Autism Spectrum

***Full credits to Cryptocrew for all of the information provided before the information about harmful symbols.***

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

## Autism Spectrum Disorder  Autism, ASD

The most modern and accepted autism symbol.

### Aliases/Abbreviation(s)

* Autism
* ASD
* Autism Spectrum
* Autism Spectrum Disorder
* The Spectrum/Spectrum

## Discovery/identification information

### Outdated/Offensive Name(s)

* Childhood schizophrenia
* Asperger’s syndrome/infantile autism

## Other information

### Subgenre(s)

Hyperlexia, OCD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette’s, ADHD, etc.

### Symbol/Flag

Rainbow (gradient) or gold infinity sign*Outdated/offensive signs* includes the green and black vertically aligned puzzle piece including an image of a young, crying child, blue/the blue puzzle piece of Autism Speaks, the average puzzle piece (usually consisting of red, blue and yellow— sometimes green) and the puzzle piece ribbon.

The **Autism Spectrum** is a term used to describe a condition that comes in many varieties, in which one has a brain that functions in a way that exhibits restricted/repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. Those within the Autism Spectrum tend to perceive the world/individuals/society around them in a unique manner, one that most neurotypical Individuals (and even some neurodivergent Individuals) cannot fully understand/relate to.

Autists tend to dislike autism being described as a disorder, as many feel as though that is undermining their experiences and generalizing autism as a concept that needs "fixing." The Autism Spectrum is often referred to as "**ASD**" or "**Autism Spectrum Disorder**;" however, many autists dislike this, as the term "disorder" being included with autism is negatively viewed within the community. Some autists are comfortable with their condition being referred to as a disability; however, this does not apply to all autists, and it should be respected that some autists may be uncomfortable with the terminology.

Some autists need assistance in daily life, depending on their mental circumstances (ie: if they can speak, do school alone, etc). This does not make them weak, childish, or "wrongly developed." It simply means that they have different struggles than neurotypical (and possibly other neurodivergent) individuals do. Some (but not all) autists are non-verbal or partially verbal and this should be recognized and respected, as attempting to force them to speak may cause immense distress. It is important to check an autistic individual's limits, just as one should check with others.

Autistic individuals often have hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity in one or more of their senses and can in turn struggle in certain spaces (at home or socially) if not given the proper tools (ie: earmuffs for hypersensitive hearing). This does not apply to *all* autistic individuals; however, it does apply to many.

## History

The concept of autism was coined in 1911 by the German psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to describe a symptom of the most severe cases of schizophrenia, a concept he had also created. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was broader than its modern equivalent: autistic children were said to have childhood schizophrenia. The earliest research that focused on children who would today be considered autistic was conducted by Grunya Sukhareva starting in the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner described two related syndromes, later termed infantile autism and Asperger syndrome respectively. Kanner thought that the condition he had described might be distinct from schizophrenia, and in the following decades, research into what would become known as autism accelerated. Formally, however, autistic children continued to be diagnosed under various terms related to schizophrenia in both the DSM and ICD, but by the early 1970s, it had become more widely recognized that autism and schizophrenia were in fact distinct psychiatric conditions, and in 1980, this was formalized for the first time with new diagnostic categories in the DSM-III. Asperger syndrome was introduced to the DSM as a formal diagnosis in 1994, but in 2013, Asperger syndrome and infantile autism were reunified into a single diagnostic category, autism spectrum disorder.

Known also as “autism's first child,” in 1943, Donald Triplett was the first-ever person to be formally diagnosed with autism. He unfortunately passed away June 15, 2023 due to cancer. According to research, it hasn’t been discovered who takes Triplett’s role as the second diagnosis.

## Outdated/Disliked Terms and Symbols associated with Autism Spectrum

### Harmful Terms

* **Asperger Syndrome/Disorder**: an autistic individual that has significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication and does not have "impaired intelligence" or "impaired language."

* **Childhood Disintegrative Disorder** (**CDD**), **Hellers Syndrome**, and/or **Disintegrative Psychosis**: an autistic individual that has "developmental delays" or "severe/sudden reversals" in language, social function, and motor skills.

* **Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified** (**PDD-NOS**:) an autistic individual that doesn't "meet the full criteria" for "other forms" of autism.

These terms, while still used in many medical spaces, have been criticized in the community for trying to categorize autism, when autism is too diverse of an experience to be categorized in such a way.

