Is autism in fact two disorders with similar symptoms?

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This suggestion has probably been raised before but as I don't spend much time in this subforum I don't recall having seen it. So the theory is that there is one disorder which is primarily that of sensory processing, which causes sensory overloads leading to meltdowns and hypersensitivity which affects somebody's ability to tolerate conditions in certain workplaces, leading to chronic unemployment etc. And a different disorder which is characterized as lacking Theory of Mind (sometimes called empathy although I think that terminology can be misleading). However, both conditions are expressed with similar symptoms which causes them to be lumped together. Which is unfortunate because each group may in fact benefit from distinctly different types of support than the other.

Although not diagnosed (please see the link in my signature) I would tentatively place myself in the second group, as I do not have "sensory issues" to a disabling extent. Nevertheless, I do experience the following, which I have seen others here report from time to time:

1.) Extreme dislike of having the Sun shine in my face.
2.) Inability to tolerate Rock music at the degree of loudness apparently preferred by fans e.g. at clubs or concerts.
3.) Inability to tolerate the sound of chewing.

but none of the above is by any means disabling.

Has anyone else ever entertained this idea?

If one goes by my experiences and I was diagnoes chiefly on my experieces, I have aspects of both. Where would I fit in?

You're not the first to think so. There have definitely been threads on here before discussing if Asperger/ autism is more than one thing. One member in particular posted something years ago that stuck with me. She said that it seemed to her that aspies were either bugged down by sensory issues but still wanted do be out in the world and participate (like herself), or they didn't suffer sensory issues and were content to mostly live in their own head (which is where I fit in).
I used to be hopeful that they'd find more classifications and make individual diagnosis more helpful and clear, but DSM-V has killed that hope for now at least.

I wouldn't split it up like you have, but I have suggested that autistic traits can and should be differentiated as either medical (such as sensory sensitivity) or cognitive (such as TOM issues).

Cognital. Uhmm. Not quite sure what that means.

Are not sensory issues to do with the way the brain interprets the information that the body is sending to it? Therefore it is not the body but the mind which is not functioning in the expected way?

Actually this was the largest breakthrough of my life to know that the main issues I had been struggling with through my life were related to my mind and not my body. (In regards to partial and full shutdowns). A doctor in the past convinced me that it was (In his words) "Some sort of allergy", and so for many years I went astray and never did know what was going on until I had this major breakthrough. I do have the odd allergy causing me issues on top of that. Artificial sweetners cause me big problems and they severly effect my Mum as well. Sadly due to UK regulations we now have them in most foods, so avoiding them along with their many "Hidden" names in smallprint I can hardly read is getting difficult. We tend to stick to the same foods that we know are safe which is limiting. Even Ribena and tins of baked beans, pies etc now all contain them. If we eat or drink something we can be in trouble. Before the sugar tax it was not an issue as most foods had sugar instead.
Look. I don't mind if the foods taste bland without any sweetners if they want to eliminate the sugar. Just I get breathing difficulties if I acciently have too much, and it does not take a large amount to be too much.
Only plain water, Coco Cola and Pepsi are the only non alcoholic drinks I have found out there in my local area that I can now drink, and because of boredom with water, it has meant I am overloading the sugar due to the effects the new regulations are having on me.

I appear to have intuitive theory of mind and lack idiosyncratic sensory processing. I do not fit to both types of conditions described in first post in the topic. But I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in a specialistic center when I was about 17 years old.

I rather have something which can be described as "schizoid disorder of childhood". I did not think about having friends or colleagues when I was in school (especially before going to elementary school and in first ages in school, when I was not interested in team sports), did not have the need of being loved by others (like my parents), but since first classes in elementary school I wanted to have the girlfriend, female partner (girls did not want me). I disliked washing head and (even more) haircutting quite a lot as a child, if I remember well, I even disliked clipping nails (parents did it when I was younger child). I tolerate unpleasant sensory feelings rather poorly (and it is a problem), but I do not have idiosyncratic sensory processing and, if I remember well, I have never had a sensory overload or shutdown.

I was diagnosed with some mental disorders last years, not one. I have not only a pervasive developmental disorder (AS), but also a mental illness (usually diagnosed as schizophrenia-type disorder), (severe and bookish) OCD and bizarre sexual preference disorder (which lasts since childhood).

There are many more problems mixed together. Alexithymia, anxiety related disorders, pure processing of emotions in verbal language, being too emotional affected, not realizing indirectness and hints aso. All of them exist in different degrees. We should create a list of the problems and may be a statistic.

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I am as I am. Life has to be an adventure!

Autism has multiple aspects to it - a lot more than two - and people can be affected to different extents in each aspect, hence why it's a spectrum.

What happens is, there are a whole load of genetic variations which can adversely affect the electrochemical signalling in the brain and the way neurons connect. The brain develops differently as a consequence of this inherent problem - and this developmental difference is autism.

There are commonalities in the way autistic brains tend to develop - for instance resulting in communication and social skills deficits, repetitive behaviours and intolerance of uncertainty - enough to be able to recognise people displaying these deficits as coming under the autism spectrum.

But developing autistic brains can also take slightly different paths, just as non-autistic brains do, so that some may have more obvious sensory issues than others, for example.

So no, I don't believe there are two autisms, I believe autism covers a very broad spectrum of neurological developmental differences - but with a few common features.

Sensory issues are not included in the diagnostic criteria because they're not such an obviously common feature of autism than, say, social skills deficits. (Although part of the issue may be that sensory issues cannot be observed from the outside. So they can be missed if people are trying to diagnose autism from external behaviour - as different people will react differently to their sensory issues).

as i know, you are right, it can be.