A Little Autism in All of Us?

Published January 22, 2009 @ 12:52AM PT

A recent study of 8000 chlldren suggests that many children have "autistic symptoms"---in the areas of social skills and communication in particular---but not to the extent that they are diagnosed. Yesterday's BBC News reports that researchers from the Institute of Child Health have found

.....further evidence that the same [autistic] traits do not begin and end there, but continue at into the whole population of children, just at a level which does not lead parents to seek medical help.

Seeing autism as a "distinct illness" was probably wrong, they said.

Even at this mild level, however, these characteristics - particularly problems communicating with peers and teachers - can be a disadvantage.

The Social and Communication Disorders Checklist was administered to participants, with boys scoring 30% higher than girls. From the study's abstract:

Social communicative deficits were associated with functional impairment at school, especially in domains of hyperactivity and conduct disorders. A sex-by-verbal IQ interaction effect occurred: verbal IQ was protective against social communication impairments across the range of abilities in female subjects only. In male subjects, this protective effect did not exist for those with above-average verbal IQ.

Girls, that is, seemed more able to "compensate" for "social communicative deficits" provided that they had sufficient "verbal IQ" or a "natural ability to use language well," according to the BBC News.

What results might be found if adults were studied: Would we all be found to have "autistic symptoms"? Certainly it's not uncommon that some parents, after learning of their child's diagnosis on the autism spectrum, realize that they have Asperger's Syndrome and are themselves on the spectrum. For the record, Jim and I have considered whether or not we might be on the autism spectrum; while we find ourselves overlapping in certain areas with Charlie---Jim has ADHD and, like our boy, often thinks and feels best when in motion; I tend toward the obsessive and am drawn to structure and order (mixed with spontaneity). We've both become aware of our own sensory sensitivities in learning about Charlie's. I have synesthesia for colors, letters, numbers, textures, sounds, words, and I don't think it's a coincidence that both Jim and Charlie have been wearing those black suede Merrell slip-on shoes for the past few years, and very happily: No annoying shoe strings and just shove your foot in and go......

Knowing there's yet another way that Jim and Charlie and I are alike----that's something valuable I'm glad to know about.

Photo by eralon.

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Comments (21)

Tony Attwood says that Asperger's (and I would imagine autism too) is like a 100 piece puzzle... everyone has some of the pieces, no one has all of them. It takes about 80 to be diagnosed, but even seemingly 'normal' people have around 20, and one parent of an AS kid is likely to have around 50.

Fits in with the spectrum idea... just depends on where you are on the continuum, and whether or not it is a 'disabling' quantity or area of issues.

Posted by Karin Cernik on 01/22/2009 @ 07:12AM PT
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Kristina,

You ask, "Would we all be found to have "autistic symptoms"?" The short answer, I believe, is "yes".

Last April, as part of my thinking about Autism Awareness month, I considered the same basic question, and came up with a little longer answer (sorry for the long excerpt, but it seemed appropriate here):

- - -- --- -----
Maybe it’s because I’ve been around autism for so long now, but I can’t understand why anyone would find it so surprising that a possible “cause” of autism is a complex interaction of genes. ... You might as well ask questions like, “What is the cause of introversion? Extroversion? Natural athletic ability?”

I can hear many people saying something along the lines of, “But those ‘conditions’ are normal.” Are they? I mean, in a statistical sense, are they really ‘normal’? I would say no.

If you look at the introvert/extrovert question, I would guess (yes, I’m guessing, no science here) the bell curve of this spectrum would have a few at either end and the rest (you guessed it) within two standard deviations of the mean. Same for athletic abilities.

If we look at autism in this way, as a spectrum across all people (and not just those we currently refer to as autistic), I propose that we might see something similar. On the left side of the bell curve, you would have those that are very non-autistic, the incredibly sociable communicative, etc etc. On the right side, you would have those that are very autistic (what we now simply call autistic).

And in the middle, within two standard deviations, would be the vast majority of us showing our mix of autistic and non-autistic traits.
----- --- -- - -

Posted by Brett Miller on 01/22/2009 @ 07:43AM PT
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Our kids didn't drop out of the clear blue sky. :) G = (Mom+me)^2

Coincidentally we are meeting today with G's pediatrician about the ADHD that came in the package deal with his last name. He's really embraced the Family Treasure, taking it to a new level.

P.S. Is your Synesthesia really strong? I have a lot of mental associations between numbers, but mine are mostly 'shape' and based with a few having slight emotions to them. I assume this is what allows me quite strong math "instincts", especially after hearing what Mr. Tamment has to say on his experiences. I kinda wish I had some kinds of synesthesia, it sounds (tastes? ;) ) like a very interesting experience. I don't ever recall someone with synesthesia say they wished they didn't have it.

