Informative Autism Essay

This is a topic I’ve written about before in the context of autism and the different ways it’s represented in written media, however, this is going to be a more factual essay, with some anecdotes and statistics. Furthermore, as with all previous essays, this is going to be written from my perspective and using my views on the topic, therefore other people may disagree with those views and ideas. That topic is Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, or autism. All of those labels listed are ways that people use to talk and write about autism, in both informal and formal settings.

For my English Language Speaking Exam, which as of writing was roughly 4 years ago, I had to do a filmed presentation on a topic of my choice, and to my memory, I spoke about autism and the way autistic people are treated within society and within schools, although I can’t be certain of the exact topic as I have no plans or a written copy of what I said during it. That being said, this is a topic that I’m incredibly passionate about and interested in. Something I do when introducing myself to people, or more specifically people I’m making friends with or will be spending a lot of time around, is mention that I’m autistic, even if I don’t go into what that means for me in that first conversation. I do the same thing when it comes to how to refer to me as well, I introduce myself using my name, pronouns and that I’m autistic. 

Before I properly get into the body of this essay, a little bit of background information about me. This is the reason why I’m writing this essay and trying to spread more information about autism. If it helps even one person unlearn some things, or debunk/dispel any myths someone has about autism then I’ve done what I set out to do. I have a few people in my family who are diagnosed with autism, and I was diagnosed a few years ago, shortly before my 18th birthday. It took 18 years for me to be diagnosed, which is likely due to a combination of factors, which include the fact that I probably masked a lot of the traits I was experiencing, and existing medical conditions, as well as the fact that those traits got put down to being personality quirks. Without going into explicit detail about it, the reason that those autistic traits eventually got picked up at 16/17 years old is due to the mental health challenges I was going through at the time. I was under the CAMHS service because of those mental health struggles, and it was something that was brought up during my second appointment with them. It then got taken further and the assessment process was started. It took almost 2 full years from the time of the assessment process being started to getting my diagnosis.

You may have heard the term Asperger’s or Asperger’s Syndrome mentioned in discussions around and relating to autism. Taken directly from the National Autistic Society website, it says “Some people who received a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome continue to use this terminology to refer to themselves. Others do not, usually for two reasons: because the term is no longer used officially; and because of revelations about the Austrian psychiatrist Hans Asperger, who Asperger syndrome was named after and who was complicit with the Nazis.” 

How Autism Works.

While it’s a gross oversimplification to assume that all autistic people experience thoughts and emotions the same way, there are certain qualities that set them apart from neurotypicals. Autistic individuals, who perceive and process sensory inputs differently than neurotypicals, may also have trouble filtering out background noise, spot patterns more quickly, or be particularly sensitive to certain smells or tastes. This heightened sensory awareness helps explain why many on the spectrum are gifted musicians, despite not being able to read sheet music. Furthermore, some evidence indicates that autistic people may think in more concrete terms than other people and struggle when it comes to abstract thinking. Some autistic people may find humour confusing or even offensive due to difficulty understanding concepts such as irony and sarcasm. Despite their perceived handicaps on the surface level, autistics can make incredibly valuable contributions to society due to their keen attention to detail and creativity.

Autistic people face challenges every day that neurotypical people may take for granted. Navigating daily life can be much more difficult when you have autism. Sensory processing challenges, difficulty verbalising thoughts and feelings, executive functioning deficits, and difficulty in social interactions are all common challenges faced by those on the autistic spectrum. This can lead to increased anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles due to feeling misunderstood by society at large and being unable to participate in everyday activities with ease. Fully understanding and valuing autistic people requires an awareness of the many daily difficulties that they face that so many others do not.

Autistic people often think and learn in different ways than their allistic (non-autistic) counterparts, which can bring new perspectives to the table. They often excel at pattern recognition and creative problem solving, making them an invaluable asset to many teams. Autistic people tend to be more detail-oriented and highly observant, which makes them able to spot issues that other people would overlook.

Brain Structure 

I'm going to start off by talking about autistic brains and how they work, as studies have shown that there are differences between the structure of autistic people’s brains and allistic people’s brains. The following information on neurobiology within autistic people and the structure of the brain has come from Psycom, and the page is linked in my bibliography at the end of this essay. 

Firstly, what is autism? Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and behaviour. While the exact causes of autism are still unknown, scientists have made significant progress in understanding how autistic brains work. 

Studies have shown that there are differences in the structure of the brains of individuals with autism compared to those without. For example, some areas of the brain may be larger or smaller, or there may be differences in the way that different parts of the brain are connected. These structural differences may contribute to the symptoms of autism, such as difficulties with social communication and repetitive behaviours. Alongside differences in the brain structure, there are also differences in the way that the brains of individuals with autism function. For example, some studies have found that there is increased activity in certain areas of the brain, such as the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotions. Other studies have found that there is decreased activity in other areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making and social behaviour. Many autistic individuals process sensory information differently to their allistic counterparts, for example, they can be either hypersensitive or hyposensitive, meaning that they either experience heightened sensitivity or they experience a lack of sensitivity to different forms of sensory input. 

There is also a genetic factor to autism, while the exact cause is currently still unknown, research has shown that genes play a large role. Studies have found that there are many genes that are associated with autism and that these genes may interact with environmental factors to increase the risk of developing the disorder. However, it is important to note that not all individuals with autism have a genetic cause, and not all individuals with genetic mutations associated with autism will develop the disorder.

Research suggests that individuals with autism may think and process information differently than those without the disorder. This can be beneficial in certain tasks, such as pattern recognition or data analysis. On the other hand, this detail-focused thinking style can also lead to difficulties with social communication and understanding abstract concepts. Individuals with autism may struggle to understand sarcasm or metaphors, which are often used in everyday conversations. Overall, while there are differences in the way that autistic brains work compared to neurotypical brains, it's important to recognize that each person with autism is unique and may experience these differences differently. It's also important to focus on supporting individuals with autism by providing them with the tools and resources they need to thrive.

Autism is an intricate neurodevelopmental disorder that can have an affect on the way a person processes information, thinks, and behaves. And while there is no one-size-fits-all description of an autistic brain, there are some general differences between the brains of people with autism and those without. One big difference is how the two groups process social information. Allistic individuals tend to be wired to pick up on social cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language. They can quickly and intuitively understand what others are thinking or feeling based on these cues. While autistic individuals might not process social information in an intuitive way because it doesn’t come naturally to them. This means that they might have particular difficulties reading subtle social cues and interpreting non-literal language, meaning things like sarcasm and irony.

