Monotropism Theory

The monotropism hypothesis, also discussed under the name Single Attention and Associated Cognition in Autism (SAACA) (Lawson, 2009), is one of the modern, perception-based explanatory hypotheses of autism, alongside the model of Enhanced Perceptional Functioning (Mottron et al., 2006) and the Intense World Theory (Markram & Markram, 2010). As a proponent of the monotropism hypothesis, it is assumed that changed neurobiological structures, processes, and functions are at work in the brain compared to Allistic brains. However, a changed brain structure does not necessarily mean a deficit (Lawson, 2011, p. 27, 108). Rather, we see in monotropism a reflection of a strengths perspective, the cause of autism-specific learning behaviour and the reason for the often-cited special interests (Murray et al., 2005).