Autistic Culture

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Hello everyone,

Wanted to start a thread on the above, 'Autistic Culture'.

What is it?
Who will define it?
Who advocates it?

Looking forward to hear your thoughts.

Grant South [AS/HFA]

I think each person defines "Autistic Culture" according to one's own preferences.

It doesn't exist, unless it so happens to be the special interest of some autistic people, then it exists too much.

Forums like WP are a big part of Autistic Culture. Educating the public about what it means to be autistic and eradicating the myths. Learning more about Autism and appreciating all the things that are good and valuable about autistic individuals. Autistic pride, celebrating neurodiversity, autistics communicating with other autistics.

Also it is the belief that Autism isn't a disease to be cured, but a different way of being, a brain that is wired differently and should be accepted and tolerated in society.

'Autistic Culture' does exist and there is a lot of information about it that you can research.

Hello-

Here is an attempt to define a basis for a developing Autistic Culture.

Autistic Culture is the communication of Neuro-difference as positive, intelligent and creative with the inherent ability to make meaningful contributions both large and small to society.

Autistic Culture includes the unique communication of autistic individuals in all fields of human endeavour.
[In no particular order/just pictures that came to my mind].

Writers
Artists
Musicians
Academic's
Scientists
Poets
Activists
Athletes
Engineers
Technicians
Health Professionals
Teachers
Welfare/Social Workers
Vet's

Temple Grandin in "How does visual thinking work in the mind of a person with autism?" 2009, suggests that three types of thinking may predominate-
1. Photo-realistic visual thinkers. "My area of weakness is in algebra because there is no way to visualize it" [Grandin 2009]
2. Pattern Thinking-music and math mind. "This is a more abstract form of visual thinking" [Grandin 2009] [see Born on a blue day, Tammet 2006; Mozart and the whale, Newport et al. 2007]
3. Word-Fact thinkers. "These individuals have a huge memory for verbal facts on all kinds of things such as film stars and sporting events" and "They are often poor at drawing and other visual thinking skills." [Grandin 2009].

How do you relate to the descriptions above?
How do you define Autistic Culture?

Interested in your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Grant South

Using those 3 classifications, I am number 3 and 1, in that order, with nearly none of number 2, except for reading knitting patterns.

I am trying for some reason to apply those classifications to the fine arts but can't figure out how to encorporate dance and theatre except as adjuncts of music and writing.

1. Photo-realism: Drawing/visual arts
2. Pattern thinking: Music
3. Word-Fact thinkers: Fiction/Poetry/Drama

And now I'm about to go off on a tangent because I suddenly realised that music isn't necessarily a "performing" art, but I really don't have time because I'm at work and for some crazy reason, I'm actually expected to, you know, work.

(by the way, I went to a Fine Arts high school for Creative Writing and always took it for granted that I would do something creative as a career. But instead, I'm chained to a desk doing mindless, boring meniality)

Today everything is called a "culture" so that noone actually knows anymore what's ment by that word.

Autistic Culture just means more or less that some autistics consider their way of living as a "live stile" rather than a disabillity.

Thank you for your replies.

I think culture is the expression of difference. The difference between one group and another group, whatever that difference may or may not be.

Hence the use of 'cultural practices', as a defining term.

Baron-Cohen et al. 2009. writes about Hypersystemizing theory, as a possible rethink of the previous Weak Central Coherence theory and Executive Dysfunction theory.

Their premise is that early Hyper-sensitivity to sensory stimulation is instrumental in developing "excellent attention to detail", which itself is the basis of Hypersystemizing, the collection of details. Grandin, 2009, also reports that she searches for meaning through the collection and refinement of much detail, in her case research data. Grandin further puts forward the idea that this is a "putting little pieces together" in the search for "finding the basic principle".

Do you, or have you, hyper-systemized?

Do you think that this 'Hypersystemizing', as a practice, may be the basis of 'Autistic Culture' and it's unique cultural expressions?

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Have a nice day!

Grant South.

Art-Sung, I actually enjoyed your definition of autistic culture. As for the categories you have described, I guess I am more of a visual thinker than anything else. Do I have talent in music, yes, I do. I got a good voice and ability to mimic singing within my range but I can't read music at all and forget instruments! Math really sucks for me too, algebra especially.

I have problems with my wrists and what not, so my drawing is not as nice as I would like it, but I love to draw and paint and I do write as well, I like being descriptive. I like putting into words the pictures in my head. But now that I have been drawing more, I haven't written very much at all. I do love musicals (I love seeing the music numbers, more relatable).

I do think my practicing has improved greatly in terms of art. I have only actually been actively trying to draw and paint for the past 5 and a half month. I think I can agree that individuals under the spectrum can excell in certain areas while have notabile deficits in others. My algebra scores usually range from c- to d-

Here is a quick improvement progression of my art however:

April 15



May 3

[img][800:906]http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/124/f/f/land_faery_by_tempertempest-d4yk4wl.jpg[/img]

June 21



July 19
[img][800:1066]http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/201/1/0/bird_of_paradise_by_tempertempest-d5803l1.jpg[/img]

August 27

[img][800:459]http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/241/d/3/ancient_honors_by_tempertempest-d5ctly4.jpg[/img]

Hello Mirror21,

I really like your artwork.

I am a photo-realistic thinker, above is a painting of mine.
Like many of us I am self-taught.

I believe we all equally have wonderful abilities to convey and communicate our intelligence and creativity. I also believe we have an equal voice in communicating our Autism.

Possibly 'Autistic Culture' could be defined as the celebration of positive difference. I use positive here as the inclusivity of all expression.

Thank you for sharing your art- I really appreciate your openness.

All my best!

Grant South.

I wish my artistic talents where photo realistic, there is so much out there I would love to just, capture! But because I have a slightly different way of interpreting my surroundings. I have trouble focusing on a whole image, thus I am mostly filled with geometries and curves which I assemble to form an actual object. But this is why I also do photography (nothing professional, i could not afford that kind of equipment).

[img][800:675]http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/233/7/7/in_the_rain_by_tempertempest-d5byq9c.jpg[/img]

I think that diversity of thought is what has helped human beings to evolve socially and as a leading species. I think that being autistic, even though my close family and friends do not accept it, has been a great blessing, despite its obvious impairments and challenges. I could not imagine missing out on all the things I can see in the world that others take for granted.

Here is a little poem as Autistic Culture.

In your face
There are many words
Telling stories weathered by the season's of emotion.
And in reveal, the contrasts of warm days and cold storms long gone
faded now into grey .........
I have been blessed to not hear them all.......

Grant South.

Art-sung,
Thank you so much for posting this topic!
I love all the sharing of the artwork here...will have to try that later.
I seem to be split between the three but extra heavy on pattern and visual thinking. My days in HS were often split between hours practicing piano at home and sometimes ditching classes to work on sets for plays ( nobody cared...grades were good).

I am definitely a hyper-systemizer. It has been a gift to me in some respects, and it has been an abused gift as well...to help others oddly enough. It also made some things about this website *really* stand out to me. I don't know...a lot can be changed in a week. So I am on my tablet and that's less problematic I hope.

I would love to find more people who are hyper-systemizers. I am curious how many people I share this wierd perspective with...and what it might be like to work on a problem together?

Hi phyrehawke,

It's my absolute pleasure.......

Wonderful that Alex developed the idea of Wrong Planet for all of us.

Autistic Culture is intrinsically connected to the aim of re-framing and building social equity for everyone who lives with Autism.

Education and Attitude are the keys.

All my best!

Grant South.