With autistic people, science has found that there is some difficulty in communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, or there not being a strong connection between them. In recent years, science has found that the hemispheres of ASD brains have slightly more symmetry than those of a regular brain. This small difference in asymmetry isn’t enough to diagnose ASD, according to a report in Nature Communications. And, exactly how the symmetry may play into autism’s traits is still being researched.

Here’s what researchers do know. Left-right asymmetry is an important aspect of brain organisation. Some functions of the brain tend to be dominated or to use the technical term lateralized, by a side of the brain. One example of this is speech and understanding. For the majority of people (95% of right-handers and about 70% of left-handers) language is processed in the left cerebral hemisphere. Autistic people tend to have reduced leftward language lateralisation, which could explain why they also have a higher rate of being left-handed compared to the general population. The differences in the brain don’t stop there. Within each hemisphere of the brain there are four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal. Inside these lobes are structures that control everything from movement to thinking. On top of the lobes, lies the cerebral cortex aka grey matter. This is where information processing happens. The folds in the brain add to the surface area of the cerebral cortex. The more surface area or grey matter there is, the more information that can be processed.  Grey matter ripples into peaks and troughs called gyri and sulci, respectively. According to researchers from San Diego State University, these deep folds and wrinkles may develop differently in ASD. Specifically, in autistic brains there is significantly more folding in the left parietal and temporal lobes as well as in the right frontal and temporal regions. “These alterations are often correlated with modifications in neuronal network connectivity,” Culotta says. “In fact, it has been proposed that strongly connected cortical regions are pulled together during development, with gyri forming in between. In the autistic brain, the brain’s reduced connectivity, known as hypoconnectivity, allows weakly connected regions to drift apart, with sulci forming between them.” Research has shown the deeper these sulcal pits are, the more language production is affected. When comparing the functional connectivity of ASD brains and unaffected brains, researchers see that there are some networks with lower connectivity, especially in patterns where the distance between brain regions is greater.

“In autism, there's short-range over-connectivity and long-range under-connectivity,” Dr. Anderson says. “So, for tasks that require us to combine or assimilate information in different parts of the brain, like social function and complex motor tasks, individuals with autism have more trouble. And when there's a very specific task focused with the single brain region that's primarily involved—activities like paying attention to specific features in the world around us, individuals with autism tend to be quite good or even better than normal.” But these connections are only as good as the neurons carrying the message through their cell bodies to other neurons. Neurotransmitters are those chemical messengers. “In recent years, special attention has been given to the connection between neurotoxic compounds, neurotransmitters, and ASD,” says Culotta. Neurotoxins are natural or artificial substances that influence the functioning of the nervous system. 

ASD starts in early childhood and continues into adulthood. Many of the symptoms and the brain patterns normalise with age but, along the way, a lot of complex development takes place. For instance, 20% to 30% of people living with autism develop seizure disorders. But the reason isn’t really understood. “It may just be that there's this chicken and egg issue, or sometimes the seizure disorder can predispose them to autism, and sometimes it might be the other way around, and we really understand that link yet,” Dr. Anderson says.

Then, there are other mental health conditions that come into play. It is common for people living with ASD to also experience anxiety, depression, and OCD—more so than in the general population. One thing is certain, society can benefit from the autistic brain. “Many people with autism don't see it as a disorder. They may see it as a gift,” Dr. Anderson says. “Society generates enormous benefits from individuals with autism. They're so good at tasks that are really important to society. And I think it's important to always emphasise that it's in society's best interest to help create environments where people with different brain structures and ways of behaving can thrive.

Stimming

Something that is common among many autistic people is stimming. There are different types of stimming, visual, auditory, tactile, oral, olfactory, vestibular and proprioceptive. Visual stims could take the form of things like kaleidoscopes, lava lamps, and ‘satisfying videos’. Auditory stims can look like pen clicking, repetitive music and singing. Tactile stims can be things like fidget cubes, soft objects and water beads. Oral stimming can be chewing on things like pen caps, chewable jewellery and hard-boiled sweets. Olfactory stims can be smelling clean laundry, essential oils and candles. Vestibular stimming can mean things like spinning, swinging and rocking motions. Proprioceptive stimming uses things like weighted blankets, heavy toys, and pressure body socks. There is a very wide range of stims and ways that people might engage in stimming. Not all of them are safe and can be harmful or self-injurious. This can take the form of head-banging on hard surfaces, biting, hair-pulling, or skin-picking. As with other forms of stimming this isn’t an exhaustive list, just some examples. There are multiple reasons for self-injurious behaviours, such as having limited means of communicating their needs, and mental health issues. It could be a repetitive behaviour, it could be due to their developmental stage, or it could be a learned behaviour that they know can then change their environment. 

Facts About Autism

• Autism means alone. The word “autism” is derived from the Greek word “autos” meaning self.  

• More than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum.

• Autism now affects 1 in 36 children.

• Autism is found to be more prevalent than childhood cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.

• Children born to older parents are at a higher risk for having autism. 

• Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2 to 18 percent chance of having a second child who is also affected.  Studies have shown that among identical twins if one child has autism, the other will be affected about 36 to 95 percent of the time.

• About 40 percent of children with autism do not speak. About 25 to 30 percent of children with autism have some words at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose them. Others might speak, but not until later in childhood.

• 7 in 10 autistic people have challenges with mental health.

Common Misconceptions

• Not every autistic person is highly intelligent. There will be some people who have an elevated IQ and above-average intelligence - However, this is just one study on a select number of participants and therefore isn’t representative of the global population of autistic people.

  • One clinical study with slightly more precise information on IQ in ASD reported that 23% of the participants had an IQ < 85, while 45% had an average IQ, and 32% had an IQ above average. 

• The autism spectrum isn’t quite as simple as people think it is. It doesn’t go from less autistic to more autistic, it’s more like a wheel and each section is a different set of skills, with the levels indicating how much support someone might need with it. 

• Functioning labels are considered harmful to some parts of the autism community. Levels of support needs are more accepted by parts of the autistic community.

• Many AFAB people are misdiagnosed with conditions such as borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and anxiety before autism is even considered.

• Vaccines don’t cause autism.

• People think that autism is a condition that only affects AMAB people. Actually, both AMAB (assigned male at birth) and AFAB (assigned female at birth) people can be autistic. That being said though, AMAB people are 4x more likely to be diagnosed autistic than AFAB people. One of the potential reasons behind this is that AFAB people have a higher ability to mask their autistic traits and mimic the behaviour of others around them. This leads to AFAB people being diagnosed later in their lives. 

• Some people think that parents of autistic children are bad at parenting, or that they just have naughty children that they don’t discipline, which isn’t the case. The child is just different and has different needs.

• Autism is a learning disability. This is not true. A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example, household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life. Some autistic people also have a learning disability, but some do not. 

