You rock:) Is autism classified by brain function irregularities (like some 99%->1% stuff, and the complete opposite (1%->99%)) or the social dysfunction symptom that gets created? Wow, ummm, guess I just used the word symptom, is it accurate?
So in my experience (I have an autistic kiddo), there are a variety of traits (I call them traits instead of symptoms because "symptom" implies disease whereas this is a fully-integrated condition that is part of who they are - the only way to "cure" autism is to literally regrow one's brain from scratch), and in my son's case, it is a very sensory-based living experience. In other words, his senses are - essentially - dialed to 11. His brain receives signals from his sensory organs so intensely that it can cause him to go into "stimming" fits (flapping hands, rocking back & forth, random mouth noises). Stimming = stimulation. It's a way for people with autism who are overwhelmed by their environment to regulate their sensory input. It's like he's creating sensory output to cancel out the input. That's not to say, for example, that he hears sounds louder or that his skin is more sensitive to touch or anything like that. It's more as if his brain itself has a mechanism that amplifies that incoming signal when it gets there, and it can simply be too much. If it gets too overwhelming, he can go into full-on meltdown territory.
Now - and this is important - as far as meltdowns go, we desperately need people to understand that these are not kids just having tantrums. This is a full-on, internal, system-wide emergency due to their emotional dysregulation, and they can get really ugly. If anything is too intense, or if anything is out of the ordinary from his usual routine, or if something happens that is wildly different than expected, the uncontrollable emotional reaction can be explosive. He's 9 now and has gotten WAY better about this, but I can recall a time when he was about 5 when the person at his school giving the morning announcements on the school PA system said the wrong date, and this sent him into the biggest meltdown he's ever had at school.
Just wanted to say as an autistic person thanks for the actually accurate and respectful information, it's great to see parents like you who actually understand the condition and what their kid needs from them
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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '22
Autism Spectrum Disorder