66 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
66 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
title: "autism"
|
||
author: "yehorovye"
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
**autism** is a neurological and cognitive condition. it affects how a person perceives the world,
|
||
processes information, and interacts with others. it is not a disease and not a deficit.
|
||
it's a difference. autistic people are **neurologically divergent** from the typical majority,
|
||
hence the term [neurodivergent](/neurodiversity).
|
||
the standard name in medicine is **autism spectrum disorder** (asd),
|
||
but many reject the "disorder" label because it frames autism as a problem to be fixed. it isn’t.
|
||
|
||
autism is not caused by vaccines. it is not a result of parenting.
|
||
it is not an internet trend. it's a structural, genetic part of a person’s brain.
|
||
it cannot be "cured" and shouldn't be.
|
||
|
||
## how it works
|
||
|
||
autism shows up in lots of ways, but some of the most common traits are:
|
||
|
||
* **sensory sensitivity** (to light, sound, texture, etc)
|
||
* **difficulty with social norms** (especially unspoken ones)
|
||
* **strong focus and deep interests** (also called "special interests")
|
||
* **need for routine and predictability**
|
||
* **literal thinking** and low tolerance for vague or fake behavior
|
||
* **honesty**, intensity, and attention to detail
|
||
* **difficulty with small talk, group dynamics, and surface-level stuff**
|
||
|
||
some autistic people don't speak. some speak a lot. some stim (repetitive movements or sounds),
|
||
some don't. some can pass for "normal" (this is called **masking**),
|
||
but it usually causes burnout and stress.
|
||
autism is a spectrum not because it goes from "mild" to "severe",
|
||
but because every autistic person is different. there’s no single model.
|
||
|
||
## culture and politics
|
||
|
||
autism gets misunderstood constantly. schools, jobs, governments,
|
||
and media tend to either **infantilize** autistic people or treat them as broken machines.
|
||
this creates isolation, abuse, and stigma. the **autism industrial complex**
|
||
(aba therapy, cure narratives, fake charities like autism speaks) exists to force autistic people to look and act "normal",
|
||
no matter how much it hurts them. most of these organizations are run **by non-autistics** and do real harm.
|
||
|
||
autism isn't a tragedy. the real tragedy is how society treats autistic people.
|
||
|
||
the [neurodiversity](/neurodiversity) movement pushes back against all that.
|
||
it says autistic people don’t need to be fixed, they need to be **understood**, **respected**, and **accommodated**.
|
||
autistic people have always existed and have always contributed to art, science, math, philosophy, and culture.
|
||
most of that was never credited.
|
||
|
||
## autism and computing
|
||
|
||
many autistic people are drawn to programming, electronics, engineering,
|
||
and other logic-heavy or detail-oriented fields. there's a natural fit between autistic thinking and computing.
|
||
autistic devs often build [free software](/free_software), maintain systems,
|
||
and obsess over clean design or efficiency. they make things that work because
|
||
they *want them to work*, not because it's trendy or profitable.
|
||
|
||
## related entries
|
||
|
||
* [neurodiversity](/neurodiversity)
|
||
* [personal computing](/personal_computing)
|
||
* [free software](/free_software)
|
||
* [holy c](/holy_c)
|
||
* [terry a. davis](/terry_andrew_davis)
|
||
* [communication](/communication)
|
||
|