Stimulating

I study up on autism these days. My experiences working with developmentally delayed individuals and the need to better understand how they communicate causes me to do a fair bit of reading on the subject.

I mentioned in the last post how I think that all people exhibit some forms of autistic traits. I have a friend who is starting to think that he suffers from mild forms of it. I believe it could very well be true, but for anyone who feels this way (as I often do) it's important to remember that it's not a crutch, and you can still learn to develop yourself.

A lot of autism spectrum individuals excel at engineering, technical jobs, and less social work. Their skills are different than that of highly social people. For the unaffected/undiagnosed I think we understand this as being introverted. I have believed many times that I am an introvert - the problem is that there are many times that I am anything but introverted. Can I be both an introvert and an extrovert?

I don't see why not...

Extroverts it seems tend to function well with high amounts of stimulation. They need to interact with their world and the people in it. They like to experience. I believe the same can be said for introverts. I suspect we don't need to be regulated to one or the other, and that given the proper environment and stimulation level all introverts will display extrovert qualities. ... To greater or lesser degree.

Its interesting how certain principles are in effect across many situations. For a lot of people 'on the spectrum' (autism/aspergers spectrum) over-stimulation is big problem. The anxiety that comes from intense light, sound, taste, and motion can be overwhelming. I have to be mindful of these things all the time to avoid meltdowns and seizures. It's preventative mental maintenance. The same thing goes for people in general - when too much is happening we get upset and disoriented.

When I'm tired I can't handle lights and sound as well. I imagine it's why elderly people get so upset by intense music, videos, and foods. They aren't prepared for such high (and unfamiliar) stimulation. Many grandmas and grandpas will learn to appreciate what their grandkids watch and listen to. They just need time to ease into an understanding of what's happening.

That doesn't make it likely that grandma's gonna be into Poison Idea though.


Comments