The Buffet Analogy; An Alternative Understanding of The ‘Autistic Spectrum’.
It isn’t a spectrum.
Introduction:
I have always been sceptical of people when they would tell me that I was on a linear spectrum, and everyone is in the same boat, because to they aren’t. It feasibly cannot be one linear gradient with everyone on it because Autism, as I understand, is a difference in brain structure and therefore if an non diagnosed individual has a ‘regular’ brain structure then surely they cannot be on the same linear gradient? But what questions does that then create for people who have Autistic traits etc?
Is there a separate spectrum? Multiple?
It was very confusing until a Redditor u/masterofnone00 explained Autism as an ‘Ice Cream Sunday Bar’, and suddenly... It made sense. I’ve come to expand on this analogy over the last months and I’d like to share it and welcome any criticisms or Alternative views.
THE BUFFET:
The way in which I perceive autism is that everyone has gone to ‘The Autistic Buffet’ and has been given a dish of varying size, and has a unique constitution, but they are all full to the edge, no matter the size. In this metaphor your traits are the foods you are given. So, some people have been given a large serving of stimming, others only a side dish or alternatively have completely skipped that tray of food. Others have been served a portion of cheesy chips, except the chips are a difficulty in social situations and the extra topping is that it makes them knackered and must rest often between interactions. Maybe someone has been given a special interest that they can pursue until the Earth sleeps. If you only been told you have autistic traits then maybe you were given a side dish, or maybe they serve a similar meal at another restaurant downtown at the ADHDiner. Who knows?
The point is that everyone has their own serving, designed and given to them, each one is different and the umbrella term of Autistic has been given to the individuals that visit this buffet. Some of the meals are easy to comprehend from the outside, they look good, people can see it plain as day, such as a lack of eye contact. Others you really need to get a taste of who the person is to really appreciate the struggles which are not just crust deep. And often, there are other dimensions to a meal, the smells and how they relate to each other, maybe you mix the ketchup and the mayo to create thousand island and it shows how two different traits interact to form a whole new trait. I hope this makes sense to people, and I hope I’m not too metaphorical but personally food is easy to visualise, but I understand that metaphor isn’t easy to understand for some of us, for that I can only apologise and I would love to hear your own interpretations.
In Summary:
Everyone has their own individual capabilities, personal triumphs and it may not be something that seems difficult from the outside, but sometimes seemingly simple things are outstanding achievements. An example; I personally, due to literally no particular reason, find physical affection with my parents incredibly hard, but for many people that is a deep comfort in their life. The interactions between each of the traits is incredibly complex and cannot be described through a ‘spectrum’. That is one dimensional, and simplified so that it is easy to understand. Autism is not easy to understand and to simplify it to such an extent, although it does have its uses and reasons, doesn’t do justice to the individual, in my personal opinion.
Autistic people are unique and usually not determined by identical boundaries. I guess we all just have a lot on our plates.