Autistics literally view the world differently

[Magna]

I find the study about the picture to be interesting. I too would focus on the middle of the picture and not on a person's face in the picture. I'm talking about the picture 30 seconds into the short video above.

Edit: As others have commented about my statement about looking at a face in a picture. The main subject of the video isn't about looking at faces, it's about a doctor saying 1) The brains of autistics are in fact "wired" (my word choice) differently that NTs. 2) Because of this, autistics literally view the world differently than NTs.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

I find the study about the picture to be interesting. I too would focus on the middle of the picture and not on a person's face in the picture. I'm talking about the picture 30 seconds into the short video above.

Yes well it is on a spectrum and some people enjoy looking at faces but that does not mean you can do it all the time.
You can have face blindness and face recognition and memory at the same time. That you may notice aspects of a person's face and remember it but still struggle with photos. So that is that.
And I like looking at faces when not burnt out and do it persistently at times when not burnt out but just women mainly that I know of, I get more shy around men.
But yes I get embarrassed because I do not like people realize I'm doing it and try not to do it too much.

 

[Porky]

Yeah, I know when I should look at faces, but often I just don't. And I will aim my eye gaze at the bridge of the nose if I really have to sometimes. I think it's an energy thing. A masking thing also maybe. But also something else. Even as a child it was awkward, couldn't concentrate on the conversation and the eyes were distracting. My inner voice would start a different conversation with the eyes and I think I was expecting them to respond to that conversation but they never did. Like silent reading and then someone in the room says a phrase or string of words at exactly the same time as you read those words. And just those words echo loud in your head when nothing else does. Spooky. Happened a lot for me as a kid - speed reading bookworm.

 

[vergil96]

I don't pay a lot of attention to faces, I don't know what is so special about them. Facial expressions are sometimes important, but it's not what stands out to me. When it comes to people, I pay more attention to their body language and movement.

 

[Rodafina]

The lights and shadows of the face are fascinating to me. I find people’s faces very interesting, but distracting to any communication that is happening. I can definitely relate to how @Porky described it.

 

[Hypnalis]

I suggest that the message of the video isn't whether you could, should, want to, should want to, ... look at faces.

It's that looking at faces in a certain way is an NT indicator ... and not doing so is a "not-NT" indicator (maybe even a positive ASD indicator).

It's obvious to me that ASDs think differently. I knew that about myself before I ever considered I might be an Aspie.

For me the video is interesting because:
1. It's potentially the first thing I've been exposed to that all ASD's might have in common
2. It is (or rather, might be) the first objective testable indicator for ASD (or some ASD's) that I've ever seen

I get that most people here don't care about stuff like that. But I think it could be very important for us.

Face perception - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Face perception - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Face perception - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[kenaij]

When looking at people, I often focus more on their bodies, the way they walk, certain features that stand out compared to other people. I focus on the face much later.
I can force myself well enough to look at someone's face when I get introduced to them. But it takes so much concentration I forget their name and the first couple of sentences almost completely. Only when I feel like I`m 'allowed' to look at other features as their face do I feel I start remembering what they tell me about themselves.

 

[Misty Avich]

Is it literally saying all people on the spectrum have this trait? Because I don't. No wonder I'm always questioning my diagnosis.

Hmm, I think I'm "neurologically fluid" (sorry I can't think of a more intelligent term). I find my case is very contradicting. The traits I do have are mostly mild, scattered around in complex areas, not at all like the average autistic person. I have always been able to naturally make eye contact, except with passing strangers on the street, but that's due to social anxiety and avoiding eye contact does feel unnatural to me, therefore stressful. But due to a lot of bad experiences I've had with strangers I've sort of developed a sort of detachment disorder or whatever it's called, similar to PTSD, where I don't trust strangers. I don't know.

Anyway I don't think there's really any autism trait that all autistics have so it's inaccurate to say it.

 

[Rodafina]

“neurologically fluid" (sorry I can't think of a more intelligent term).

That’s a great term. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[vergil96]

Hm, it's interesting to hear that aspies get told they should look at the face. While I'm relatively new ro the topic of autism, I've known it since childhood that the way I perceive the world is a bit different and I'm at ease with that - that not the same things stand out to me as to most people and I'm more of a practical person who can focus on something a lot and goes more in depth than tuned to complex social situations and surface-level interactions and information. I don't feel as if I fit the autism mold well either, tbh. This one trait fits, though. Faces don't pop out to me, and they're distracting.

 

[Magna]

Anyway I don't think there's really any autism trait that all autistics have so it's inaccurate to say it.

There is a trait that all autistics have in common: Our brains are "wired" differently than NTs. That's what the doctor in the video is saying. And as such, autistics view the world differently than NTs.

I agree, given that autism is a "spectrum", there are other traits that some have that others don't.

 

[Hypnalis]

I'm not personally happy with "wired differently" as a definition. It includes e,g, people with the "hardware" to be psychopaths. I definitely don't want to be sorted together with them.