• Autistic people are shy and introverted. Autistic people might socialise in a different way to neurotypical people, but this does not mean that it's wrong or a deficit, it's just different. Lots of autistic people want friendships and are very loyal and caring friends.

Famous Autistics

There are many high-profile people, both in the current day and in the past who either had or were suspected of having autism; some of them include film director Tim Burton, co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates; scientist and mathematician Albert Einstein; artist Leonardo da Vinci; and entrepreneur Elon Musk. Regarding Tim Burton, his long-time partner Helena Bonham Carter has said previously that she believes him to be autistic because of his single-minded focus on whatever task he’s completing. He will forget to eat and not reply to questions when he’s working on something. These are all traits of autism for some people, however, these traits alone do not mean that a person possessing them is autistic themselves.

Special Interests

Special interests are one of the most common characteristics of people with autism. Historically, some interventions for autism have tried to limit them or use them largely as a reward for good behaviour. However many people with autism consider these interests to be an important strength and a way to relieve stress. Some even expand on them to create a successful career.

It’s only in the past decade or so that professionals in the field of autism have begun to recognise the value of these intense interests that emerge in early childhood. Clinicians have historically called them circumscribed interests, and they belong to the category of diagnostic criteria for autism called “restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities,” which also includes movements such as hand-flapping and an insistence on rigid routines. A distinguishing aspect of special interests is their intensity. They can be so absorbing that they are the only thing the person wants to do or talk about. These interests are extremely common among people with autism: 75 to 95 percent have them. An interest may involve collecting items such as postcards or dolls, listening to or playing music in a repetitive way, or focusing intensely on a narrow topic, such as insects fighting. Special-interest topics may be commonplace — things such as trains, gardening or animals — but people on the spectrum sometimes gravitate toward more quirky fascinations such as toilet brushes, tsunamis or office supplies.

For many years, before I got my diagnosis, I had what I now know were special interests. I distinctly remember creating fact files on different books and book series I enjoyed at the time. I researched the book, wrote down the synopsis, found out as much as I could about the author, etc. I also remember doing a massive amount of research into autism itself as another longstanding special interest. This is an area that has continued to interest me throughout my life because of how vast a subject it is, and how many different things there are to be understood, but also how much of the condition is still yet to be understood. I don’t really remember what many of my special interests have been over the years as I didn’t recognise them as such. They were simply things I enjoyed engaging with/in, and therefore they felt very commonplace in my life, and not something to really be paid any mind. That being said, I remember at different times I was absorbed in the naval crime show NCIS, doing various online quizzes and writing down information about both the characters and the actors in the show. I also remember doing similar exercises with Harry Potter, though both of them aren’t special interests I’ve come back to, one that is constant is books and reading. Unlike many of my generation, I can be easily absorbed by books and find myself losing hours in another world. It’s something I genuinely enjoy and have a passion for. It’s also something that I would ideally get a job out of.

What Autistic People Want You To Know About Autism or Being Autistic.

• There’s no right or wrong way to be autistic.

• Every autistic person is different.

• That being “childish” helps. What people see as childish are often traits of autism.

• You can't get autism from vaccines.

• You can't catch autism from others.

• The most minor thing can be a trigger for a meltdown and some people need space and time to regulate afterwards.

• A lot of the time I don’t understand what you mean, tone can be more challenging to pick up and understand. Also please use tone indicators; they're lifesavers.

• Just because someone is autistic doesn't mean they automatically don't understand sarcasm, and it also doesn't mean they can't use it themselves.

• That being “childish” helps. What people see as childish are often traits of autism.

• Autistic people genuinely aren't trying to be rude, sometimes the tone doesn't come across the way it's been meant.

• One thing I wish people knew was that support needs in some areas can fluctuate and about situational mutism. In some situations, an autistic person might find speaking easy to do, and in others, they might experience verbal shutdown.

• One thing about autism in general that people should know is that the autism spectrum is not a linear spectrum.

• I think people should know more about common co-morbid conditions that autistic people may have. Often people will put everything down to the person being autistic (even happens in medical settings sometimes) when there are other things going on too.

Autism Accommodations.

Autistic people can need various types of accommodations, whether that refers to accommodations in an educational setting, a working environment, or even in their home setting. General accommodations that some autistic people may need are to do with working in groups. For some autistic people, large groups can be overstimulating due to numerous factors, such as struggling with needing to give responses within a short time frame, or not understanding social nuances. In this case, smaller groups may be more appropriate, or both a smaller group and a different room to minimise sensory sensitivities being triggered.

Following from the challenges large groups may pose is the setting. If meetings are being held in a place with multiple sources of auditory input, such as fountains, waterfalls, or other patrons, that can cause challenges for some autistic people as a result of auditory processing difficulties with separating the foreground and background information. Having doors closed, or having a separate quiet space to regulate would mitigate this issue. Another way of helping with this issue is to offer disposable earplugs for those who would like them, or allowing those people to use their own noise-cancelling tools. 

Similarly, when it comes to questions and communication in general, allowing people to write things down and hand them in instead of speaking them is one way of making it accessible. Additionally, giving written copies of any notes or information out, and also sending the same information via email is also an accessibility solution. 

This isn’t an exhaustive list of accommodations autistic people might need, and while these ones refer to workplace meetings they are to a degree applicable to a school environment too. Schools and workplaces should consider everyone when it comes to their own planning, as it isn’t solely autistic people who may benefit from these styles of accommodation, not everyone processes information at the same speed, and not everyone learns in the same way or remembers information the same. Copies of notes and information benefit many people as it allows them to refer back to it when doing further work on the subject in the future.

Creating a more inclusive world for all kinds of neurologies and ways of being in the world is essential to fostering understanding and connection. We can start by acknowledging that everyone has a unique experience and perspective of the world, different from anyone else's. We should also strive to create an environment that encourages curiosity and acceptance, rather than exclusion and judgement. We can practise this by being kind, compassionate, and open-minded when speaking or interacting with others. Lastly, it's important to take action when faced with injustice or a lack of belonging, working towards creating a safe space where everyone can be heard, respected, and understood.

Sensory Sensitivities.

What are sensory sensitivities? Well, the National Autism Society website states that "Processing everyday sensory information can be difficult for autistic people. Any of their senses may be over- or under-sensitive, or both, at different times. These sensory differences can affect how they feel and act, and can have a profound effect on a person’s life."

Autistic people can experience sensory issues with any of their senses, and those are very specific to every autistic individual. The experience of being hyposensensitive to something and being hypersensitive to it is very different. One example of this is sight and lights. If someone is hyposensitive to light they might experience objects appearing to be quite dark, or some of their features might be lost. It might be in the form of their central vision being blurred but peripheral vision being quite sharp, or a central object being magnified and things on the periphery being blurred. Or they might have poor depth perception, difficulties with throwing and catching or clumsiness. 