#### High-Functioning, Medium-Functioning and Low-Functioning

*Main page: Spectrum (graph)*

Some other terms that are highly disliked (and may even be triggering/desapizing) within the autistic community are the terms **High-Functioning**, **Medium-Functioning**, and **Low-Functioning**. These terms are used to describe how "capable/intelligent" an autistic individual is (ie: high-functioning being "more capable" than low-functioning). These terms disregard the fact that every autistic individual functions separately, and that how they function may be fluid. It also diminishes an autistic individual, by saying they are "less intelligent" if they are struggling with skills others may have, which is untrue.

The functioning terms are commonly used on linear graphs of autism instead of on a circular graph. They only revolve around "levels" of ASD instead of social-emotional differences.

### Harmful Symbols

    The puzzle piece is a symbol often associated with Autism Spectrum. The first known Autism Spectrum symbol, created in 1963 by Gerald Gasson, is a green-and-black puzzle piece with an image of a child crying. This is offensive because it is basically portraying autism as something to cry about, that no individual would ever be happy with it. The puzzle piece implies that autistic individuals are "broken" or "puzzles" that need to be "put together" or "fixed." The creator of the symbol himself stated that "autistic people suffer from a puzzling condition" which many autists would say is untrue - autistic individuals can live fulfilling, happy lives, and do not need fixing. The puzzle piece was made the "official" symbol for autism with little to no input from the autistic community, which is also harmful. The puzzle piece symbol is also associated with Autism Speaks, an organization which claims to advocate for autism but perpetuates harmful and misinformative stereotypes and messages about Autism Spectrum. To read more about the ableist history of the puzzle piece symbol, click here. To read more about how Autism Speaks is harmful, click here.

## Signs of Autism Spectrum

* Repetitive behaviour
	+ Echolalia - repeating sentences spoken by others
	+ Palilalia - repeating sentences spoken by self
	+ Repeating the same activity over and over, such as listening to a song or patterned series of songs repetitively
* Emotional reaction differings
	+ Being very emotional and sensitive or frequently being emotionless
	+ Having difficulty experessing themselves or their emotions
* Need for routine
	+ Will get distressed if there is a change in routine
	+ Trouble switching activities
	+ Will either dislike or enjoy being productive
		- Oftentimes can be sidetracked with another action if not doing their current one
* Self-stimulating or stimming
	+ Tactile stimming (touch): arm/hand slapping, skin rubbing or scratching, body movements, finger tapping, etc.
		- Harmful tactile stimming: purposefully rough skin scratching, hitting, biting or kicking oneselves, banging their hands, head, legs, and objects, nail-biting, hair or skin pulling/pinching, etc.
	+ Auditory stimming (hearing): Tapping to create noise, finger-snapping, clicking pens, repetitively listening to the same songs or a specific pattern of songs, echolalia/palilalia, uses sleep sounds such as waves
		- Vocal stimming: Making vocal sounds, singing or humming, whispering, whistles, throat-clearing, echolalia/palilalia, squealing, mimicking noises/verbal onomatopoeia, etc.
	+ Vestibular stimming (motion/balance): “cradling;” rocking back and forth, swinging, jumping, skipping, pacing, spinning, dancing, etc.
	+ Olfactory stimming (taste/smell): smelling objects, licking, tasting objects, biting (safe biting areas include teethers)
	+ Deep Pressure Stimming (applying pressure to self): weighted blankets, hugging, etc.
* Unusual responses to stimuli
	+ Unusual levels of sensitivity to light, sound, touch, motion, etc.
		- Hypersensitivity: levels of sensitivity are higher than average
		- Hyposensitivity: levels of sensitivity are higher than average
	+ May cause avoidance, sensory overload, meltdowns, etc.
* Unusual development for age
	+ May struggle to "act your age"
	+ Interests above or below age level
	+ May reach development milestones (ex. walking, speaking, reading, etc.) early or late
* Special Interests or Hyperfixations
	+ Deeply passionate about a certain topic or object
	+ May be generalized (ex. video games) or specific (ex: one specific video game)
	+ One may have multiple special interests at once
	+ One often be able to talk about a special interest nonstop
* Trouble with Socializing and/or Communication
	+ Difficulty understanding others' perspectives
	+ Difficulty understanding social norms
	+ Restricted ability to make friends
	+ Discomfort with making eye contact
		- One who is autistic may also make excessive eye contact or avoid any at all
	+ Unusual levels of empathy
		- Hyperempathy: empathy levels are higher than average
		- Hypoempathy: empathy levels are lower than average
	+ Poor understanding of non-verbal communication (ex. facial expressions, body language)
	+ Taking things literally
	+ Delayed reactions to questions and/or words
	+ Inability to speak, varying from all the time to occasionally (also known as Non-verbal or Semi-verbal/Partially verbal)

