The autistic spectrum: thoughts ?

I realize that I have typed a lot, so if it's tl;dr, then scroll down and read a my summary.

Just some random thoughts on the autistic spectrum, its neurology, its effects and its potential origin:

so as a science student, I've been thinking a lot about the autistic spectrum lately. No, I'm not pondering the neurological implications of autism/aspergers (not to say that that side of the issue doesn't interest me), I'm thinking of it because I've been noticing that aspergers-like characteristics become more and more common in the people around me, the more I get into science classes. A center for disabled students also recently opened up at my school and more and more people are joining every semester -- it seems like everybody has some sort of a dsm diagnosis.

I know that this is very unscientific of me, but I am getting the feeling that one-track mindedness is becoming more and more common these days. It seems like there are more people with aspergers and people I know that didn't behave as if they had aspergers a few years ago are starting to do so more and more.

A lot of people have theorized about the causes of autism and I know that recent research has shown some slight neurological differences. In rat models, rats that were embryonically exposed to valproic acid (which causes them to develop behavioural characteristics that, in theory, closely mimick those of autistic humans) were shown to have hyperreactive amygdala and cortex -- meaning that they over-respond to external stimili. What this essentially means, is that the "slowness" of autistics in social interaction is probably due to a sort of fear reaction, caused by an abnormally intense perception of reality. The doors of the autistic perception are literally open wider than those of the rest of us, causing them to develop incredible abilities in some fields but to exhibit much greater fear in complicated social interactions.

When Huxley tried to explain the action of psychedelic drugs on the mind, he often used metaphors about an iris or a filter which is normally contracted, so as to only allow a pragmatic volume of stimuli into the mind, but is dilated when someone goes on a trip. It is almost as if this same phenomenon is affecting the brains of autistic people.

Understanding this puts autism into a very different perspective: they're not retarded; in fact autistic minds are actually accelerated. For those of you that do drugs: think of a time that you were on speed, meth, or coke (or adderall, ritalin or dexedrine, if you were unfortunate enough to be a part of that whole scam). Your mind gets turbocharged. You can focus on some specialized topic extremely intensely. The only drawback is that you experience fear. I believe that there is a parallel there. Autistics can focus and study intensely, but they have a sort of social paranoia or fear, much like someone who is on stimulants.

We are beginning to better understand the nature of the autistic mind, but we still do not know a lot about where it comes from. Since there are about four times as many autistic males as there are females, a lot of people speculate that autism is a X chromosome - linked genetic disorder (Martin-Bell hypothesis, some also theorize that it may be Y-linked) but almost all psychologists agree that there are also environmental and emotional factors involved? If this is so, could changes in societal norms produce a greater frequency of autistic symptoms? And what if it's all nurture, rather than nature? Maybe it's male prevalence is not due to its genetic locus, but it is, rather, caused by something emotional that is more likely to affect males?

Then comes the autistic spectrum: more and more things are now being accepted as a form of autism (think: aspergers, mild-aspergers, geekiness, shyness, etc). With its changing definition and diagnostic criteria, are we not all, in some way, on this spectrum? And if so, then couldn't changes in society's values push us in one or another direction on this spectrum?

I feel as if Western society is starting to place greater value on specialization and virtuosity. Because of campaigns encouraging higher education, there has been vast grade-inflation. In other words: the bachelour's degree is the new highschool diploma. So, by the nature of higher education, our society puts more value on the specialized, one-tracked mind. Because of this, I theorize that autism is a form of socially catalyzed evolution. There must be some sort of genetic mutation explaining those who are on the very autistic side of the spectrum, and there must be some sort of genetic linkage, but the emotional and environmental causes mean that a society such as our own, which favours higher education over labour, technology over socialization, and specialists over polymaths, would push further generations in the direction of autism. (Of course, whether or not these social changes are true is a whole other question -- they may just be my observations, caused by my contracted perspective).

summary:
Autism is becoming increasingly prevalent in (mostly) Western society, but our society is also trending towards an organization which makes mild autism a beneficial, positive trait. Autism may have genetic causes, but also environmental ones. If our society is, in fact, changing in this way, then autism would be a form of social evolution both through genetic lineage and because of environment that children are brought up in in this changing society.
Contrary to (formerly) popular belief, autism is not a form of mental retardation. It is actually a form of mental acceleration.