If someone was hypersensitive to light they might experience distorted vision with objects and bright lights appearing to jump around, or images may fragment. It might be easier and more pleasurable to focus on a detail rather than the whole object, and they might have difficulty getting to sleep because of light sensitivity. 

So what is the difference between being overstimulated and being overwhelmed? Overwhelm is a term used in many of the websites I've looked into when trying to find an answer to this question to discuss the idea of autistic meltdowns. Some signs of shutdown are sleep loss, clumsiness, needing to take naps, less appetite, and increased sensory sensitivities. Other signs of autistic shutdown include staring into space, not speaking, dissociation, laying flat on the floor, and preferring to be in the dark with minimal stimuli. So essentially this leads to the next idea I'm going to be going into, which is meltdowns vs. shutdowns in an autistic person.

Meltdowns Vs Shutdowns.

A meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses control of their behaviour. This loss of control can be expressed verbally (e.g. shouting, screaming, crying), physically (e.g. kicking, lashing out, biting) or in both ways. A meltdown is not the same as a temper tantrum. It is not bad or naughty behaviour. When a person is completely overwhelmed, and their condition means it is difficult to express that in another way, it is understandable that the result is a meltdown. Meltdowns are not the only way an autistic person may express feeling overwhelmed. They may also refuse to interact, withdrawing from situations they find challenging or avoiding them altogether.

First and foremost, Autistic shutdowns are a normal part of life for many Autistics. If they’re something you experience, just know they’re definitely nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, they may be critical to your mental health. Shutdowns are a unique experience when an Autistic becomes overwhelmed and goes into a mental “shutdown” mode. Some Autistics refer to it as “sleep” mode on a computer. During this mode, you may have little to no energy, dissociation from thoughts and feelings, and an intense need to be alone. It happens when an Autistic is emotionally or sensorily overwhelmed and they need to reset and protect their mind. Some Autistics know when a shutdown is going to happen while others only realise it in the midst of the shutdown.

The difference between an autistic person having a meltdown and experiencing a shutdown is that meltdowns occur as a result of becoming overwhelmed due to some form of trigger, and they completely lose control of their behaviour. Whereas, a shutdown happens as a result of becoming overwhelmed as a result of exhausting resources in terms of social energy and general low energy levels.

Ways to Help When Someone is Overstimulated.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that not every autistic person experiences overstimulation from the same sources, nor experiences it in the same way. Therefore not every method to help someone experiencing it will work for every autistic person. The best thing to do to help someone with overstimulation is to ask them what will help them. 

For me, when I’m overstimulated, I generally prefer not to be touched, and spoken to sparingly as I typically also experience verbal shutdown when I’m overstimulated or in full shutdown. Being asked if I’m okay is useful, or what the trigger is if I’m not alright. Sometimes the best thing for someone to do is to leave them alone, as being spoken to and asked questions can at times make it worse. It really is very dependent on the individual as to what their needs might be when they’re overstimulated, and the best course of action is to ask those questions when they aren’t in a state of overstimulation. 

Simple ways to help someone who is experiencing overstimulation or sensory overload include; reducing the demands placed on them; giving them time to regulate and calm down; not talking to them and if possible finding somewhere quiet.

Respectful Language.

As with everything I’ve written here, this is being informed by my personal opinions on the matter, as well as posts and articles I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to about it. Obviously, this isn’t a blanket statement as not every autistic person has the same views on it. Some autistic people prefer identity-first language, as they see their diagnosis as being an intrinsic part of them and something that is unchangeable. 

From the website of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (known as ASAN), an intern wrote this on their blog; “In the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terminology such as “Autistic,” “Autistic person,” or “Autistic individual” because we understand autism as an inherent part of an individual’s identity — the same way one refers to ‘Muslims,’ ‘African-Americans,’ ‘Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer,’ ‘Chinese,’ ‘gifted,’ ‘athletic,’ or ‘Jewish.’ On the other hand, many parents of Autistic people and professionals who work with Autistic people prefer terminology such as ‘person with autism,’ ‘people with autism,’ or ‘individual with ASD’ because they do not consider autism to be part of an individual’s identity and do not want their children to be identified or referred to as ‘Autistic.’ They want ‘person-first language,’ that puts ‘person’ before any identifier such as ‘autism,’ in order to emphasise the humanity of their children.”

Furthermore, another source says “Intelligence is not a good estimate of functional levels in children with autism.” It goes on to say that “while the term was coined by researchers in the 1980s, it is a commonplace label heard in clinics, schools, and even mainstream media depictions of autism.” It was a term originally used to distinguish between individuals who had co-occurring intellectual difficulties. But ‘high-functioning autism’ isn’t an officially used diagnostic term in diagnostic manuals. It was also sometimes used indiscriminately with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is an outdated term as of 2013 when it was changed into the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Many autistic people have been advocating for a long time for this term to be abandoned altogether due to its inaccuracy; using this sort of functioning terminology comes with the assumption of someone’s abilities which may not match what the individual is capable of. ‘High functioning’ presumes functional strengths that an individual may not have; by contrast, ‘low-functioning’ comes with preconceptions of not having strengths or abilities. In other words, just because a person has typical or expected intellectual abilities, does not necessarily mean they have good functional skills for their age.

This is a debate that has been present within the autistic community for a very long time, and I don’t believe that a decision will be reached as to whether person-first or identity-first language is the most appropriate for everyone. That being said, people are entitled to their own opinion on it, and each person is allowed to use language to describe themselves that they feel is appropriate. What is most interesting indeed is the shared expressed sentiments that using or not using person-first language is necessary to change and shift societal attitudes toward Autistic people. Returning to the premise of this article, this is the sole reason why this debate continues to be argued and why many people on both sides regularly emerge upset and feel personally attacked. Language does play a large role in shaping societal attitudes.

Language and Communication.

The first thing to understand is what does communication mean. Communication happens when one person sends a message to another person. This can be verbally or non-verbally. Interaction happens when two people respond to one another - two-way communication. The ability of children with ASD to communicate and use language typically depends on their intellectual and social development. Some children with ASD may not be able to communicate using speech or language, and some may have very limited speaking skills. Others may have rich vocabularies and be able to talk about specific subjects in great detail. Many have problems with the meaning and rhythm of words and sentences. They also may be unable to understand body language and the meanings of different vocal tones. Taken together, these difficulties affect the ability of children with ASD to interact with others, especially people their own age. Some speech patterns that are attributed to autistic children are repetitive or rigid language; narrow interests and exceptional abilities; uneven language development; and poor nonverbal conversation skills.

Some autistic people as children are hyperlexic and develop language very rapidly when they are young and have a very wide range of vocabulary for their age group, and other autistic children have very minimal or no spoken language in comparison to their peer group. It might be the case that they gain those language skills at a slightly later point in their development, or perhaps they just don’t have spoken language throughout their life and use other methods of communication, for example, sign language, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) or AAC devices (alternative/augmentative communication). Some autistic people aren’t one or the other either, some experience a lack of ability to verbally communicate in certain situations or around large groups of people. This is something that was known as a variation of episodes of nonverbalism. It is now referred to as experiencing verbal shutdown. 

Where communication with autistic people is concerned, there are a couple of things that are relevant, firstly is the challenges some autistic people have with the ability to read and/or understand tone, and the second thing would be non-literal language. Not all autistic people have difficulty with those things, and similarly, not every potential solution is going to work for every situation or autistic individual. When it comes to autism nothing is ever one size fits all, and not every challenge or solution is going to be applicable. These are just things that have been found to be useful for either myself or other autistic people when the question has been asked.

In written messages, where appropriate (often something used between friends or people you don’t know very well) tone tags are something that is very helpful I’ve found. I use them when talking to people sometimes so my meaning isn’t taken in a way it isn’t intended, often when I’m joking or being sarcastic, but I have also sent them to all my friends so they will use them when it’s needed for the same reasons. 

On a similar note to the use of tone tags is figurative or non-literal language, meaning things like similes, metaphors, hyperbole and idioms. Some autistic people are very literal thinkers, which can cause confusion when figurative language is used. Something as simple as using the idiom ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’, for an allistic person (someone who isn’t autistic), or an autistic person who understands figurative language it would mean that it’s raining very heavily. But for a literal thinker, they would take it to mean that cats and dogs are literally falling from the sky like rain. 

All of the following examples have come directly from autistic people themselves and things that they have found helpful for their own workplaces, school settings or within friendships. As I have mentioned in previous sections, autism isn't a one size fits all diagnosis, and none of the traits nor all of the solutions are going to necessarily be applicable to every autistic individual. Please take this with a pinch of salt and if something doesn't work for you that's completely okay.

Some autistic people need to be very clear on instructions before they can complete a task. They may also need to understand the reason the task has been set too. This isn’t them trying to make the task harder, or the other person’s life harder, they simply need to understand entirely before they can proceed. On the topic of instructions, having them be clear and precise, as well as someone being direct and saying exactly what they mean rather than being vague. Furthermore, ensuring understanding of the first step of a task, not being told to ‘just give it a go’, because some autistic people find it difficult to say they don’t understand something or don’t realise they haven’t understood, and feel overwhelmed and like they’re going to get it wrong because they didn’t understand the first step.

When people are patient and are willing to explain, without complaining, what they mean when questions are asked or there’s a misunderstanding. 

Within the context of relationships and/or friendships. If an autistic person says that they're overstimulated as a result of [insert sensory trigger], please believe them, because even if that isn't affecting you, it is causing an effect on them, and they aren't overreacting or exaggerating how it's affecting them. They may already be stressed due to having to explain what caused the overstimulation. Just believe them and don't make it worse than it already is. In that state, they are likely to be even more stressed if someone doesn't believe them.

Something that I’ve mentioned several times throughout this essay is the difficulties some autistic people have in being able to read people’s tone of voice, or having confusion with non-literal language, or figurative language like sarcasm, idioms and irony, as well as having more literal interpretations of those things than was actually meant. Here I am going to go into more detail on this and talk about why this might be. 

The first big point to help autistic people with communication is a super simple one, yet it's also hard in practice. Simply asking the person if they have a preferred method of communication. It can be really hard for some autistic people to tell someone that they don't have the ability to listen or talk in a vocal sense and people tend to think there's something rude about texting. However, texting, especially when someone is feeling overwhelmed, is an easier way of communicating because the sensory issues are lowered. Since some people aren’t usually okay with it, one aspect of masking can take the form of not advocating for their communication needs. Another thing that people can do to help an autistic person with communicating is to occasionally check in during the conversation to see if too much information was given all at once. Sometimes, an autistic person might get overwhelmed by information, or just sources of input, and not know how to escape the situation. Sometimes it can be helpful to check in with the other people if they notice they’re talking about something that is unfamiliar to the other person for a while. It can be amazing when someone is talking passionately about a subject they love, but sometimes autistic people can't always handle new information and don't know how to communicate that to someone else.

Before I discuss the studies and talk about non-literal language in depth, I’m just going to define a few terms. Sarcasm is defined as the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. Irony is defined as the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Satire is defined as the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. Being facetious is defined as treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour. As can be noted from the definitions of sarcasm, irony and satire, they all stem from the idea of joking and mockery, and all typically use the tone of voice to convey as such. Therefore, it makes sense as to why autistic people might find these forms of non-literal (figurative) language confusing, which is something that will be discussed further on in the essay.

One study conducted in Seoul, South Korea, of patients at a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic in Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, aged 6 to 11 years old tested several different measures. All participants in this trial were Korean, and all family members were proficient native speakers of Korean. These included a psychological test and clinical symptom scales, such as Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), for the 42 patients. These patients were all diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using DSM-IV-TR criteria, and 10 neurotypical control participants. These findings suggest that children with ASD exhibit greater impairment in idiom comprehension, compared to normal control children. The KASLAT might be useful for evaluating idiom comprehension ability.

In addition to the findings of this Korean study into idiom comprehension I also want to touch on the concept of how autism can affect an autistic individual’s ability to comprehend figurative language, talking more broadly about examples such as similes, metaphors, sarcasm, irony and hyperbole. One American meta-analytical study looked at and compared the figurative language comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing controls (allistic individuals) who were matched based on chronological age or/and language ability. There were a total of 41 studies and 45 independent effect sizes that were included in this meta-analysis, which were picked based upon predetermined inclusion criteria. (Effect sizes can be unstandardised measures such as the difference between two means, but more often they are standardised, which makes them independent of a study's scales and instruments, making it in principle possible to compare different domains and approaches.)  Those criteria included group matching strategy, age, types of figurative language, and cross-linguistic differences were examined as predictors that might explain heterogeneity in effect sizes. Overall, individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder showed a poorer comprehension of figurative language than their typically developing peers. A meta-regression analysis showed that group matching strategy and types of figurative language were significantly related to differences in effect sizes, whereas chronological age and cross-linguistic differences were not. Differences between the autism spectrum disorder and typically developing groups were small and nonsignificant when the groups were matched based on the language ability. Metaphors were more difficult to comprehend for individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared with typically developing controls than were irony and sarcasm. Our findings highlight the critical role of core language skills in figurative language comprehension. Interventions and educational programmes designed to improve social communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder may beneficially target core language skills in addition to social skills.