Posted by Dwight F on 01/22/2009 @ 07:46AM PT
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@Dwight F.,I think the synesthesia is pretty strong----I never really thought of it as anything different/special etc. until learning about sensory processing and autism. Yes, Charlie is the sum of Jim and me, plus!

Posted by Kristina Chew on 01/22/2009 @ 08:29AM PT
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I'm having a little trouble interpreting this. Is this a norm-referenced instrument? Does this imply that the norm has moved in the direction of impairment over time, or does this mean that there's some criterion that serves as the reference for "normal social skills." If so, perhaps that should be adjusted. It doesn't make sense to me. What does normal even mean in this context?

Posted by Cate R on 01/22/2009 @ 08:46AM PT
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The first time I realized I have some autistic symptoms similar to G was when the autism specialist was trying to explain how G's eye contact (which I thought was fine) was not 'normal.' She tried to show me what would be appropriate by example and I found I could not sustain eye contact and that the more she stared into my eyes the more I wanted to jump out of my skin. After that, I realized I have a handful of similarites to G and my husband has a handful of others. Now when we're trying to figure out why G reacted badly to a given situation we put ourselves in his shoes and see which one of us might feel uncomfortable and why. It doesn't always work, but I'm surprised how often it does.

Posted by lynne H on 01/22/2009 @ 09:50AM PT
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I recently read an article - I wish I could remember where, as to provide the link - that ties in with what you're discussing. The writer stated that where there is "hyperactivity" (or adhd) in "males", you tend to see a different "expression" in females..."females" instead, tend to have "eating disorders". I can't seem to find the article, but they had a strong argument for the proposed link. I think they mentioned more OCD behaviors in "females" than "males" (vs. hyperactivity), as well.

Since we share genetic material - and living conditions -with our kids, it makes sense that we would have similarities, sensitivities and the common predispositions as them.

Posted by Jody Mack on 01/22/2009 @ 10:40AM PT
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That should be "traits", not "symptoms". I once worked for one of the top researchers in the field, who explained to me that autism is "a behaviorally defined syndrome with multiple etiology", that is, not a disease like cancer or diabetes but a set of behaviors that can come from many different causes. If it's not a disease, it can't have "symptoms", or for that matter, a "cure".

@KC: Come to think of it, just this morning, I was musing that no one who's translating Obama's inaugural address into Latin could possibly be entirely neurotypical...

Posted by Mark Romoser on 01/22/2009 @ 10:52AM PT
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I am glad that finally some researchers are noting what many of us have been saying for some years, and what Hans Asperger was the first to say: everyone has a dash of autism, and without it, there can be no success in sciences or Arts.

This topic is the subject I am currently writing about - the balance of local and global processing, which is different in every human being, including those of us who are considered more or less NT, and who hate being labelled as 'normal'. I haven't got a clue what 'normal' is, and the desire of some interventionists in the past, notably Ivar Lovaas, to harrass a child into being 'indistinguishable from his peers' and believing that that is a good thing, is beyond my comprehension. I should hate to be indistinguishable from my peers, and no sentient human being would want that for themselves. Don't all of us want our individuality noted and respected? This isn't a factory production line, it's human life with all its prismatic and quirky differentiation.

This is what a brilliant and probably Asperger poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, said, at the turn of the last century:

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies, dráw fláme ; As tumbled over rim in roundy wells Stones ring ; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name ; Each mortal thing does one thing and the same : Deals out that being indoors each one dwells ; Selves—goes itself ; myself it speaks and spells, Crying Whát I do is me : for that I came.

Posted by Barbara Jacobs on 01/22/2009 @ 11:02AM PT
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@Catherine Rowan,The National Autistic Society has some information about the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO):

http://www.autism.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1813

I don't know about it's being a "norm-referenced instrument" (anyone who does, please correct me!). I suspect there must be some presumptions/assumptions about what's "normal" or "standard" or some such implicit in the questions. The NAS notesthat:
"The DISCO is designed to elicit a picture of the whole child or adult through the story of their development and behaviour from infancy onwards. In clinical work, the primary purpose is to facilitate understanding of the pattern over time of the skills and impairments that underlie the overt behaviour. A dimensional approach to clinical description is far more helpful for prescribing how to help each individual than is assigning a diagnostic category. This dimensional approach is fundamental to the DISCO in contrast to other diagnostic schedules.
"The findings from the DISCO are relevant and helpful for children and adults of any age; for any level of ability from profound learning disability to the superior range, for any manifestation of the autism spectrum from the most obvious to the most subtle. It can also assist in identifying conditions often associated with the spectrum, such as ADHD, tics, dyspraxia and catatonia-like disorders."

@Mark Romoser,ah, now you're catching into me.......

Posted by Kristina Chew on 01/22/2009 @ 12:04PM PT
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Thanks for that explanation. A little googling seems to show that it's not norm-referenced, meaning (from my lay-parent understanding) that the "normal range" isn't validated with a large sample of members of the general population. It is interesting that a lot of what is considered "abnormal" is really normal. It supports your point that many ASD attributes are alive and well in the "NT" population, and I'd say also the point that we're a long way off from any standardized instrument to diagnose ASD.

