AUTISM OR NOT, WE ALL HAVE AUTISTIC TRAITS

AUTISM OR NOT, WE ALL HAVE AUTISTIC TRAITS

To a certain degree, we all have autistic traits, but this does not mean that we all have autism because that is not what I am saying. I am merely highlighting something I have come to notice and decided to help you notice it too so we can better understand what people with autism are like — see this as being in an autistic person’s “shoes”.

I normally like to define words first for better understanding because what I am doing here is teaching through writing, so, I always want to be clear. With this out of the way, let us look at what the term trait means.

Trait defined.

According to the dictionary I use where biology and psychology are concerned, a trait is an identifying characteristic, habit, or trend. We all have habits and trends which I believe and know for sure that they are autistic traits.

Traits described.

I want to describe to you what autistic traits look like and tell you why I say they are autistic. Again, I am not saying that having these traits means one has autism. These are meant to help you understand how hard it is for people with autism and why they are rigid and repetitive. I am going to paint a few scenarios for you to understand these traits.

First scenario

You go to a pharmacy to buy a pack of magnesium pills and the brand you’ve used for many years is Slow-Mag. You find a shop assistant and ask them to help you, they tell you they’ve run out of Slow-Mag but have another brand that works just as well. The shop assistant goes as far as reading you the ingredients and the whole labelling just to show you they are really the same, just different brands.

What do you do? You tell them you don’t want another brand but Slow-Mag. Let’s exaggerate this a little and say that the brand they are showing you is even cheaper than Slow-Mag and has more pills than the brand you are used to, and it’s on special. You still wouldn’t buy them. Do you want to know why? Because you are used to your brand and if it’s not Slow-Mag then it’s not magnesium — well at least that’s what you tell yourself. Don’t you agree that that’s an autistic trait?

Here’s another one:

You always shop at the same supermarket or shop all the time and go at a specific time and seldom randomly. Sometimes you even pay to the same cashier only, you even help others to jump you so you can be attended by that cashier. Why? Because first, by now you know the whole store’s layout. You know what’s where and where they keep it if it’s on promotion.

You know their busiest and quiet times, you know all their cashiers — the fast, the slow, and the mean. You know that you can find everything you need, and it Is good quality too, you can literally go in and out of that store in no time because you know everything without being assisted, and that makes life easier for you, doesn’t it? Oh, and let’s not forget to mention the reason why you wouldn’t want to go to another store.

You don’t know their layout very and would still need to maze around a few times before you can be familiar with it, and you hate that. You don’t know when they are busy and quiet, you don’t know if they keep all your products, you don’t know if they have good service or not. And gathering this survey is just time-consuming and stressful, isn’t it?

And here’s yet another one:

You always go to the same restaurant, you sit at that same corner booth, you order the same thing every time and you always ask for “Maxine” when you get there. Even if you sometimes came during their busiest times and your booth is occupied and you are offered another table you refuse it, you’d rather wait until it’s cleared.

Do you know why? Because first, you know the whole menu like the back of your hand and don’t need to flip it over for thirty good minutes before ordering — you know the restaurant’s entire layout. And Maxime, your favourite waitress knows what you’re going to order because you always order your steak and steamed veggies and a large glass of red merlot.

She knows how you like your steak and your wine, and she knows that you’re going to order a slice of big caramel cake for dessert and that it’s going to be a takeaway. She also knows you pay with a card, that it’s a cheque account, and that it doesn’t tap, doesn’t swipe because the swiping strip is old and needs to be inserted in the machine.

How does Maxime know all this? You’ve taught her the first few times you came here and after seeing your face a few times, she became used to you. Let’s now look at why you wouldn’t go to other restaurants. You must first get used to their menu and learn their food and the ingredients they are using. You must also explain that you like your steak well done and that the veggies must not be over-steamed.

You would be asked if your card is a savings or cheque account, then you’d be asked if it swipes, taps, or is inserted. Something that Maxime already knows. And because she knows, you prefer going to where she works at almost all cost.

What do these traits mean for people with autism?

These may be a habit or two of yours but to people on the spectrum, these are not just mere autistic traits; they are like their rod and navigator and their “survivor’s skills”. I call these survivor’s skills because autistic people are often misjudged and misunderstood a lot because of their uniqueness.

Remember, people on the spectrum have difficulty communicating and interacting, hence the rigid and repetitive behaviours. These characteristics or traits help minimize the stress that comes with their impairments, they are like their “guard dog” which helps them where they can’t “see”.

My advice

Don’t change an autistic person’s routine just like you wouldn’t want anyone changing yours for no good reason. You like yours because they make your life simple, right? The same is true for people on the spectrum.

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