### Autism in Adulthood/Teenage Years

* Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
* Getting very anxious about social situations
* Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
* Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning too
* Finding it hard to say how you feel
* Having very frequent sensory overloads or meltdowns in a new work or (mainly high) school environment
* Trouble interpreting facial expressions, body language, or social cues
* Difficulty regulating emotion
* Trouble keeping up a conversation
* Inflection that does not reflect feelings

## Causes

It has long been presumed that there is a common cause at the genetic, cognitive, and neural levels for autism's characteristic triad of symptoms. In the 1920s, people believed autism was developed from a high-in-gluten diet. However, there is increasing suspicion that autism is instead a complex disorder whose core aspects have distinct causes that often co-occur. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father- and some of which can even be autistic themselves.

## Autism Rights Movement

The Autism Rights Movement is a social movement within the context of disability rights that emphasizes the concept of neurodiversity, viewing the autism spectrum as a result of natural variations in the human brain rather than a disorder to be cured. The autism rights movement advocates for including greater acceptance of autistic behaviors; therapies that focus on coping skills rather than on imitating the behaviors of those without autism, and the recognition of the autistic community as a minority group. Autism rights or neurodiversity advocates believe that the autism spectrum is genetic and should be accepted as a natural expression of the human genome. This perspective is distinct from fringe theories that autism is caused by environmental factors such as vaccines. A common criticism against autistic activists is that the majority of them are "high-functioning" or have Asperger syndrome and do not represent the views of "low-functioning" Autistic people.

## Known Individuals with Autism

### Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd, known best as the creator of *Ghostbusters*, was diagnosed with Asperger's in the 1980s. He has credited his autism for being responsible for *Ghostbusters*. He's said that his special interest in ghosts and law enforcement and especially Hans Holzer, who he credits as being the greatest ghost hunter ever, was how his idea for the film was born.

### Courtney Love

Courtney Love spoke about being autistic in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1994, "When I talk about being introverted, I was diagnosed with autism. At an early age, I would not speak. Then I simply bloomed. My first visit to a psychiatrist was when I was, like, three. Observational therapy. TM for tos. You name it, I've been there."

### Tim Burton

Tim Burton, while never formally diagnosed, says he's identified with being autistic when he researched the topic with Helena Bonham-Carter. Some say that he was dedicated and incredibly focused, even to the point of obsession, on whatever he's working on. In his 2012 Disney film *Frankenweenie*, the main character Victor Frankenstein also tends to show many autistic traits.

### Left at London

Nat Puf, better known by her stage name Left at London, focuses some of her songwriting on her life as a trans woman with autism, BPD, ADHD, and PTSD.

### Elon Musk

Elon Musk mentioned being autistic on the sketch comedy show *Saturday Night Live*, "I'm actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger's to host SNL -- or at least the first to admit it."

### Greta Thunberg

Great Thunberg, well-known political activist, shared that being autistic has helped her in her fight in climate activism, "A lot of people with autism have a special interest that they can sit and do for an eternity without getting bored. It's a very useful thing sometimes. Autism can be something that holds you back, but if you get to the right circumstances, if you are around the right people, if you get the right adaptions that you need and you feel you have a purpose, then it can be something you can do for good. And I think that I'm doing that now."

### Thomas Jefferson

Surprisingly, this famous Founding Father of the United States of America, former President of the United States and principle author of the Declaration of Independence was said to have been autistic. No other information has been gathered about Jefferson’s inclusion in autism.

### Satoshi Tajiri

Satoshi Tajiri, better known as the creator of the *Pokémon*© franchise, was diagnosed with autism as a child. According to researchers, he began *Pokémon*© based off the special interest of bugs and critters he had. Because of Tajiri's work, many autists around the world are commonly known to be interested in *Pokémon*© because it helps them escape into a more "simpler and safer reality," says *Autistic And Unapologetic*.