Posted by Cate R on 01/25/2009 @ 09:52PM PT
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As my husband often says, our kids are us taken to the next level. And given that four of our five have ASD's (with the other having ADHD), we're sort of biased towards the genetic predisposition perspective.

Posted by Siliconmom . on 01/22/2009 @ 02:22PM PT
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In my opinion, the idea that the autistic spectrum is not a distinct condition, and it shades into "normality" (whatever that is), is a most plausible idea that is consistent with current autism theories and scientific knowledge. But I think it is taking this idea way too far to say that all people have some autistic traits. This could only be true if you count just about any human quirk or disability as an autistic trait, and I don't do that myself.

I do think the idea that all people "suffer from" their own unique genetic syndrome is an idea that has some merit. According to this idea, identical twins would be naturally members of a "support group" of 2 "sufferers".

The opposite of autistic isn't normal, because there are surely hundreds or thousands of different ways of being abnormal that aren't autsm.

Hey Kristina, I'm a synaesthete too! I find it's an interesting condition, but no big deal really.

Posted by Lili Marlene on 01/23/2009 @ 07:32AM PT
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I never thought of synaesthesia as a big deal---just the way I see things. The notion of "confused" or "combined" senses does help me understand some things about my son and his responses to things (and I'm always glad to find more ways he and I are alike).

Posted by Kristina Chew on 01/27/2009 @ 06:07AM PT
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I am classed as (sort of) NT. I have very problematic but wonderful synaesthesia, which I wouldn't be without. It's a part of my temporal lobe focal epilepsy, which was caused by parental trauma. My mother, God bless her, kept trying to drown me in my babyhood, and this made my brain bleed, in some small measure, eventually, because it stopped me breathing. But infant brains have wonderful plasticity.

Lili, as you say, no big deal. In fact, synaesthesia can be joyful, if very confusing.

This post of yours is much valued.

Posted by Barbara Jacobs on 01/23/2009 @ 03:56PM PT
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Loved this post. Ever since learning about autism (when my son was diagnosed), I wonder whether both my husband and I are on the spectrum.

I hope you or Dora might explore this idea further in another post. I would love to hear other people's opinions on the pros and cons of getting assessed as an adult, and how one would go about doing this.

Thanks so much for all your hard work--this blog is wonderful!

Posted by Ellen Claire Nee on 01/24/2009 @ 06:40AM PT
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Like so many others, I definitely have a little bit of the autism. One of the things about it is that I am able to "get" my autistic son a little more because of it.

Posted by Stimey Stimeyland on 01/24/2009 @ 03:32PM PT
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We can all accept our autistic intelligence, and shouldn't deny it, whatever percentage it falls into.

Let's just go with it, and support it.

:)

Posted by Barbara Jacobs on 01/24/2009 @ 03:50PM PT
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Hello, mildly autistic children who are able to avoid diagnosis! I am your future!

That was a bit flippant, sorry.

Ellen, I'm a young adult (almost 24) who is likely on the very mild end of the spectrum; I meet all criteria for an Asperger's diangosis with fluctuation on whether it adversely affects my life (these past few weeks I've been ill and my ability to cope is out the window). I was not diagnosed as a child, though there was apparently some question if I ought to be; I was given the middle class white girl treatment, instead, and put in advanced classes (which I tested into). Autism and the spectrum in girls weren't well understood, and language itself has never been an issue for me (actual communication can be, especially spoken), so I wasn't the usual target, I guess.

I've chosen not to get a diagnosis because I don't need services. I feel that since I've been able to function until now without getting a diagnosis, then receiving one would not be helpful and potentially be harmful. I'm a hopeful Foreign Service Officer (test next week) and government employment, while legally not allowed to exclude on disability basis, would be harder to get if I carried an ASD diagnosis (I believe).Kristina, I will never stop being late to the comments.

Posted by Ali ... on 02/06/2009 @ 11:25PM PT
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Hmm. My post didn't post last week.
I feel like I have some Aspergian traits, especially with the happy hand flapping.
I love my synesthesia. it makes listening to good music like a drug trip only without drugs. I love it.

Posted by Shondolyn (Synesthesia) Gibson on 02/09/2009 @ 06:21AM PT
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I have to say, I'm glad for having synesthesia too. Music and motion are a necessary combination for me----Charlie has been into his iPod again and I turn on music (Beatles) to wake him up (so much less irritating-sounding than an alarm clock).

Posted by Kristina Chew on 02/10/2009 @ 06:41PM PT
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Kristina is a Classics professor in Jersey City, New Jersey, a blogger (formerly at AutismVox), a translator (of Virgil), and an advocate every day for her son, Charlie.