Inspired to cover this because there was an Instagram describing many autism traits.
A naysayer posted “Everyone does all those things; doesn’t mean you’re autistic.”
I posted back: “Funny how you think ‘everyone does those things,’ yet if someone told you in person that they did “all those things,” you’d think they were weird or had something mental going on.”
The traits included scripting for conversations, stimming, obsession over favorite topics, inability to conduct small talk, fixation on routine, sensory issues and more.
Okay, so if “normal” or “most” people have these traits and if these traits are normal for human beings, why is it that if someone displays only one, in a given environment, they often end up the object of jokes or ridicule?
If it’s normal to do these things, why would someone be considered odd and strange if they were observed doing only two or three of them, let alone most?
The naysayers who insist that Autism Spectrum is over-diagnosed can’t produce an answer to this big question!
When I was in eighth grade, a few girls started making fun of the fact that I was obsessed with sharks.
I must’ve been pretty overt about it – which is typical in Autistics with special interests they love to talk about any chance they could get – to have gotten the attention of some classmates.
If hyperfixations are normal, why are the Autistics who have them often told, more than once, that they talk way too much about their special interest?
If stimming is normal, why is it so easy to find online posts in forums by Autistics who say that as children they were slapped, spanked and punished for stimming?
One man said he’d get hit by a teacher when he flapped his hands.
I’m wondering if the skeptics who think those autism lists describe “just about anyone” are actually autistic and don’t realize it.
Maybe several family members are also undiagnosed Autistics, so seeing a list of behaviors that are common in autism seems like a list of normal behaviors to them.
If these naysayers knew how much I internally rehearsed upcoming conversations and how stuck I get on replaying past conversations, they’d surely think I had an issue or needed mental health counseling.
Yet when they read this in a list, they think, “Oh, everyone does that!”
What if one of these skeptics — who believes that autism is the fad diagnosis of the 2020s and that autism behavior lists are over-generalized — saw a man at a social event stimming with a fidget device?
They’d think, “Why is he playing with that thing like a child?” Or, they might think, “Gee, that guy must be really uptight about something.”
What is stimming in autism?
Stimming is short for self-stimulatory or repetitive behavior. Note the term “stimulatory,” rather than “stimulating,” even though some people inadvertently say “stimulating.”
Stims can also come in the form of repetitive thoughts. But people see only the behaviors.
Common ones in Autism Spectrum Disorder include rocking, swaying, tapping a body part such as the face or head, hair twirling, hand flapping, finger flicking, spinning, humming, chewing on a collar or sleeve, and using fidget devices such as spinners, poppers, squishy balls, tangle toys, putty and various textures to feel. The list is endless.
So if you think stimming or repetitive behaviors are normal, does this mean I can repeatedly and noisily sniff my hair in your presence without creeping you out?
Does it mean you wouldn’t think something was up with an adult who keeps humming the same tune over and over and over within your earshot?
“Autistic Behaviors” Aren’t Necessarily Exclusive to Autism
Neurotypicals stim too. NTs also may have a sensory issue or get really caught up with a hobby or their favorite recording artist.
They may rehearse how they’ll answer questions in a job interview. They may prefer sticking to a daily schedule rather than living life spontaneously.
So when they see an autism behavior list, they think, “Come on now, everyone does those things.”
In many cases, when comparing neurotypicals to those with autism, the behavior as a snapshot in time may seem identical.
The difference is frequency, duration, intensity, location and reason for that behavior.
The behavior in autism may also be “weird” by neurotypical standards – even autistic standards.
As an Autist myself, I can objectively note that a fellow Autist’s stims are quite avant-garde – such as the time I saw an autistic man, at an autism social for adults, repeatedly slapping the top of his head and smiling as he did so.
I’m sure that naysayer who commented on the Instagram post, and those like him, would wonder, “What’s wrong with that guy?”
