The “Continuum,” The “Spectrum,” and Another Assumption That Needs Debunking
Filed Under (Autism and Employment, Autism and Intelligence, Autism and Learning, Communication, Sensory Differences) by Estee on 30-08-2010
I really like what Temple Grandin is doing in many ways. I like that she supports different minds and describes very simply and concretely what autistic people need and might be able to do as work.
There is one thing I’d like to point out to Ms. Grandin, if I may. It’s the assumption about the autism spectrum or “continuum” as she puts it. It is tricky because it has been an easy way to describe and try to understand autism. Yet like most things easy, they are not fully descriptive.
It is the point at which she, perhaps inadvertently in order to simplify the description, lowers the intelligence level of non verbal autistic people to the bottom of the “spectrum,” to the “verbal” autistics who are “brilliant.” For all the non verbal or partially verbal autistic people out there, many of who comment here and/or write their own blogs and even do their own presentations, I’d like to add that non verbal people can also be of “normal,” “bright,” or of “gifted” intelligence. Of course verbal and non verbal people can also be more cognitively challenged. There is no way we can use the “continuum,” really, to effectively describe autism and intelligence and I think we need to talk about this more.
Temple Grandin talks a lot about thinking in pictures and she can verbalize this well. For many autistic folks who cannot, like my son Adam among others, I can say that verbal ability does not equal intelligence. I hope that Temple Grandin can speak a little bit more on that in the future so as not to cast another stereotype that she perhaps does not intentionally mean to cast.
In this blog, I speak a lot about the visual — visual data and the potential for many autistic people to translate so much data into the visual so that we can better understand it. There could be many opportunities for our children if we look at this seriously and nuture the skills. As for her segment on visual perception, I once posted a drawing by Adam, who has motor planning issues, but clearly had an advanced perspective, demonstrated in some of his artwork, over his same-aged peers. I have always noted and recognized Adam’s visual abilities. It’s still incredibly difficult to find teachers who recognize and are able to nuture this ability. It’s incredibly frustrating, in fact.
I do thank Temple Grandin for being out there to discuss the need for mentors and the contributions our children can make to society, if given the chance and opportunities.
In keeping with this post, Tyler Cowen, author of Create Your Own Ecomony also writes another piece on autism, ability and autism diversity.
Watch her now on TED:
ESTÉE KLAR
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
Writer.Curator of Art. Founder of The Autism Acceptance Project. Mother of Adam. I like to write about our journey, musings, attitudes towards autism.
I thank you for your posting the video of Temple Grandin and for your caution about not assuming that non verbal children have lower intelligence than those who are verbal. The difference is not in IQ, but rather in which areas of the brain there is underdevelopment. As you were saying, it is possible to be very bright and yet have an expressive language deficit.
Other areas of the brain are “overdeveloped,” then, if we look at it this way. I prefer to refer to this as “different ways of thinking” as Temple puts it — not necessarily in under or over developed. Differently-developed is another way, perhaps a more valued way of looking at individuals.
What I’m saying is that in many areas of life we think only in terms of the binary — either/or. In this case we think of autism as “abnormal,” as opposed to “normal”; developed versus underdeveloped, impaired versus fully functioning. I find these comparisons in and of themselves fascinating, however on a practical level they are incredibly limiting when trying to advance the value and worth and contributions of autistic people.
I’ve quickly found this paper you could read: http://www.petriglieri.com/Content/TranscendingPolarizationTAJ.pdf
I think that I’m too obviously a Canadian child of the 60s, because I prefer to think of autism as a mosaic- different pieces making up something wonderful. A red or blue mosaic is not intrinsically more beautiful than a yellow one- they all say and do and mean different things, yet they are all worthwhile, and beautiful.
My son isn’t any ‘less than’ because he’s non-verbal, my daughters aren’t ‘less than’ because they have different challenges and strengths. I do use the ‘autism spectrum’ in conversation and writings because it’s familiar to most people, but I’m certainly not comfortable with the idea that people are ‘less than’.
Our society isn’t really great at seeing anything outside of a binary perspective.
In its 2006 brief to a Canadian Senate committee examining autism in Canada the Canadian Psychological Association estimated that 75-80 % of children with Autism – exclusive of Aspergers – also have intellectual disabilities. The CDC published two recent surveys 2004 and 2006 which reported between 41 and 44% of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders – inclusive of Aspergers – also have intellectual disabilities.
There is no reason to be ashamed of a child with autism AND intellectual disabilities. There is no reason to deny the reality of the connection between Autism and ID. There is no reason to further stigmatize Intellectual Disability by pretending it has nothing to do with Autism.
Harold, I agree. There is no reason to deny the connection, in some instances with autism and ID. There is also no reason to deny that not all autistic individuals do not have ID, as we have come to think of it in the classical sense. There is also no reason to assume individuals with Intellectual Disability are non persons.