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As a diagnosis, the primary characteristics focused on our social deficits, but the social problems are clearly NOT the root cause for the disorder as there are several parts of the disorder which cannot be explained. So I'd classify the core symptoms/disorders of autism into four categories:

1. Social interaction
2. Obsessive Interest
3. Executive Function
4. Sensory Processing

I listed them in this order because each item in the list can easily explain problems in all the areas above it, but not visa versa. So what makes the most sense is that sensory problems are ultimately the root cause of the disorder. Unfortunately, the disorder is defined in terms of the top two, with more focus being put on social functioning at that. With the diagnosis defined that way, most people on the spectrum have sensory problems, but not all, so it's clear there are actually multiple different autisms being covered by the same diagnosis. Also, with the emphasis being placed on social interaction, it biases the diagnosis towards people who have additional problems with social interaction that are unrelated to the other core characteristics of autism. In most cases, autism is probably the result of a synergy of underlying conditions rather than being the result of a single cause. The believe that is primarily a social disorder is based on an archaic understanding of what the core characteristics of autism are, back when it was based around the triad and little was known about it. I believe that it is in the best interest of people on the autism spectrum to stop defining autism as a social disorder, as you aren't going to treat all the aspects of the disorder unless you address the actual underlying cause. As it is, it would exclude people on the spectrum with problems in everywhere except social functioning (which would be difficult as ALL mental disorders affect social functioning, so it would probably just be milder social impairment than the psychologist expects) who would benefit from the same support as other people on the spectrum.

Well yes; autism affects the entire brain, not just a single part of just in a single way. It does have specific characteristics and presents itself differently than other disorders but you're right- it's not a social disorder.

Of course "the disorder is defined in terms of the top two, with more focus being put on social functioning at that" - It's neurotypical doctors who historically created the definition of autism and who do the diagnosing! The second two require an understanding of the individual being examined and their relationship to the world. But the first one is an aspect that makes many neurotypical people uneasy. Therefore, from their POV, that is pretty much all autism *is*.

Well, autism is diagnosed by behavior, not neurology, and I've always disliked the tendency for people to go to the neurological explanation before the cognitive explanation has been exhausted, and it hasn't.

I refuse to follow or comply with "orders" when I know that said orders may result in harm to another.
The mob-mentality crowds seem to refer to non-conformists like myself as terrorists or having a dis-order! ;o
This is of course to hide the fact that they live unimportant lives that do not produce anything of value at all.

Executive dysfunction, social difficulties and sensory issues are separate issues. They don't cause each other. There are people with congenital frontal lobe anomalies who have significant executive dysfunction but decent social skills (apart from impulsivity) and no sensory processing issues. There are also people with sensory processing issues who have decent social skills and executive function. And although autism affects all three, the severity of any one of those is not correlated with the severity of the other two.

I firmly believe that there is no 'core deficit' for autism. Autism involves the combination of several distinct areas of cognition that happen to be correlated for biological (controlled by nearby brain regions) rather than functional reasons.

Specifically, autism is highly prevalent among children with congenital cerebellar anomalies. The cerebellum is central to sensory processing and communicates heavily with areas of the brain involved in executive function and social interaction. So all three skills are often affected together simply because they are influenced by the same brain region.

Sensory processing is not the root cause. And what you did not mention is brain processing speed. which is one of the main issues that causes the problems in all of the other issues that you mentioned. And I do not think that your order of what influences what is accurate.

Last edited by skibum on 05 Jun 2016, 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

I never connected brain processing speed to autism. I had a problem with my brain running too fast so it affected how I processed information. I had to do occupational therapy for it to learn to slow it down.

The purpose of diagnosis is not to define a root cause.


Therefore your point is meaningless.

Brain processing speed is one of the things they look for in the diagnostic process. The difference rates of speed at which your brain receives information vs processing that information it receives is one of the key things that is part of Autism. It greatly affects how we process sensory information and is one of the main factors in sensory overload. It affects our executive functioning ability, it affects our ability to process language, speech, and social interactions. It affects our ability to read subtle social cues and understand them in context. It affects our motor skills among other things. It is a very integral part of Autism.

I had SPD as a kid and my mom said it did affect my learning and she said I grew out of SPD. I still have dislike of things like sweaty sticky skin or bare feet in sandals but doesn't everyone have textures they avoid? I would say it only affects me in relationships if I am not with the right guy.

You can definitely be affected by processing speed in different ways. A lot of how you are affected has to do with the actual difference in the rates of speed that you receive stimuli and process it. One of the things they test for is the actual gap between the two. For instance, I receive information in the 87th percentile. Or very close to that, I will have to look at my diagnosis again to make sure of the exact number but I think it is that. But my brain processes that information in the 30th percentile. So there is a huge gap for me between the two so I am very affected. It is possible that the difference for you in the two was not as great as for me so you were affected differently. But you were still affected.

