| Overview | 1. Introduction | 2. Diagnostic fog | 3. Sensory processing | 4. Emergent patterns | 5. Research & therapy | 6. New model | 7. Conclusion |
Autism is commonly referred to as a “spectrum.” This sounds differentiated and modern – but often suggests more clarity than actually exists. The term usually serves to embrace the enormous range of possible manifestations without really explaining them. But what does it mean to be on a “spectrum”?
It is often suggested that all people are located somewhere on this spectrum – just with differently pronounced characteristics. But this is a conceptual flattening. Not every introverted person is “a little autistic,” just as not everyone with good observational skills is highly gifted. It’s not about personality traits, but about a pattern of behaviors based on neurobiological differences – and one that differs qualitatively (not just quantitatively) from so-called neurotypical behaviors.
The central error in thinking is equating symptoms with causes. Current medical practice classifies autism purely phenomenologically: A diagnosis is made based on external features – such as language avoidance, social withdrawal, repetitive movements. Yet these symptoms can arise for completely different reasons. Two people can behave similarly externally yet have entirely different internal causes. Conversely, similar sensory causes can lead to very different behaviors.
This creates a diagnostic fog: We name a behavior but act as if we have thereby identified its cause. As a result, people with very different neurobiological conditions, life realities, and needs end up under the same label – with correspondingly questionable consequences for research, therapy, and social perception.
| Back to Chapter 1: Introduction | Next to Chapter 3: Sensory processing as the central key |