“Autism is A Medical Diagnosis.” I saw this statement posted recently and it got me thinking – is that all it is?
There certainly is a medical definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The current definition centres around difficulties with social communication, social interaction, and restrictive and repetitive behaviours. However, that definition has changed considerably since the term autism was first used and is continuing to change and adapt as the understanding of the broad spectrum of neurodiversity has grown. In recent years, much of that greater understanding has been led by neurodivergent people themselves rather than being led by academic research.
I believe there is much more to autism than the medical model. For a start, the medical model defines autism by “difficulties”. In this model, an autistic person is, by definition, beset by difficulties. The truth is that many autistic people are happy and thriving in their own unique way and in a supportive environment. They only have difficulties when they try to interact with a world that doesn’t understand, support, or accommodate their needs. This leads us to the social model of autism, which sees the environment around the autistic person as the issue, rather than the person. Change the environment to suit the person and the person no longer is beset with difficulties.
For example, many autistic people have a Gestalt learning style. This learning style is great for seeing the whole picture and intuition but it is not well suited to learning in a classroom or lecture setting. Gestalt learners often struggle with traditionally taught academic subjects but excel in more hands-on subjects. They often do much better when they research and teach themselves a subject rather than in a formal learning environment. Gestalt learning is not a disability. It is simply that they will do better in a Gestalt learning environment rather than a traditional audio/visual learning environment.
The world needs difference. Different perspectives and ways of viewing the world are essential to creativity and novel solutions to issues. We really need to learn to think of differences as important rather than as medical difficulties.
Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash