Last week, I talked about the myth ‘everyone’s a little autistic,’ and why this is untrue. I explained that there is a difference between having autistic traits and having an autistic brain. In this blog post, I am going to explore this further and have a look at the idea that the autism spectrum is more complex than a simple straight line.
The thought process behind the belief that ‘everyone’s a little autistic’ is that the autism spectrum goes from ‘not autistic’ to ‘very autistic.’ In recent years, this linear model has been questioned, with people beginning to view the autism spectrum as a circle instead.
There are many reasons why moving away from the traditional linear model of autism can be beneficial to all. One of these is that it validates people’s diagnosis and includes all autistic people. Autism can have a substantial effect on your life, and many (including me) class it as a disability. To me, receiving an autism diagnosis led to me understanding myself and getting reassurance that there was a reason why I was finding things hard; and it wasn’t just because I was being overdramatic or oversensitive. However, if someone then tells me ‘everyone’s a little autistic though,’ or ‘you’re not that autistic though’ – yes, people have said this – it can be very hurtful. You likely do not mean to offend someone, but I believe it is important to be aware of the impact that phrase can have.
Furthermore, the linear model of autism perpetuates the idea that autistic individuals can be ‘high functioning’ or ‘low functioning’; ‘mild’ or ‘severe’; or even that there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types of autism. All of the above terminology is harmful to all autistic people and their lives. (You can find more about my opinions on the language surrounding autism, in ‘the autism dictionary.’)
The bottom line is that the autism spectrum is more complex and dynamic than a simple straight line. Every autistic individual is so unique and none of us will have exactly the same autistic traits as the other. This is where the circle analogy comes into play, and there are a couple different ways I will describe this.
Apiece of imagery that can help you understand is to imagine a switch board in a recording studio. There is not just one switch that goes from ‘not autistic’ to ‘very autistic,’ instead there are many switches. If you imagine all the different switches as different traits of autism, which people may experience more or less than others, it builds up a profile of an individual’s autism.
The same goes for a simple colour wheel. Instead of being a spectrum from red to blue, (e.g., ‘not autistic’ to ‘very autistic’), all autistic people are made up of different colours. Different colour gradients describe how much an autistic individual experiences an autistic trait.
I can apply this to my own experience of autism. Although I have anxiety around social situations, I have learned to cope fairly well. I can keep conversations going and I can ask for help when I’m out by myself. Another autistic person may experience this very differently and not even be able to go out by themselves at all as a result of their anxiety.
Alternatively, I have very big emotions and I am quite sensitive; I can get upset or scared very easily, for example by a fire alarm, an ambulance passing by or if I get lost. This can disturb my daily routines and be extremely hard to manage. Another autistic person may rarely feel like this and have much less anxiety. Other autistic traits such as sensory issues, stimming, concentration and focus, special interests and motor skills will also differ, and this all make up someone’s autistic profile.
The bottom line is, that even though society may view me as a “high-functioning” autistic person, I am no less autistic than anybody else. On the other hand, if an individual is non-speaking and stims a lot, they are no more autistic than anybody else. The fact that the autism spectrum is a circle, not a line, highlights the fact that we are all autistic yet we are all unique.
I am autistic 