#those developmental years of being treated like an idiot stick with you

[yasminmariestubbings1-blog]

‘The brighter side of the spectrum’

By Yasmin Stubbings, 22 year old Autistic female.

When searching for traits, characteristics, or symptoms of Autism (and the rest of the autism spectrum, to an extent) online, the first, and the majority of information you’ll probably find focuses on the negative aspects, at least as perceived by the “official sources” and “leading spectrum experts”. It begins to sound like a broken record, “lack of empathy” “rigidity” “cognitive inflexibility” “clumsiness” “obsessions” “fixations” “developmental disability” “socially awkward” “inappropriate” “impairments” “lack of eye contact” “emotional issues” “lack of communication”.

If neurotypical “normal” people see us that way and refuses to recognize or acknowledge our positive traits and sometimes, beyond genius aspects and treats us according to their exclusively negative stereotype (if they have even formed an impression of us beyond the “Rain Man” stereotype at all), then no wonder that people on the spectrum experience higher rates of depression and self-harm. As I browse the web in search of some affirmative information about people on the spectrum (including myself) it becomes clear to me that internet sources and these “experts” tend to focus more so on the negative side of Autism, rather than embracing the beauty of Autistic people.

If only I could count the amount of times I have had people say to me “well you don’t look Autistic” “I thought Autistic people were not able to talk” “do you have some sort of career plan considering Autistics are not employable people” it’s these stereo typical remarks that make people like myself, afraid of embracing that we are Autistic. It’s a shame that we are categorised in such a way that it makes it hard for us to open up to people, because we are apprehensive of others reactions and prejudice opinions.

It’s time to shatter the stigma associated with Autism spectrum disorder.

I’ve decided to dedicate my blog to the “positive” aspects that are associated with ASD. The beautiful characteristics and traits that most people on the spectrum have; the traits that you never read much about on the internet (or listen in conversation) because of the stereo type that is linked.

Here are some positive characteristics that we carry and that work in our favour. The traits that shine much brighter than the negative, traits that we should embrace rather than be self conscious of. We really do have a unique, distinctive and individual view of the world.

. Memory

We usually have an excellent long term memory, although many people on the spectrum suffer with short term memory problems (including myself) The average person can remember memories from when they were 4-6 years old. Many of us on the spectrum can remember much further back than that. These memories are usually very distinctive memories that some people wouldn’t remember. Even when we learn certain things that do not intrigue us, we will remember that information accurately and are able to relay the subject fluently as if we spent years learning that information, when actually, we heard it once. Genius huh?

For me, my brain experts in remembering patterns and things in order. I have found myself often remembering people who I have seen before in cars, simply by remembering their car registration number that I have seen once. Or I can remember (with ease) peoples phone numbers by reading them out once or twice. I can even remember my time table from secondary school with the exact times of what lessons I had on what day. (We’re going back 8 years ago now) for me, and most people on the spectrum; it is usually the attention to detail things that I remember the most; the parculiar features that other people will not even pay attention to. But above anything else, when I tell people what I have just wrote, they will look at me like I’m strange instead of telling me that it is highly intelligent.

. Intelligence

Most of us Autistics are highly intelligent. Some of us even hovering at genius level. (Einstein was a suspected Autistic, as well as many other highly intelligent people) Our IQs can be very high and some of us usually end up in careers in which we are most intelligent in. In my case (Psychology) and other science subjects, which I understand more so than I understand anything else. If we want to know about a subject, we won’t just research the main aspects, we will research and learn about every minor detail until we are experts in that field. This comes with fixation and obsessions (a typical autistic trait) but in my opinion; this works incredibly in our favour.

There is also a clear correlation between Autism and Savant syndrome which has been scientifically proven. "Autistic savant" refers to individuals with autism who have extraordinary skills not exhibited by most persons. Historically, individuals with these exceptional skills were called “idiot savants”. There have been many cases where some individuals on the spectrum have no verbal communication, but are able to play instruments without being taught, or have no concept with amounts of money or numbers that are associated with money; but are able to calculate large sums of multiplications without using a calculator. The most classic and well known case of this is the “Rain man” a film based on Kim Peek, an Autistic man who showed little cognitive ability with almost no verbal communication, but in other ways, genius.

For me, I have no emotional intelligence or social intelligence. I don’t have the capacity to be aware, in control and express how I am feeling regarding emotions; which often results in me feeling confused, over whelmed and lack of empathy towards other people because I simply can’t process my feelings. In such situations, I often experience sensory overload (Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body's senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment, resulting in the brain not being able to process the information that is happening. When this happens, that person will often feel like everything around them is amplified. Noises will sound louder and more irritating, certain lighting can often make the individuals eyes sensitive and even certain tastes and smells will irritate that person. Everything can seem almost blurred and hard for the individual to understand) I also feel like I am unable to express my feelings verbally and only have those thoughts in my head.

I also more than often misinterpret what people say to me, I don’t sense body language, sarcasm, (certain jokes) tones of voice when people are speaking, when people are upset and even what people’s intentions with me are. I even went to the extent of asking my boyfriend what he meant when he first asked to take me out, my reply to him was “as friends?” I couldn’t work out why he wanted to take ME out, this resulted in him feeling a little insulted (laughing face) of course he wanted to take me out as more than friends, I’m a catch! (Another laughing face) but through consistent research, understanding and support my parter now understands why I asked this at the beginning. (Someone every Autistic person needs)

Despite these difficulties, I excel in academic work. Everything I read, I absorb like a sponge; I am able to remember precisely (word for word) what I have read in order to help me in my academic work. My memory recal outweighs my difficulties entirely, and this is evident within my work.

. Honesty

We’re genuine, straightforward, and honest. No hidden agenda here. No double-meaning, either. No alter-ego, split-personality, or two-faced attitude. We don’t play head games or manipulate people. What you see is what you get. What we say is what we mean. In a nutshell, we don’t beat around the bush!

In my case, I’m sometimes a little too honest than I realise. If you ask me if I like your new hair cut, (and I genuinely think it looks like your mum cut it with a knife and fork) I will tell you! This often gets me into trouble as I don’t mean it spitefully, I just don’t have a filter with my thoughts. But hey! At least I’m honest!

. Detailed orientated

We pay exquisite attention to detail. As I have mentioned previously in my case, the way our brains work is to recognize patterns and connect dots in ways that other people may not perceive. We can make lightning-quick analogies between two seemingly vastly different concepts. We also don’t do things halfway; if we’re going to do it, we’ll do it, and if we’re not, then we won’t. If we decide (or realize) that something is worth our time, we’re going to give it our full effort. “Just good enough” is usually not “good enough” for us.

. Unique perspectives

Although people on the spectrum struggle with seeing the big picture, they are gifted with the ability to focus intensely on details of things and situations. Because of this, they may able to come up with creative solutions to problems. Because people with Autism have the ability to focus long and hard on their areas of interest, they can make great academic and scientific strides in their areas of interest. As I mentioned previously, I excel in my area of interest, Psychology; which has given me great insight and understanding of the way my unique and quirky brain works.

. Little or no prejudice

Perhaps because we know what it is like to be different or “not normal” people on the spectrum tend to be more accepting of others. They are more focused on people’s behavior, As opposed to hierarchies or social position. We can teach the rest of the world a lot about accepting people for who they are, rather than pre-judging others.

.Passionate

Many people on the spectrum are truly passionate about the things, ideas, and people in their lives. We spend our time, energy, and imagination necessary to truly master our area of interest, and we stick with it even when it's difficult and frustrating. We really are the meaning of the word passionate!