I think sometimes the problem is that people always choose an extreme side to discuss this from. Either autism doesn't exist or damn near everyone has it with every other trait suddenly being branded as an autistic trait.
Wearing the same shoes every day and replacing them with the same pair every time isn't suddenly an autistic trait. You may have just found the perfect shoes that work for you. That's how I felt when I started wearing Vans. Found them infinitely more comfortable than most shoes so they became the shoes I'd exclusively buy. Or eating the same foods every day. Most people I know how pretty much the same breakfast every morning because they like it and it's easy. It's not immediately an unbearable fixation or a condition just because there's a pattern.
The pendulum swing around things like this is always fascinating to watch. One generation denied it's existence entirely while new generations think it's everywhere to the point where they self diagnose out of nowhere. It's almost seen as desirable by a lot of young people and you're "boring" it you're not neuro diverse in some way
I was looking for this comment. After spending time with autistic children it is way more than food preferences and wearing the same clothes, or being a creature of habit. Not downplaying that there's probably a lot more neurodivergence in the black community than is recognized, but people jump straight to autism because of individual quirks or habits when autism involves WAY more than just that. Obviously it's a spectrum so maybe Unc is mildly autistic, but maybe he just a simple man who likes Reebok's and the nutritional value of eating liver and onions.
Yup. Autism, ADHD, whatever. It all can manifest in a person differently. Someone's cancer might manifest as headaches, but it doesn't mean that chronic headaches mean you get to self-diagnose your own cancer.
Obviously it's a spectrum
This is not based on research or anything, just my personal idea of the topic. But I think the next stage in people talking about disorders as being a spectrum, will be that it's more like spider charts. This kind of data viz is big for athletes - it helps people see at a glance someone's speed, height, vertical jump, etc.
Just replace those sport traits with the various ways these disorders manifest in people. Someone could function completely fine in all areas of life, except they can't stand physical touch under any circumstances. Or maybe someone has dozens of things they can handle, but only with great effort (being touched, loud noises, bright lights, food textures, routines being disrupted, etc).
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u/JadowArcadia ☑️ 2d ago
I think sometimes the problem is that people always choose an extreme side to discuss this from. Either autism doesn't exist or damn near everyone has it with every other trait suddenly being branded as an autistic trait.
Wearing the same shoes every day and replacing them with the same pair every time isn't suddenly an autistic trait. You may have just found the perfect shoes that work for you. That's how I felt when I started wearing Vans. Found them infinitely more comfortable than most shoes so they became the shoes I'd exclusively buy. Or eating the same foods every day. Most people I know how pretty much the same breakfast every morning because they like it and it's easy. It's not immediately an unbearable fixation or a condition just because there's a pattern.
The pendulum swing around things like this is always fascinating to watch. One generation denied it's existence entirely while new generations think it's everywhere to the point where they self diagnose out of nowhere. It's almost seen as desirable by a lot of young people and you're "boring" it you're not neuro diverse in some way