My (#hyperallistic) wife and I have been watching the series "Atypical", about an #autistic high-schooler. Even though the series appears to be better than its reputation, I haven't enjoyed it as much as I expected to, because of an inability to identify with the autistic protagonist Sam. And it isn't just the age difference; I remember quite vividly what high school was like. It's more that I'm atypical even among the atypical — different from Sam in several ways:
(1) #Monotropism versus #kaleidotropy: Sam has a few stereotypically restricted and repetitive interests; for example, Antarctic penguins. Any one of my interests, viewed in isolation, might look like that from the outside — yet unpredictably, at any time, they can easily be pushed aside by other, even more fascinating special interests.
(2) Sensation avoidance versus sensation seeking: Sam must wear noise-cancelling headphones to avoid shutdowns and meltdowns, for example. I do have some sensation-avoidant characteristics; in particular, I detest clothing tags as torture devices. But my attitude toward bright light is an example of the opposite tendency. I wish the bright fluorescent panels at work were even brighter; it annoys me when old ones that are starting to dim aren't promptly replaced. And both at home and at work, I find myself staring at light sources without even thinking about it. It's a stim, or would be if I didn't consciously restrain myself from doing it, reminding myself that it isn't good for my eyes.
(3) Visual thinking versus verbal thinking: although Sam is quite articulate in words, he has a special talent for drawing, and at least some tendency toward "thinking in pictures". Although I have a vivid visual imagination, I can't really draw or paint at all; and even when I see vivid images in my mind, "left-brain" abstraction, logic, and calculation remain firmly in the driver's seat. I have a tendency to remember generalizations, and forget the examples or statistics that established them — which can be inconvenient when I'm trying to persuade someone else to agree.
(4) #Alexithymia versus no alexithymia: Sam has almost as much difficulty perceiving his own emotions as in reading other people's. For example, several episodes are devoted to his struggles to decide whether or not he is in love. By contrast, although I have stereotypically autistic difficulties in reading other people's emotions from their speech and behavior, I have never had any difficulty at all in perceiving my own emotions.
I'd be interested in hearing other people's reactions to the series "Atypical", or to the contrasts I've drawn here.
@autistics
