something people donât talk about enough: both extremes in autism
almost every autistic trait has something to do with extremes, and for most of them, autistic people can be on either end of the scale. sometimes this is for hyper/hypo sensitivity reasons, and sometimes itâs due to overcompensation.
examples of some typical autistic traits and their equally austistic counterparts:
no empathy? how about having such extreme empathy that you cry when your stuffed animals are ignored?
no/wrong facial expressions? how about exaggerated facial expressions because you learned early on you were doing it wrong?
nonverbal? how about being hyperverbal and not knowing when to stop talking?
highly advanced vocabulary? how about when you canât remember common everyday words in conversation?
canât tell when things are awkward? how about having such an sensitivity to awkwardness that you can barely stand being in the room when an awkward moment happens on tv?
has a meltdown over a small tag on their shirt? how about being so oblivious to physical sensations that you donât know you broke a bone?
doesnât follow social norms? how about a strict adherence to social norms, often accompanied by severe anxiety that youâre not doing it right?
canât stand bright lights and loud noises? how about pressing lights so close to your eyes that youâre temporary blinded and constantly making noises when it gets too quiet?
no eye contact? how about intense, sustained eye contact that you donât know when to break?
constantly rocking back and forth? how about being unable to walk without getting disoriented?
remember this when people say âyou donât seem autisticâ - there is no quintessential autistic representation. this is what we mean when we say itâs a spectrum.
and yes, as several people have noted, one can easily bounce back and forth between both extremes depending on the day, time, context, health, age, etc.
this is important!
so this is why itâs called a spectrum