And yeah, everyone has sensory things they don't like. But there is a difference. For example, you mentioned texture. If I touch something that is not texturally ok for me, I feel like my skin is on fire for a good while or like I have small insects crawling all over it. And these feelings last for a long time well after I stop touching it. That is different from just not liking the texture. My brain cannot process that texture properly so it responds to it in an abnormal way.

I'm going to have to go searching, but there is a fascinating chain of papers of studies that used fMRI to track the paths taken by neuron impulses in NT and autistic people. In autistics, rather than going from point A to point B directly, the signals had to take a roundabout route and thus indeed there was a timing difference due to more synapses being involved. And more synapses also indicates that more/other neurons were peripherally involved in or affected by the propagation of the signal, too. In other words, we really do think differently. Not worse, not necessarily in a dysfunctional way (unless NT is considered the standard), but clearly different.

I never had textures do that to me you described but I hated jeans, lotion being rubbed on my skin and I am not sure why this was a problem for my mother so I was in occupational therapy for it. I did pottery to help with tactile issues when I was eight. To this day I am not sure why it was even a problem to dislike textures. The only impairment I can see is it was a inconvenience to her so she had to fix it. And the fact the type of clothes I wore made me a target in school and gave kids reasons to tease me and think I am weird so I guess that was an impairment too. As a child I had no idea why my mom made a big deal out of some things. Oh your kid doesn't like broccoli, let's give him therapy so he can eat broccoli. That is my perspective there. But yet my mom didn't give herself therapy to work with her own sensory issues so she will stop having headaches from bass or so she can wear shorter shorts or start liking bright light in her face like the sun and fluorescent lights. But very weird. But it's not like my mom was a narcissist because she wasn't one, not even close. But if my reaction to texture was abnormal, then I don't know how it feels to people who also dislike texture and why it's even a problem how someone perceives it. Like sleeveless shirts made me feel I didn't have on a real shirt and I felt half naked so I avoided sleeveless tops. Jeans felt tight and heavy on me so it was like I had something hugging around my bottom and I couldn't even focus in school that day because my mind was on the texture of the jean shorts. My mom kept saying I would get used to it but it was a torture to wear so I kept taking them off and would rather be in my underwear and t shirt. I remember lotion was slimy and it felt weird on my skin I am not sure how to describe it but I hated sun screen but I knew I would end up with red skin if I didn't wear it so I bared with it. Now it feels fine and I barely even feel it. Hugs, I still feel my space is being invaded and I want to get away. I am not sure how to describe how sweaty sticky skin feels but I hate it.

My husband also has textures he avoids and there are certain foods he will not eat like tapioca or asparagus because of the way it feels in his mouth. He also can feel tags in his clothes and seams and other things but he ignores it and can block it out if he doesn't think about it. I don't see his sensory issues as an impairment. My son could have texture issues too because he has complained about his socks and they have to be right and he won't wear some of them and shoes have to be on a certain way. Plus he is a picky eater but lot of kids are. But then again SPD is also part of ADHD because it's also common with it. But I always say "don't fix what isn't broken." I don't think my husband is broken just because of way clothes feel on and the fact he won't eat certain foods, they don't seem to hold him back in life so he doesn't need therapy for it. I don't see how my own held me back as a child. I always figured the difference is while everyone has things they dislike, some people have too many they dislike it causes them an impairment. What if you disliked lot of clothing textures, then shopping for clothes will be very difficult and it can hold you back from employment because of work uniforms. What if you disliked lot of food textures, then eating will be very difficult and it will affect your diet and health. What if you had issue with sound, then good luck going out or good luck living in the city because you will never live in peace. Also SPD can affect your learning environment in school so it will also hold you back. So I can see when it becomes an impairment. I talked to my mom about it and she said it was about how I processed things so it affected how I learned in the classroom so that was why I had occupational therapy so it wasn't all about textures.

I hope you find that and share it here. I would be very fascinated to see those papers and I know my psychologist who diagnosed me would love to read them as well.

It's funny how your mom took you to therapy but did not seek therapy for her own sensory issues. Sounds like a classic case of mom taking you to make her life easier, not yours.

Even though I respond deeply to texture, the issues with texture don't impair me because it is easy for me to just stick to textures that I am fine with or that give me a positive response. Some textures I find very comforting and soothing and I seek them out. There are enough textures that are ok for me so that I can wear several different kinds of clothes. I am also very sensitive to the texture of foods and some foods I can't tolerate at all because of that even if they have a taste that I like. But that does not impair me either because I have enough foods that I can eat that I can have a complete healthy diet and enjoy it.

The sensory issues that do impair me are proprioceptive, which can cause me a little impairment and the most impairing one is sound. That really affects my life extremely, every day. That is the one that causes me disability. I can literally black out from sounds. I can become so impaired that I absolutely lose all ability to function at all. So for me that is the biggest one.