One (very) common misconception when we talk about the autism spectrum, is that we are talking about an imaginary straight line with 'Very Autistic' or 'Low Functioning' at one end and 'Not Very Autistic' or 'High Functioning' at the other.
Just to clarify, before I continue, the labels High Functioning and Low Functioning are quite contentious in the autistic community; 'High functioning' doesn't mean that someone is 'not very autistic' just as 'low functioning' doesn't equate to being 'very autistic'. Because this isn't how autism works.
Children described as 'high functioning' can appear to be very chatty, communicative and, at first glance, assumed to be neurotypical. However, they can often be struggling in ways that are not immediately obvious. (What it doesn't mean is that they fall into the filmic stereotype of the 'quirky' yet comical character with the brilliant maths brain who saves that day at the last minute with their genius off-the-cuff numeracy skills. Obviously some high functioning ASC kids are very good at maths, but it isn't a pre-requisite).
As beautifully drawn and explained in Rebecca Burgess' fantastic cartoon in The Art of Autism , the spectrum is more like a brilliant ball of colour, divided up by all the areas of functioning that are affected. (I would urge you to take a few minutes and read her brilliant blog post on this subject). All of us develop skills in the following areas: Language, Motor skills, Sensory processing, perception and executive functioning.
Our children may struggle with any combination of these factors, in a huge variety of ways and it is this
So a particular child may have fantastic language skills, but still struggle to communicate socially. They may sometimes suffer from sensory overload in large crowded places, but is hugely creative with a vivid imagination. Another child could manage fine with a high level of sensory input, but find communicating extremely difficult, or may be selectively mute.
Our children may be very perceptive with fantastic memory skills, but completely unable to use a knife and fork. Others may manipulate cutlery with ease, but be unable to leave the house due to crippling anxiety. The self same kids may be great at maths, but struggle to remember where they left their school bag.
It is far more complex and far more interesting than being stuck somewhere on a straight line. So my hastily drawn diagram below, demonstrates what the autistic spectrum doesn't look like.
This what the autism spectrum doesn't look like
This is incredibly important, because having an understanding of what the spectrum really means, can only help our children. It is incredibly tempting for friends, relatives and random strangers to look at kids with ASC, and, not realising the huge amount of time and energy they spend masking their actual feelings and responses, to assume that they are 'fine really'. I've been told many times about 'my friend whose child is much worse than yours, you're lucky...'
And to an extent, that's true. ASC is co-morbid, in particular, with ADHD, Anxiety Disorder and OCD. There are also children in our wide ASC community who require 24 hr care and children who manage to function reasonably well some of the time, before coming home and melting down from the sheer effort of getting through the day. For all of our children, ASC is an essential part of their brain function, but for some families it can feel like the icing on a very difficult cake, when it intersects with more debilitating or life-limiting conditions.
It is worth remembering though, that all of the areas of brain function are shared by everyone, both neurotypical and neurodiverse. While it certainly isn't true that 'we're all on the spectrum' (as we are repeatedly, and somewhat annoyingly, told), the traits that affect us and/or our families are often present in neurotypical children. While they are not necessarily affected in the same way, or to the same extent, they can all benefit from the strategies used to support our children. When SENCOs or teachers put in place strategies in the classroom to support neurodiverse children, it will, in all likelihood, benefit all the children in the class.
When shopping centres instigate low sensory periods, as championed by the NAS in their Autism Hour strategy, we all benefit from a less stressful shopping experience. When theatres have relaxed performances, with lowered noise levels and lowered lights, it doesn't make any difference to the enjoyment of the show, but means that ASC children and adults can feel safer enjoying the things that the neurotypical among us take for granted.
Look at it this way. I like writing, I can sing, and am a whiz at putting together flat pack furniture. I like watching procedural crime thrillers, science fiction, reading Stephen King and Agatha Christie and absolutely love anything supernatural. I took three goes to get my maths O Level, am a prodigious burner of cakes, am learning Muay Thai boxing and can't remember where my car keys are, roughly three seconds after putting them down. That's me.
You can make your own list about things that you find easy and things that you don't. ASC is no different. Some elements of brain function are really easy, and others are not. It's as simple as that. So we help with the stuff that's hard, and celebrate the stuff that's easy. Of course in practice, it can be much more challenging than it sounds, but the key thing to remember is that all of our children are capable of more than just living up to other people's ideas of who they are.
As diagnosis rates and recognition of ASC improve, most schools will have at least one ASC child in every class. Our world is filled with beautiful, smart, funny neurodiverse people and we should celebrate the spectrum that we and they inhabit. It's not a ruler, or a measuring tape, or crucially, a sliding scale of good to bad. It's a whole colourful rainbow circle with different points in different places for every person on it.
We are all unique, we all have different qualities and talents, and we should definitely learn to celebrate that!
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