So what do you think? Could autism be a form of social evolution?
Do you believe in the autistic spectrum, or are people either autistic or NOT autistic?
What has been your experience in life? Am I the only one seeing an increased prevalence of aspergers?

Do you think vaccinations cause it? (jk ) Does anybody have any other theories?

Do you know any autistics? How do you feel about the disorder?

I would just like to discuss the causes, nature and effects of autism in general.

:clown:

 

i went with the tldr summary version...

i don't really think that it would count as social evolution. for one, evolution takes a lot longer than what you've noticed in the last few years. second, evolution is generally based on what characteristics allow someone to create offspring which will pass along their characteristics, and even if autistics were better suited for the available careers in this society, they still are much less likely to convince a female to reproduce with them. and finally, while some slightly asperger characteristics may be beneficial in a few specific situations, there are still a lot more jobs where social skills are highly preferred.

sure, there does seem to be a spectrum. that said, people either are or are not autistic. it's just that a lot of them are only a tad autistic.

personally, i am seeing them more and more autistic spectrum people, but i don't think that means it actually happens more. one, it's more commonly diagnosed now. two, i grew up in a tiny village and have moved on to larger communities where there is more variety in people. three, i now work for a non-profit that, among other things, helps autistic people. so i see a ton of them now, but that's just me.

there were a few more questions, but i'm tired and i need to go back to trolling, so i'm leaving it at that.

 

When I say social evolution, I am not talking directly about evolution in the darwinian sense. I mean that, since it is believed that environmental factors contribute significantly to the development of autism, a society which favours people with mildly autistic tendancies would promote autism (through nurture rather than nature).

There have been species known to change dramatically over less than a century. The speed of the evolution often depends on the speed at which the environment is changing. And over the last 100 years, Western (and human in general) society has changed more than it ever has before.

it is true that our society still favours social skills over intense specialization, but I have a theory that a lot of the higher level autistic children are the offspring of parents who already had some autistic characteristics in their personality (who are often driven people who fill high social roles; i.e.: doctors, lawyers, etc.). I think that since both genetic and environmental factors are believed to contribute to autism, it is possible that people might move higher up the spectrum from generation to generation... I'm not sure about this idea. It is very much conjecture. It is jsut an observation I've made anecdotally...

Also, I agree: I don't really think that the "autistic spectrum" is such a great idea. Just like ADD/ADHD wasn't such a great idea. There are people who are clearly severely autistic and there are people who are not, and now that we can diagnose less severe cases, it may encourage the symptoms, just as ADD seemed to do (and it may also open bad doors for drug companies or people with kooky therapy ideas).

BUT if you consider the idea that autism may be a condition caused by an increased sensitivity to external stimuli -- a sort of a hyperactive perception -- then it is possible that there could be different levels of autism... Like the one guy you give ten hits of acid to has the most unfiltered perception, and reality is too much for him, so he just sits there counting blades of grass... and the guy you gave five hits to is pretty abnormal and strange to talk to but he can still do normal tasks, but the guy you gave only one hit to is only slightly off, etc...

I don't know if its a good idea to draw parallels with drugs when thinking about the potential experiences of sufferers of mental disorders, but it sure as hell helps you empathize with them when you work with them one on one.

I guess this is a question of the chicken or the egg. Did more people begin do exhibit autistic traits, and thus more psychiatrists began to "put them on the spectrum", or did more people begin to be "put on the spectrum" and thus more people demonstrated autistic traits?

It is a very perplexing and complex disorder to begin with, and introducing an idea like a spectrum into it just makes it more complex, but I think that psychologists are beginning to understand it better. Apparently back in the day, people thought that people were autistic because of some superstitious shit involving their mother or something.... then again some people think its caused by vaccinations too

Yeah when I saw you'd replied to my thread I really thought it was gonna be a troll post XD

Go forth, good sir. There are threads to be trolled!

 

I've been diagnosed with Asperger's, and I don't feel any kinship, connection, or even empathy with Autistic folk. Perhaps we're both on the same spectrum, but their life experiences and world views seem utterly unrelateable to me.