The Autisticats - #StopTheShock Profile picture
Dec 29, 2020 10 tweets 3 min read Read on X
We’ve gained thousands of followers in the past few months, many of whom may not be well-versed on what autism actually is.

So, here’s a basic run-down of how autistic people’s brains work, with links to sources where you can learn more.

Let’s begin!
Neurotypical brains are organized so that higher-order concepts affect the perception of low-level sensory stimuli.

Meaning, NTs have a hard time seeing “trees” when they know (or think) they’re looking at a “forest.”

This isn’t the case for autistic people.
Autistic people can accurately perceive low-level stimuli without being thrown off by higher-level (global) cognitive processes.

This is referred to as “reduced global to local interference.”

It means we can see the “trees” despite knowing that we’re looking at a “forest.”
You can read more about this in the “Enhanced Perceptual Functioning” paper: link.springer.com/content/pdf/10…

And also in this paper, called “Autonomy of lower-level perception from global processing in autism”: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Autistic people’s brains are also hyper-connected, hyper-plastic, and hyper-reactive to stimuli.

This means that we experience life much more intensely than NTs. We get overwhelmed easily, and often use strategies (like avoiding eye contact) to avoid too much sensory input.
You can read more about that in the “Intense World Theory” paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

And you can read about the related “Predictive Coding Theory” in this article: spectrumnews.org/news/predictiv…
All of this results in a situation where autistic people are hyperconnected to (and perceptive of) our environment.

This means that we often notice and observe things that NTs aren’t able to. But it also makes it harder for us to coordinate and effectively use our bodies.
Because we process so many details at one time, it takes longer for our brains to get the hang of things that require smooth, generalized actions.

Movement, vocalization, etc. are the “trees,” or “building blocks.”

Communication, coordination, etc. are the “forest.”
When our brains get overloaded by sensation or emotion, we often lose the ability to do “forest” things.

We may lose the ability to speak (if we usually can), regulate our actions, and comprehend our full surroundings.

This is what happens during meltdowns & shutdowns.
But autistic people also have strengths.

We see things that others don’t. We’re not as influenced by norms or social expectations, so we’re more able to look past arbitrary conventions.

We’re hyper-connected to the world around us.

Our potential is that of revolutionaries.

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More from @autisticats

Oct 24, 2021
Last year, a study came out which revealed that autistic people are more likely than neurotypicals to follow our morals even when no-one is watching.

This is an article that @AutSciPerson wrote about the study and its implications:

neuroclastic.com/autistic-peopl…
In the study, autistics and neurotypicals were recruited to see if they would donate to a good cause that would make them lose money, or support a bad cause that would benefit them financially.

In one condition, the decisions were private. In another, the decisions were public.
In the public condition, both autistics and neurotypicals were more likely to donate to the good cause that made them lose money.

But in the private condition, neurotypicals were much more likely than autistics to support the bad cause that would earn them money.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 6, 2021
Today I discovered the name of a phenomenon I’ve been experiencing as long as I can remember:

Allodynia, a type of neuropathic pain where the skin is extremely sensitive to touch.

As it turns out, this kind of nerve pain and hypersensitivity is common in autistic people.
Here are some studies I read, which explain that lower C-fiber nerve density/denervation in some autistic people is a likely cause of allodynia.

hindawi.com/journals/np/20…

mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/j…
Notably, one of those studies is about the connections between autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (which I also have).

People with EDS often exhibit denervation of their C-fiber nerves, just like autistic people.

This can make it very hard to experience pleasant touch.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 23, 2021
Loneliness is a health issue that affects autistic people at a rate 4x higher than the general population.

It’s a serious problem, but I think many people don’t quite understand the effects of loneliness on the body and mind.

So, I’m going to explain.

huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/peop…
Humans need warm, loving contact with other humans in order to keep our nervous systems and bodies regulated.

We are fundamentally social creatures, and autism doesn’t change that.

What autism does often change, is the likelihood of being treated well by others.
The source of that problem is not autistic people.

It’s a problem created and perpetuated by a society that does not understand (and is not willing to care for) autistic people.

So in order to solve it, we have to change social attitudes and behaviors towards autistic people.
Read 10 tweets
Sep 16, 2021
When autistic people’s autonomy is stripped away from us, we’re more likely to be aggressive.

This is true of all human beings.

But when autistic people are not viewed as fully human, and people don’t recognize our autonomy, they can’t see why we lash out when it’s denied.
In the documentary “The Limits Of My World,” Brian (a 21 year old nonspeaking autistic man) lashes out at one of his caregivers.

They were at a center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, doing crafts.

It was overstimulating.
There were many people talking all at once, including 3 people talking to Brian directly.

One caregiver had his hands on Brian’s shoulders, but would often reach down to grab Brian’s hands and force him to do things.

The other caregiver was sitting beside Brian.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 13, 2021
One of the main ways that nonspeaking autistic people are denied agency, is through repeated and incessant demands to communicate.

I watched a documentary the other day called “The Limits Of My World” and there was one scene in particular that drove this point home.
The documentary is about a nonspeaking 21 year old autistic man named Brian, who lives in a caregiving facility.

One of his caregivers was helping him dry off after his shower, when she pointed to the mirror and said, “Who’s that? Brian, who is that? What’s your name?”
I couldn’t count how many times he was asked. And the irony was, she clearly knew his name.

Over time, her tone shifted from a light and playful “Brian, what’s your name?” to a demand: “Brian, tell me your name.”

He couldn’t answer because he couldn’t speak.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 9, 2021
When people say they’re against eugenics because (for example) altering autistic people’s genes might “accidentally get rid of special talents and skills”…

They aren’t actually anti-eugenics.

In fact, that argument is very much in line with the core ideas of eugenics.
When people say “Autism shouldn’t be eradicated because…” and then follow up that statement with things like:

- “Autistic people are intelligent”
- “Autistic people can be productive”
- “Autistic people have special talents”
- “Autistic people can be independent”…
They are doing two things:

1. Feeding into the idea that a disabled person’s only worth comes from how well they can be exploited economically

2. Erasing autistic people who don’t fit those criteria, and implying that it would be okay for *those* people not to exist.
Read 10 tweets

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