Let's compare and contrast!

[conuly]

Some of these traits are traits of autism and some of them are traits of cancer. Let's see if you can spot the difference!

This is a disease which is marked by excessive growth, aka tumors. Answer: Cancer. Hard to tell, but the word "tumor" gives it away.

This is a neurological difference/disability which is marked by either gaze aversion or staring. Answer: Autism. People with cancer generally will look you in the eye for the appropriate amount of time.

This can develop later in life. Answer: Cancer. It should not be possible to become autistic later in life.

This can kill you. Answer: Cancer. Contrary to popular belief, autism does not snatch children, nor does it kill them.

Congratulations. You now know the difference between autism and cancer. There will be a quiz later.

Comments

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

There's no MRI research that shows autistics process gaze mainly with the amygdala, while NT's process it more with their somethingform gyrus.

What that means in emotional/psychological terms is that autistics feel gaze as a threat or a challenge (or a sexual signal), while NT's are looking at people's faces and doing cognitive tasts like "who is this?" and "what emotions are they displaying?" If you feel stress when looking at a person, then your amygdala is doing something. This may be due to intrinsic neurological differences (inluding but not limited to autism), or second-order "cultural" issues if you've been taught that it's "bad" to look someone in the eye.

Because of the role eye-contact plays in threat/challenge behaviors in mammals, including non-human primates, it seems to me as if the allistic is the one with the neurological irregularity.

[rho]

That's interesting. Excuse my ignorance though, but what's "NT"?

(And for myself, I think that there's a combination of simply not understanding why one is "meant" to look someone in the eye and what it actually accomplishes, combined with a distinct unease when doing so. This is despite being constnatly taught that eye contact is "good".)

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

NT is short of "Neurologically Typical," and refers to someone with an allistic neurology (http://www.fysh.org/~zefram/allism/allism_intro.txt).

Looking at people's faces, especially the eyes, is the sterotypical feature of allism: "marked reliance on the use of multiple nonverbal behaviours such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to express things that could readily be expressed verbally."

It took me years to actually believe that making eye contact was a good thing, and not a challenge behavior.

D'oh!

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

I made a typo. There is NEW evidence... not "no evidence," NEW evidence.