Another factor in language and communication is social rules, and in particular, eye contact. This is one expectation that society has that some autistic people can find difficult to adhere to, making and maintaining eye contact when having conversations with people. But that begs the question, should we insist on eye contact in conversations? One article from the Indiana Resource Center for Autism discusses this idea in a lot of detail. They said “Some people who have autism actively avoid eye contact and appear confused and anxious when it occurs. Some seemed to make eye contact relatively early but later reported they were actually looking at something that fascinated them (such as their reflection in one's eyeglasses). When cued ‘Look at me,’ some make eye contact that recipients experience more as a staring gaze than as a communicative exchange. Some gradually learn to make eye contact and to read simple meanings that they have come to understand through experiences with what happens to them when a particular person's eyes have a specific look.” This is something that is a personal difficulty for me. Making and maintaining eye contact doesn’t come naturally to me, despite the fact that it is a societal expectation and is associated with social politeness. Something I distinctly remember from my childhood is being told in school to stop looking around the classroom when the teacher was talking to me. While I don’t remember what the full context was, or what I was feeling emotionally or mentally in that moment, it potentially was related to being autistic and trying to process what was being said. Something that I have found over the course of the last few years is that I find it easier to process and understand what’s being said to me if I’m not making eye contact with someone. The IRCA article mentioned above also noted that “Mothers often report that their family member who has autism watches his mother's eyes and, having had experience with certain looks before, anticipates what is coming next. Few mothers report having a sense of sharing mutually meaningful socioemotional messages through such encounters. Some folks who have autism gradually learn to think about social expectations around eye contact and to make an effort to use it periodically. Many appear to become more adept at making eye contact as comfort and competencies in social situations increase. Some report that their ability to make eye contact depends on context. For example, when an individual is comfortable and feeling relatively competent, he may be able to tolerate such exchanges. When in confusingly complex, overloading and other anxiety prompting situations, the same individual may overtly avoid eye contact. Some individuals appear to use eye contact from a young age; it is difficult to determine the extent to which those individuals are able to read subtle social messages that are typically conveyed via the eyes. Many seem to become more comfortable with eye contact, as well as better at reading some of the messages, over time. Few, it seems, report that eye contact ever becomes a really useful means for either receiving or sharing mutually understood messages. Few appear to feel confident concerning their abilities to read messages that may be conveyed via the eyes of various people in their lives.” Ultimately what seems clear from this article is that for some autistic people, like myself, eye contact isn’t a form of nonverbal communication that comes naturally or easily to them. That isn’t to say it’s impossible for an autistic person to do so, it just may be something that they are prompted to do or something that they hold and break throughout a conversation. One challenge with eye contact, as with lots of other forms of nonverbal communication that don’t come naturally, and therefore have to be learnt, is that the rules can be difficult to interpret. With eye contact, this can look like someone staring into the other person’s eyes or shifting their gaze from one eye to the other, or even staring at a particular spot on the other person’s face. All of these things might be taken as rudeness or insolence when in reality, all the person is trying to do is follow what society tells them is polite. So, should society insist on eye contact, honestly, I couldn’t even begin to answer that question. What I do think though is that it isn’t appropriate for everyone, and for some people, it can feel physically uncomfortable, and for some people, it can cause difficulties in information processing, therefore, while it can be a simple and routine thing for many people, it is also unnatural for many others.

The final point left to be discussed in reference to language and communication is body language. However, before discussing the content of the sources, I will just say that one source article that’s being used for this section is 14 years old, and since it was written and published, research into autism, and science as a field, has evolved. This means that it may contain outdated information that has since been disproven. However, that particular source isn’t the only one I’m using for my information. Firstly, what is meant by the idea of body language? Body language is a range of nonverbal signals that can be used to communicate feelings and intentions. These include posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures. The ability to understand and interpret other people's body language can help someone to pick up on unspoken issues or feelings.

The headline of an article from Spectrum News states “Autism Impedes Ability to Read Body Language”. It goes on to say that due to “a glitch in visual processing” that may be a cause as to why autistic people struggle to gauge emotions from the body language of others. They said “The problem may stem from the fact that people with autism tend to focus on small, local details of body movement - such as the activity of one hand -  rather than the motion of a body as a whole.” They said that scientists have long known that autistic people struggle to discern emotions from other types of social signals, such as the facial expression or voices of others. New findings, published online in June, indicate that body language is another important cue that is often misread by autistic people - and one that could be a target for future behavioural interventions. 

Another source from the Hussman Institute for Autism suggested that contrary to the content of the Spectrum News article, autistic people are actually just as able to identify emotions and understand body language as their neurotypical peers. This theory also contradicts the commonly-held belief that autistic individuals are ‘blind to other people’s feelings’. Previous research on this topic has produced mixed results, and the authors of this new study attempted to address the limitations of the previous work. The current study focused on children whereas the previous work primarily studied adults. It included almost 150 participants whereas many previous studies had smaller sample sizes, and compared emotion detection from eyes alone and from whole-body postures without faces whereas other work used only the faces and eyes. The research team, consisting of members from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia and the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They studied a total of 67 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 72 typically developing children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. They found that the children with ASD were just as capable of identifying emotions from full-body postures as their typically developing peers; both groups scored highly on the body-emotion measure. However, children with ASD  did not identify emotions from eyes alone nearly as well as their typically developing peers. The ASD children did find identifying emotions from eyes alone more difficult than when looking at entire bodies, but the difference wasn’t as great as in children with ASD. The team also looked at whether verbal IQ and empathy (as assessed by the children’s teachers) were correlated with the children’s ability to detect emotions. Interestingly, verbal IQ showed no correlation with emotion detection in either the autistic or typically developing children, which suggests that skill in detecting emotions is unrelated to verbal intelligence. Teachers indicated that on average, the typical children demonstrated a greater level of empathy than children with ASD. However, neither group of children showed a correlation between empathy (as assessed by their teachers) and their ability to detect emotions from either eyes or complete bodies. This indicates that the seemingly reduced empathy observed in children with ASD is not caused by a simple inability to perceive emotion, but might rather reflect a lack of motivation or knowledge of how to help others. The ability to detect emotion from bodies was also correlated with age in both groups, with older children performing better. The researchers also analysed the relationship between theory of mind and emotion detection. Theory of mind refers to the ability to see a situation from another person’s perspective. Overall, typically developing children performed better on traditional measures of theory of mind than children with ASD. These results suggest that those individuals may not obtain a great deal of social information from eye contact either, which reduces the value of eye contact for them even more. This research also indicates that the ability to interpret emotions from body posture increases with age, suggesting that continued exposure to body language can increase one’s knowledge of which emotions are associated with various postures. The ability of children with ASD to identify emotions from bodies in this study is encouraging, although the authors acknowledge that the conditions of the experiment were unrealistic: there was no expectation of a social response, the children were given as much time as they wanted to identify each emotion, and the images were still. In real-life social situations, the often fleeting nature of body language and the stress of a social interaction could make identifying emotions more difficult for individuals with ASD.

