Compass Sailing

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What does it mean to be on the spectrum?

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Pivotal words generally used in defining and presenting autism:

A

ability to
affinity with
difficulty with
disconnection of
easier to
find challenging to
hard to
have control of
have trouble to
need to
take longer to
unable to

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B

abnormal
alternative
atypical
different
distinct
exceptional
noticeable
special
unusual
variation

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C

absence
additional
decreased
excessive
extra
extreme
heightened
high
hyper
hypo
increased
intense
lack
less
more
reduced

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D

affected by
comfortable with
content with
dislike
distressed when
enjoy
overstimulated when
overwhelmed by
stressed by
tired by
uncomfortable with

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E

deficient
failure to
impaired
poor

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F

fixated
inflexible
insistence
obsessive
perseverative
repetitive
restricted
rigid
specialized
stereotyped

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Usually paired up with things falling in those categories:

behaviour
body language
changes
cognition
communication
daily living
development
emotions
focus
information processing
interests
language
learning
movement
sensory experiences
speech
socialization
thinking

etc.

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Extras:

Scientific Ponderings on ‘How?’

Stories Analogies

Spectrums in Life

Extra section related to:

Blossoming

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Life experiences, individual personality,
and choices and changes throughout life:

(A myriad of little and big things play complex roles in
an individual’s experiences and influence their life)

‘Autism’ is just one thing among many others.

1

• Specific configuration of neurological differences (cognition, communication, sensory perception, movement, interaction)

• The fact that the variation of abilities and inabilities is inconsistent

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2

• In which areas you choose to fuel your energy, maybe at the expense of other areas

• How you (choose to) perform in each context

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3

• How others think of, view, judge and treat you; how they react to, respond to and what they believe about your actions

• Social dynamics; discrepancy between reality and others’ misperceptions

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4

• How you change in response of others: your approach, response and reaction to situations

• If and how you choose to show/hide your skills, your (internal) struggles, and your needs – which may differ from other people

• How easy/hard it is for you to get/lose support; which types of support you get/need

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5

• Whether or not you know and/or disclose you are autistic; when you knew it (if you know it), and your life history before this; how you conceive the label of ‘autistic’

• Whether or not you have, choose to have, or seek a diagnosis

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6

• Demographic characteristics, identities, experiences:
  • gender (gender roles, trans/non binary, etc.), race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, parenthood, cultural surroundings, socioeconomic status, physical disability, etc.

• Stigma, discrimination, prejudice, underdiagnosis, expectations, portrayal, etc.

• How different characteristics combine with being autistic

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Based on an article by Elizabeth Bartmess

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