Read on Twitter
A little thread to bring some reality to the statement
"Autistic people experience the world differently to non-autistic people"
/
"Autistic people experience the world differently to non-autistic people"
/
/
Imagine a large group of work colleagues, gathered in a team meeting, being told "We are having a mandatory team-building event. The theme will be skydiving. We are going to have so much fun! We will all get trained and then we will all jump at least once from 10,000 feet!"
/
Imagine a large group of work colleagues, gathered in a team meeting, being told "We are having a mandatory team-building event. The theme will be skydiving. We are going to have so much fun! We will all get trained and then we will all jump at least once from 10,000 feet!"
/
/
Sharon, who's already done jumps for charity three times, is thrilled. She can't wait. She feels valued by her company and is experiencing warm fuzzy feelings in anticipation of the team bonding experience and fun.
/
Sharon, who's already done jumps for charity three times, is thrilled. She can't wait. She feels valued by her company and is experiencing warm fuzzy feelings in anticipation of the team bonding experience and fun.
/
/
Paul, on the other hand, is now having a mild panic attack. He is terrified of heights and he feels sick. His legs feel like jelly, and his mind is racing with all of the possible strategies he could use to get out of the event. He feels isolated and unheard.
/
Paul, on the other hand, is now having a mild panic attack. He is terrified of heights and he feels sick. His legs feel like jelly, and his mind is racing with all of the possible strategies he could use to get out of the event. He feels isolated and unheard.
/
/
Paul also feels shame, because 95% of his colleagues are cheering and whooping. He thinks "Why am I always so different?". A few people in the room have gone quiet; Paul wonders how they are feeling and whether he has anything in common with them.
/
Paul also feels shame, because 95% of his colleagues are cheering and whooping. He thinks "Why am I always so different?". A few people in the room have gone quiet; Paul wonders how they are feeling and whether he has anything in common with them.
/
/
Later that evening, Paul feels extremely sad and anxious. His mind goes back to all of the previous times that he's felt different and excluded, and blames himself for being a miserable killjoy.
/
Later that evening, Paul feels extremely sad and anxious. His mind goes back to all of the previous times that he's felt different and excluded, and blames himself for being a miserable killjoy.
/
/
Nothing about Paul or Sharon's external appearances would give away that one loves adrenaline fuelled activities and one is terrified of heights.
But Paul experiences these types of activity *differently*.
/
Nothing about Paul or Sharon's external appearances would give away that one loves adrenaline fuelled activities and one is terrified of heights.
But Paul experiences these types of activity *differently*.
/
/
If you can understand how Paul feels, perhaps you can also understand that #autistic people may have similar (and as strong) feelings about things that you might find perfectly ordinary or thrilling. For example, a surprise birthday party, an invitation to a pub
/
If you can understand how Paul feels, perhaps you can also understand that #autistic people may have similar (and as strong) feelings about things that you might find perfectly ordinary or thrilling. For example, a surprise birthday party, an invitation to a pub
/
/
A need to go shopping, a need to fill in forms to deal with something official, being presented with unfamiliar food, certain sounds, textures, smells, tastes. The thought of navigating Christmas, being asked to "get out of their comfort zone" at work. Travel.
A need to go shopping, a need to fill in forms to deal with something official, being presented with unfamiliar food, certain sounds, textures, smells, tastes. The thought of navigating Christmas, being asked to "get out of their comfort zone" at work. Travel.
/
The list is long and as diverse as individuals are diverse.
#autistic people may react to things that you think are trivial in the same way that Paul reacted to the thought of jumping out of an aeroplane.
And nothing about their external appearance would give you a clue.
/
The list is long and as diverse as individuals are diverse.
#autistic people may react to things that you think are trivial in the same way that Paul reacted to the thought of jumping out of an aeroplane.
And nothing about their external appearance would give you a clue.
/
/
Of course, no workplace would make jumping out of an aeroplane *mandatory*; everyone understands *and accepts* that some people would be terrified by this *and traumatised if forced to do it*.
/
Of course, no workplace would make jumping out of an aeroplane *mandatory*; everyone understands *and accepts* that some people would be terrified by this *and traumatised if forced to do it*.
/
/
But the world constantly forces #autistic people to do things that traumatise *them*.
This is why we need *acceptance* of the fact that many, diverse experiences that seem trivial or exciting to non-autistic people are traumatising for autistic people.
/
But the world constantly forces #autistic people to do things that traumatise *them*.
This is why we need *acceptance* of the fact that many, diverse experiences that seem trivial or exciting to non-autistic people are traumatising for autistic people.
/
/
It's also why we need more information and awareness and diagnostic services to ensure that no individual is left in the situation that Paul faced day after day, year after year, decade after decade, being repeatedly traumatised and *blaming themselves for that trauma*.
/end
It's also why we need more information and awareness and diagnostic services to ensure that no individual is left in the situation that Paul faced day after day, year after year, decade after decade, being repeatedly traumatised and *blaming themselves for that trauma*.
/end
Just to clear up - when I wrote this I "cast" Paul as non-autistic. The point is that Paul has a *widely accepted* atypical reaction to something (heights).
Also, the setting of the analogy in a workplace is not meant to *limit* this to workplace issues for autistic people.
Also, the setting of the analogy in a workplace is not meant to *limit* this to workplace issues for autistic people.
Muting this now - thanks for all the wonderfully appreciative replies and QTs!
I’ll be happy if this can help foster empathy, which was all the original intent was.
I’ll be happy if this can help foster empathy, which was all the original intent was.