"Not all ASD are the same" matches my experience, but it doesn't exclude the possibility that we all have something(s) in common.

I think HFA's do. The fact that we tend to understand each other quite well, and enjoy social context with each other more than with NTs, suggests to me that we share some characteristics.

 

[Magna]

I'm not personally happy with "wired differently" as a useful definition. It includes e,g, people with the "hardware" to be psychopaths. I definitely don't want to be sorted together with them.

"Not all ASD are the same" matches my experience, but it doesn't exclude the possibility that we all have something in common.

I think HFA's have something in common. The fact that we tend to understand each other quite well, and enjoy social context with each other more that with NTs, suggest to me that we share some characteristics.

I use "wired" only for lack of a better term to use that wouldn't be pedantic or clinical, neither of which roll off the tongue.

 

[Misty Avich]

I get along with NTs. My husband is NT and we have an unbreakable bond between us where. I had the same bond with my NT mum too, and a best friend I used to have, and some of my cousins. Sometimes I don't always feel wired differently, especially when I'm around my husband or family or even people at work and a few friends. Most people I know are NTs.

 

[Hypnalis]

I use "wired" only for lack of a better term ...

I quite like "wired".

I reused it in that post because it's actually possible to identify the possibility that someone is could be a psychopath from a brain scan. For such things I definitely prefer "wiring" to "wetware"
( Note that it's not a sufficient condition: its present in almost all psychopaths, but it's also present in many other people who behave normally. Check out "James Fallon" on youtube for some useful insights)

As far as I know neither brain scans nor genetic scans are helpful for identifying ASD.

But while I don't believe that all ASDs across the whole spectrum necessarily have a few specific things in common, I think it's probably true for HFA's.

 

[kenaij]

I quite like "wired".

I reused it in that post because it's actually possible to identify the possibility that someone is could be a psychopath from a brain scan. For such things I definitely prefer "wiring" to "wetware"
( Note that it's not a sufficient condition: its present in almost all psychopaths, but it's also present in many other people who behave normally. Check out "James Fallon" on youtube for some useful insights)

As far as I know neither brain scans nor genetic scans are helpful for identifying ASD.

But while I don't believe that all ASDs across the whole spectrum necessarily have a few specific things in common, I think it's probably true for HFA's.

I actually came across a video of an MD who suggested you could test for ASD with brainscans. But since his information seemed very outdated when it came to ASD I doubt it was reliable.
Don't know the specific video but it was by the doctor in het video:

 

[Magna]

I quite like "wired".

I reused it in that post because it's actually possible to identify the possibility that someone is could be a psychopath from a brain scan. For such things I definitely prefer "wiring" to "wetware"
( Note that it's not a sufficient condition: its present in almost all psychopaths, but it's also present in many other people who behave normally. Check out "James Fallon" on youtube for some useful insights)

As far as I know neither brain scans nor genetic scans are helpful for identifying ASD.

But while I don't believe that all ASDs across the whole spectrum necessarily have a few specific things in common, I think it's probably true for HFA's.

I seem to recall Temple Grandin saying that her brain scan showed a larger brain stem than NTs and that it's common for autistics to have that difference in brain structure.

 

[Ken]

The most informative book I have ever read; that explained the difference between autistic perceptions compared the NT perceptions is a book that never mentions the word autism. The book is all about Umwelt. The dictionary definition of umwelt is woefully inadequate. It takes a whole book to adequately define it. The book is, "An Immense World." By Ed Yong. It's all about perceptions of all animals on the earth and how immense the world of perceptions there are and how "blind" we all are to most of it. The book explains it in great detail.

I have found that autistic's can perceive things that NT's can't and vice versa. Very problematic for autistic's in an NT built world.

 

[Aspychata]

It's like l am focusing on your words, not what your face is saying. Or l focus on your face, what emotions you show, but not listening to your words. I think l shift between your expressions and the words said. It's a bit of a stretch to pull it together. I actually enjoy TV with the sound down, so l can just read expressions. If l am looking at you, it's not very intense, it's a dead eye look because l am already debating how l will handle the communication expected of me. I mask so well now, that l have that mask welded permanently to my front cortex.

 

[Masked Man]

It's like l am focusing on your words, not what your face is saying. Or l focus on your face, what emotions you show, but not listening to your words. I think l shift between your expressions and the words said. It's a bit of a stretch to pull it together. I actually enjoy TV with the sound down, so l can just read expressions. If l am looking at you, it's not very intense, it's a dead eye look because l am already debating how l will handle the communication expected of me. I mask so well now, that l have that mask welded permanently to my front cortex.

I feel like this is exactly the problem I have sometimes. I am trying to both listen to someone's words while at the same time read their facial expression. It's very difficult to do both, especially if the person I am speaking with has a difficult personality.

My old boss was like this. She was very manipulative and not a nice person in general. If someone said something wrong around her, it would set her off. So trying to talk to her, while reading her expression was exhausting. I'm glad she's no longer with the office.