1) Autistic Symphony by Alan Griswold http://autisticsymphony.com/

2) The Neanderthal theory by Leif Ekblad http://www.rdos.net/eng/asperger.htm

3) Autism and the Four-pole Hypothesis by Andrew Lehman http://www.neoteny.org/2009/01/20/autism-and-the-four-pole-hypothesis/
http://www.originsofautism.com/ http://www.neoteny.org/ http://sexualselection.org/

4) A Topological Theory of Autism by Gregory B. Yates http://www.autismtheory.org/topotheory.html

Now I can restore ASD to the list of suspects after misguidedly ruling it out on the grounds of its supposed attenuation of empathy. Self-diagnosis appears to be the only option for ASD under the NHS.

I do not know if its devastating (for many it may be), but it’s sure not easy to be hypersensitive or autistic or whatever you want to call it. And it’s even harder when people take your withdrawal (which is for pure survival) for all the wrong reasons.

Excellent rant. Wow. You said it all so well, and with just the right amount of outrage.

I’ve just published a rant on my blog largely inspired by this post (and my bad temper…). I haven’t figured out how do ‘backlinks’ yet (I think that’s what they’re called) and wanted to let you know you’d been referred to. Here’s the link: http://paris-ankara.blogspot.com/2010/04/boys-will-be-boys-will-be-autistic-my.html
Needless to say, I’d much value your feedback!

I have seen bits and pieces of this theory floating around the autist blogosphere for many months, but this is the first research article I have seen that takes a scientific approach to the idea–whatever that is worth; I know opinions on science vary, especially on NT approaches to science. I can’t find any better description of my fear responses that I apparently started to exhibit in infancy in reaction to any but a very narrow set of stimuli, as well as my rather deep attachment to the intensity of my sensory and emotional experiences right up to the point where they pass the limit into pain. Sometimes I can stay with them a little beyond, sort of surfing an intense pleasure/pain circuit, but there is still a limit beyond which I cannot function.

Sociability is so fraught with emotional traps and overloaded with symbolic meaning that I feel paranoid sometimes, as though I am purposefully, or rather obsessively, reading too much into things when I have a personal stake in what they “really” mean, while remaining completely obtuse to those interactions that hold no consequences for me that I know of.

I still am not sure whether I seem like I am on the spectrum because I have become very sensitive to stimuli as a PTSD reaction or whether my PTSD reactions are so severe because I am hypersensitive to stimuli and therefore more easily and more deeply traumatized than another may have been in my place. I tend to think the latter when I recall stories my mother told about my behavior as a very young child, before the really major traumas occurred. Not that minor ones didn’t occur everyday–they did.

Anyway. Thought I’d share what this post brought up for me. I will go and read the article now. I’ll just bleep out the more ridiculous remarks. Thanks for posting this.

Your description sounds even better – hyper intensity – makes a lot of sense, especially in the emotional realm, where the accepted ‘wisdom’ is so firmly on the hypo-emotional side of things.

In general, this theory meshes nicely with my experience of engaging with typical people and scenarios, whereby going too fast is just as out-of-sync as going too slow.

Thanks for your comment, and welcome!

P.S. Your avatar is amazing!

this is fascinating, and it is very validating. it’s almost amusing to me that most current theories have those with AS (or NLD’s) “under-stimulated” or “hypo-functioning” in some areas of the brain. the amygdala? hypo-functioning? as if i just don’t make much eye contact because—oh well—haven’t gotten around to it yet, or just don’t care to. (no. it’s anxiety-provoking! and i agree: they could just talk to someone, and get the same info.)

again—it gives words to things that have had some intuitive meaning to me, but which i just couldn’t really articulate (not having the science, and all.) thank you for posting this.

Far from considering autistic people as incomplete individuals with missing pieces, the authors conclude that “the autistic person is an individual with remarkable and far above average capabilities due to greatly enhanced perception, attention and memory. In fact, it is this hyper-functionality which could render the individual debilitated.”

—…made me just burst into tears.

(Not joking in the least.)

This is EXACTLY why I had to drop out of college for a year & a half [& countingrrrrrgh]—in spite of being the most goddamn devoted & prolific student in the whole damned college.

I don’t, uh…”do” moderation. My mother says I’ll crash & burn, be a bum on the streets—if I don’t learn how to compromise my sense of integrity with real world expectations & deadlines &—

I just want to shriek & kick something HARD whenever anybody tells me that functioning at a much lower level should be “a cakewalk for a brilliant kid” like me!

Know my mom’s favourite thing to opine? “You’d be so perfect—the world would be soooo much easier…!—if only we could find that ‘off’ switch!”

UGH!