Support Needs.

The National Autistic Society website says “Autism is a spectrum disorder which means autistic people can have varying support needs. A third of autistic people also have a learning disability. The autism spectrum isn't linear and many people talk about the 'spikey profile.' This means an autistic person could be a leading expert on nuclear physics but unable to remember to brush their teeth or clean their clothes. Some autistic people will have high support needs, which may mean that they require full-time care and support. Some people may need a bit of support with day-to-day activities, while others live fully independent lives. With the right support in place, all autistic people should be able to live the life they choose.” 

That sums up what support needs are, but why is it more appropriate to talk about an autistic person having particular support needs and not in terms of functioning labels?

Well, the use of functioning labels to describe an autistic person’s ability to perform basic tasks and exist in life has been used for many years, and some people still use them now. The use for functioning labels is more for non-autistic people to describe an autistic's ability to function in society, typically labelling them as either "high-functioning" or "low-functioning".

High-functioning as a label is misleading because it implies that "high-functioning" autistic people can function better than “low-functioning” autistic people, which is not the case. “High-Functioning” autistic people might be able to manage everyday tasks with little difficulty but struggle with sensory processing, sleeping, lack of understanding of tone or social cues, or another facet of living as an autistic person. For these autistic people, their needs might not be recognised, potentially hindering them later in life if they do not receive appropriate support early on. No two autistic people have the same levels of support needs. Even two siblings who are both autistic won’t require the same support with the same things.

Relationships with Autistic People.

Relationships can take many forms, but this section is specifically looking at romantic and platonic relationships between autistic and allistic people. I may also look at queerplatonic relationships, as statistically autistic people have a higher percentage chance of identifying on the queer spectrum, and desire that form of relationship. 

Firstly I just want to define what platonic, romantic and queerplatonic relationships are, and how those things are different. A platonic relationship is one with no romantic or sexual features, but it means more than “just friends.” According to the ancient philosopher Plato, for whom the concept is named, this bond is a type of love experienced when we identify positive qualities that we feel complete us, within another person. Romantic relationships are those characterised by feelings of love and attraction for another person. While romantic love can vary, it often involves feelings of infatuation, intimacy, and commitment. Experts have come up with a variety of different ways to describe how people experience and express love. Queerplatonic relationships (QPR) and queerplatonic partnerships (QPP), terms that technically mean two different things, but are used interchangeably, are a type of committed and intimate relationship, but which are not romantic in nature. They may differ from usual close friendships by having more explicit commitment, validation, status, structure, and norms, similar to a conventional romantic relationship.

So how do these three forms of human connection relate to autistic people? 

Firstly I’m going to tackle the idea of platonic relationships. Autistic people might find social situations and settings a challenge, or to be overwhelming, and they might struggle to make and maintain friendships, which can then lead to social isolation. Sometimes it may feel as though other people know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other. Of course, this is not necessarily the case. As an autistic person, you may feel that your social differences mean other people don't understand you. For me, it took up until I was 16 or 17 before I could legitimately say I had friends. Looking back on my childhood, and my early teen years, I think there were a couple of factors in it. When I was a child, I think some of the struggles I had were that I felt I couldn’t relate to my peer group, I had a more complex vocabulary than they did, and in their words, I used ‘big fancy words’, in reality, though I was hyperlexic and just simply had a more wide-ranging use of language than they did at that particular time. I also think I had a more developed sense of emotional and physical maturity than my peer group too, which just further separated me from everyone else. That led me to spending more time with the adults at school, which then led me back to the same problem I was already having, of feeling apart from everyone else. When I was in secondary school, I thought things had improved, that I’d found friends, and I thought that for most of the time I was in secondary school. However, eventually, I came to the realisation that none of my ‘friends’ actually enjoyed being around me, they all just tolerated me being there, and that in reality, those ‘friends’ I thought I had, some of them were just bullies, and I didn’t realise I was being bullied for years. But enough of my friendship issues over the years, let’s get back to the main point of this section of the essay. 

There are a variety of reasons why an autistic person might struggle with friendships: the first one being that they might not know what to say, or the best way to say it. Conversations can be challenging for autistic people, initiating them and finding something to say isn’t always easy. They might want to start a conversation about an interest they have, but they might be worried about doing that, or unclear whether the other person is engaged in that conversation. They might struggle with understanding nonverbal communication, such as things like body language, facial expressions or gestures. They mightn’t be aware that someone being physically close to them shows someone is being friendly, or might not understand why someone is being friendly when their body language says something different. They might get extremely anxious in particular social situations, because of high expectations and being self-conscious. There is also the constant expectation to maintain the friendship, which causes challenges such as, not knowing how frequently to get in contact, it may also be difficult because of rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), which is the idea of the sudden and intense feelings in response to perceived (or actual) rejection or criticism. 

Now to talk about autism and romantic relationships. This is a topic I have been required to do a lot more research on as it’s an area I have minimal experience in and therefore can’t effectively speak on myself. 

If you’re autistic, you may feel perplexed and annoyed by the seemingly convoluted ways your loved ones communicate. Or perhaps you feel misunderstood by a close friend or micro-managed by a spouse. If your loved one is autistic, you might be frustrated by their fixations or rigid habits. Maybe your feelings have been hurt by their blunt remarks.

In a relationship like this, it’s not uncommon for both people to question whether things will last. In some cases, the partners react in ways that only inflame insecurities or escalate conflicts. For example, after an argument, the neurotypical partner might feel stressed out and unheard, while the autistic partner grows distant and resentful. As problems reoccur, the relationship becomes more and more strained. It’s important to remember that unhealthy relationship dynamics aren’t set in stone. It’s entirely possible for an autistic person and a neurotypical person to enjoy a satisfying romance or friendship. The key is to build a relationship that’s centred on mutual understanding and a willingness to compromise and adapt.

