Autism from the Autistic Perspective

Every autistic person (like any other person) is unique and individual. We are all very different from one another and this is because of age, personality, gender, and various other intersectionalities including culture, sexuality, social status, ethnicity, and every other human characteristic as well as our unique autistic profile. The common denominator for us all though, as autistic people, appears to be in how we process information or in our ‘cognitive style’ (Murray et al., 2005). Our cognitive disposition includes being monotropic, which is the lens through which we view everything else. Because we are singly focused and better at noticing and doing one thing at a time, rather than attempting several things practically simultaneously, this puts us in the minority. However, it’s common for many Allistic individuals to feel confident in conversation, while walking, thinking, processing, and noting things ahead (danger, hunger, boredom, personal needs, and so on), but this may not be the case for Autistic individuals. Usually, we focus upon one thing at any one time. This means we use up an enormous amount of concentration and energy but for smaller demands on our time (Elder-Robison, 2008; Grandin, 2006; Lawson, 1998; Lawson, 2011; Williams, 1996).