### Judy Singer

Judy Singer; an Australian sociologist, is the founder of the term "neurodiversity." As the daughter of a Jewish mother who survived World War II, Judy Singer grew up in Australia. For many years, she worked as a computer consultant and later became a single mother. She noticed traits in her daughter that resembled the social difficulties of her mother. Later, Singer's daughter was diagnosed with autism. Singer has also described herself as "likely somewhere on the autistic spectrum." In 1998, she officially recognized autism and other disorders, disabilities and more as neurodiversity. Her new term was later developed by Kassiane Asasumasu (formerly Kassiane Sibley), who gave us the term neurodivergent.

### Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton, often called the father of modern science, is believed to have been on the spectrum. The English mathematician and physicist had telling traits such as hardly speaking, constantly being immersed in work and his temperament was believed to ne either lukewarm or bad-tempered. While in isolation, these do not indicate someone on the spectrum. However, scientists found many other traits indicating Newton might have been autistic.

### Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. He wrote plays, travelogues, novels, and poems. He is best known for his fairytales, such as the *Ugly Duckling*. It’s believed he spoke of his challenges, speculated to be autism symptoms, through his storytelling; for example, the Ugly Duckling. Later research examined this notion. Hans described *Ugly Duckling* as “a reflection of his life.” He may not have been diagnosed, but he showed symptoms such as narrow interests, repetitive routines, difficulties being with other people and speech & language difficulties. It’s documented that the author’s school days were “dark and bitter.” Although he faced challenges in childhood, he was encouraged to pursue writing when acting failed. This journey led him to become one of the most recognized writers in history.

### Benjamin Franklin

It is said that the founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, was on the autism spectrum. Albeit having a mild form of autism, Franklin famously explained his learning process: “Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” This indicates many autistic people are visual rather than verbal learners. It is, however, essential to be cautious and realize that Franklin was never officially diagnosed with autism.

### Armani Williams

Armani Williams is a 20-year-old American stock car racing driver who was diagnosed with ASD at the age of two. Among his many accolades, he is the first NASCAR driver to be open about his autism diagnosis. Williams spoke his first word at the age of three. He struggled with social interaction and sensory information difficulties during childhood and was very interested in cars and watching NASCAR at a young age. You will often find the word “autism” written on Williams’ track car and suit. However, he has sported blue paint schemes with the blue autism puzzle piece to "raise awareness," which is the offensive term. He is currently studying chemical engineering while pursuing his love for fast cars.

## Gallery

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## Still Curious?

If you want even more information on autism, you can go over to Autism Dedicated Wiki and other certified autism research webs. This does not include Autism Speaks.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History\_of\_autism
3. ↑ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319714#stimming\_type
4. ↑ https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/autism/which-parent-carries-the-autism-gene
5. ↑ https://autisticandunapologetic.com/2021/02/14/why-do-autistic-people-love-pokemon/
6. ↑ https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/famous-people-with-autism/#Historical\_Figures\_with\_Autism
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/famous-people-with-autism/#Historical\_Figures\_with\_Autism

## External links

*External links are links that have not been identified as to what information they give in the article. If you added these links, please reference them. Thank you.*

https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fncpneuro0731

Autism Spectrum Disorder, 299.00 (F84.0). In: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.

Stefanatos GA (2008). "Regression in autistic spectrum disorders". Neuropsychol Rev. 18 (4): 305–319. doi:10.1007/s11065-008-9073-y. PMID 18956241. S2CID 34658024.

Happé F, Ronald A (2008). "The 'fractionable autism triad': a review of evidence from behavioural, genetic, cognitive and neural research". Neuropsychol Rev. 18 (4): 287–304. doi:10.1007/s11065-008-9076-8. PMID 18956240. S2CID 13928876

Happé F, Ronald A, Plomin R (2006). "Time to give up on a single explanation for autism". Nature Neuroscience. 9 (10): 1218–1220. doi:10.1038/nn1770. PMID 17001340.

Solomon A (25 May 2008). "The autism rights movement". New York. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2008.

https://nymag.com/news/features/47225/

Jaarsma P, Welin S (March 2012). "Autism as a natural human variation: reflections on the claims of the neurodiversity movement". Health Care Analysis. 20 (1): 20–30. doi:10.1007/s10728-011-0169-9. PMID 21311979. S2CID 18618887.

http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-72172

https://autism-advocacy.fandom.com/wiki/Autistic\_spectrum

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319714#stimming\_type