Autism as a neurotype means that it affects the ways in which an individual processes information, experiences and interacts with the world. This also means that sometimes autistic people approach relationships and social situations in ways that neurotypical and allistic people don’t always understand. This has led to some of the common misconceptions I’ve discussed above such as they don’t crave social interaction; they lack empathy; and that they don’t experience ‘normal’ emotions. All of these ideas are incorrect, for varying reasons. Firstly, as humans, it’s in our nature to crave social interaction and support and want to form strong relationships, and that includes autistic people. They have emotions and those emotions are just as strong as anyone else’s. There are just some autistic traits that might make a relationship a little more difficult to navigate. Some examples of this include reading social cues; autistic people can sometimes find reading social situations a little harder than allistic people, so they might unintentionally overlook their partner’s facial expression, misinterpret their tone of voice, or misread their mood. None of these things are done in malice, nor are they intentionally trying to aggravate anyone. Those things just don’t always come naturally to an autistic person, meaning that it can happen at times. However, with a little more thought and communication those challenges just become a part of the relationship. The autistic person may also experience high levels of stress and anxiety. This can often lead to the person overthinking and overanalysing situations. They might spend hours worrying about whether they misunderstood what was being said, or thinking that someone is secretly annoyed or upset with them. Again, as with the challenge of misreading social cues, with more communication on both sides, this becomes something that doesn’t present an issue within a relationship. 

So then, what can someone do to understand their autistic friend or partner?

Some things that can help to overcome issues is building mutual understanding; finding common ground is always a good starting point in any relationship, but don’t lose sight of the differences. It’s highly likely that each person will interpret the world and interactions in different ways. The way situations are responded to may also differ. The autistic partner may need a moment alone to process their emotions or want to take new experiences step by step. Conversely, the non-autistic partner may want to verbally vent their emotions or navigate challenges based on gut reactions. Neither of these things is inherently a bad thing, they are just new perspectives and being open to them will be helpful for everyone involved. Some things that can help with overcoming potential problems in a relationship include building mutual understanding; the individual taking responsibility for their actions; building effective communication strategies and working to the individual’s strengths. 

There are benefits to dating an autistic person, those things include honesty; autistic people are often known for being quite honest. Although sometimes this level of honesty can feel somewhat “brutal,” it has its benefits. You can feel more confident knowing your partner is being authentic with you and they mean what they say, especially when offering a compliment. It also includes reliability; autistic people tend to prefer routine and structure, so a relationship with them may feel quite safe and stable. There may be fewer surprises, and you can depend on some added consistency in your life. And loyalty; For those looking for a long-term relationship, you may have a lot in common with an autistic person. A 2010 study found that autistic people tend to be much more interested in long-term relationships compared with short-term flings. With the prevalence of dating apps and hookup culture, autistic people may offer a comforting change of pace for companionship.

The final type of relationship I want to discuss is queerplatonic relationships and queerplatonic partnerships. As I mentioned at the beginning of this section, these terms technically mean two different things but are often used interchangeably. They are a type of committed and intimate relationship, but which are not romantic in nature. They may differ from usual close friendships by having more explicit commitment, validation, status, structure, and norms, similar to a conventional romantic relationship. This form of relationship originated within the aromantic and asexual circles of the queer community. Initially, the idea of QPRs and QPPs was restricted to the aspec community, that being the aromantic and asexual community, however, over time it migrated out and became more widely used by a variety of groups within society. Similarly to romantic relationships, I can’t necessarily speak on with completely accurate information as I don’t have any personal experience with queerplatonic relationships or partnerships. I also haven’t been able to find any helpful sources about the subject concerning both autism and queerplatonic relationships. Therefore, I apologise if there is any misinformation included within this section as I’m working from what I understand of QPRs as they relate to aromantic and asexual individuals. 

So, I’ve already gone over the overall definition of what a queerplatonic relationship is, but how does that form of relationship relate to autistic people? Well, as previously mentioned, autistic people have a higher likelihood of identifying somewhere on the spectrum of queer identities, which isn’t something that is completely understood yet, however, that may have something to do with the idea that autistic people have a different view of the world, something which is discussed at the top of this essay in the section named ‘How Autism Works’. 

Queerplatonic relationships don’t look the same between people, just the same way that not every autistic person looks the same or displays traits in the same ways. Every QPR is specific to the individuals involved in it. One source said “In today’s society, there are many boxes romantic relationships have to fit in. Think about the hard lines for behavioural norms when it comes to friends or romantic relationships. People are expected to act a certain way with acquaintances and romantic partners. Queerplatonic partners blur those lines.” QPRs can often have various levels of emotional closeness and attraction. Some of them might resemble the typical presentation of romantic partnerships. One example of this is that some people in a QPR live in the same house, create major life activities together or develop a so-called family unit. There might even be a form of physical affection involved like hand-holding, cuddling, kissing, and even having sex. A queerplatonic partner may express a desire to get married. There isn’t a set of rules when it comes to queerplatonic relationships. For some, it involves physical aspects for others it does not. It all depends on what people find fits them best and makes them happy. Generally speaking, people in QPRs have a deep commitment to one another. This might look like them being monogamous exclusive partners. They are devoted to their connection and show commitment to life-planning that may be different from traditional ways of a romantic relationship but fit a queerplatonic relationship. 

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Why The "High/Low-Functioning" Labels are Harmful to Autistic People - Burns, A - Learning Disability Today - Published: 2019

Why we should stop using the term “high functioning autism” - Why we Should Stop Using the Term “High Functioning Autism” - Dr. Alvares, G - Published: July 11, 2019

Relationships

Making Friends - Making Friends - National Autistic Society

Making Friends - A Guide for Autistic Adults - Making Friends - A Guide for Autistic Adults

10 Reasons People With Autism Struggle With Friendships - 10 Reasons People With Autism Struggle With Friendships - Ambitious About Autism - Published: May 6, 2016

How People With Autism Forge Friendships - How People With Autism Forge Friendships - Denworth, L - Spectrum| Autism Research News - Published: April 1, 2020

Autism and Relationships: Benefits and Challenges - Autism and Relationships: Benefits and Challenges  - Howard, A - Published: March 30, 2022

The Evolution of Autistic-Like and Schizotypal Traits: A Sexual Selection Hypothesis -  The Evolution of Autistic-Like and Schizotypal Traits: A Sexual Selection Hypothesis - Frontiers - Del Giudice, M, Angeleri, R, Brizio, A, R Elena, M - Published: August 30, 2010

Adult Autism and Relationships - HelpGuide.org  - Adult Autism and Relationships - Reid, S - Published: February 22, 2023

Queerplatonic Relationship - What is it? What does it mean? - Taimi wiki - Queerplatonic Relationship - What is it? What does it mean? - Taimi - Sotska, J - Published: July 2, 2023

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