Understanding Autism Spectrum: Insights into Neurodivergent Minds

[music] When we examine a hundred random teenagers, we would find that while they

all look different, their minds work in very similar ways. One or two, however, have minds that are atypical in a

particular way. They could be diagnosed with autism. This happens to boys four times as much, perhaps because

diagnosing them is easier. Children [music] and adults who are considered autistic experience the world

differently because they were born with various degrees of neuroatypical traits. Most autistic children have more refined

senses and share [music] a deep desire to bring logic into their surroundings. Some seek repetitive behaviors that

follow specific patterns. And many appear to be asocial and avoid eye contact. Autism is not a disease and

therefore cannot be cured. Since all our brains are different and there is an endless range of nuances in

their architecture, autism is defined as a spectrum. On one side of the spectrum is high functioning autism, also known

as asperious syndrome. These children are highly intelligent and have extreme abilities and interest in specific

areas. In the middle are those with average intelligence and some problems learning new things in school. On the

far end of the spectrum [music] are children with severe learning disabilities who may require support in

their daily lives. Teemo, a young boy, can help us understand how living with a

neurodeivergent mind can be. His mom noticed early on that her boy would avoid eye contact and that he would

often become upset if she hugged him. He never returned smiles and engaging him in play with friends often ended in a

tantrum. His mother suspected something to be wrong when Teemo still wasn't speaking

more than two or three words at a time. Even after turning 4 years old, she sought help and [music] Teemo was

diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD for short. [music] Teemo has an atypical perception. When

reading books or watching movies, Teemo's brain picks up and organizes the information differently, while his

neurotypical peers categorize things and form schemas. For example, they identify everything with four legs that barks as

a dog. For Teemo, [music] each type of dog is unique and categorized in Teemo's mind individually.

His attention to detail and inability to generalize makes Teemo more objective in his perception of the world and less

prone to a framing bias. However, it also makes all sorts of new experiences incredibly complex, which is why he

loves to follow a rigid daily routine to limit his sensory input. Teemo is highly sensitive. His brain

amplifies whatever input it perceives. He hears everything and has a heightened sense of touch. However, this superpower

makes situations where many people speak simultaneously very challenging. Teemo hears everyone but understands nothing.

The sensitivity to touch makes eating an intense experience. If a texture or flavor is too much to handle, Teemo

won't eat it. Also, walking barefoot on wet grass or playing in dirt overwhelms his brain.

He has a fascination with logic. Teemo naturally looks for patterns that bring logic into this world. Sometimes he also

tries to bring order into his own behavior and ways of moving his body. When structured [music] patterns are

broken, he gets upset. It freaks him out when someone counts to eight but doesn't continue to 10. Doctors call it an

obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD. Teemo experiences social disconnection. He has trouble connecting with others

because social settings overwhelm his sensitivity and desire for order. Because human emotions are incredibly

complex and don't follow a set predictable pattern. Teemo often finds himself misreading situations and

upsetting people around him. As a consequence, he avoids people and rarely makes eye contact, which doesn't matter

that much to him since most of the things other people talk about are illogical, irrelevant, and boring.

Anyway, for 4 years, his mother had him treated by a therapist who would show him images

of faces to help him learn to identify feelings. This meant he got better at identifying facial expressions and

corresponding emotions. However, personally, he is still not very interested in reading faces or

establishing new social contacts. He has two friends who share the same interests [music] and couldn't wish for more.

Since Teemo's autism is not an illness we can treat, but rather a different way of him experiencing the world, the

question remains whether we should try to change him through therapy or [music] accept him for who he is.

So, what do you think? Should we treat children with autism with therapy or celebrate them for who they are? Or

perhaps do both? Maybe it's not their atypical minds, but our stereotypical way of looking at them that needs

correction. To get [music] a three-dimensional glimpse of how an autistic girl

experiences her own surprise birthday party or to download this video without background music, check the descriptions

below or visit sproutschools.com. [music] To help us stay independent and support

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