We are accustomed to see men deride what they do not understand, and snarl at the good and beautiful because it lies beyond their sympathies.
Part 1, The Tragedy of Faust, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Read that again, if you’d like. For some of us, those words vibrate like a giant bell being rung, echoing our lived experience.
There was a time lying face down on the floor, that I prayed through the night that my child wouldn’t be autistic. I was coming from a place of fear and misunderstanding. Often in those moments, what needs changing is not my child but my heart. The great irony is that I’m likely autistic, though I wasn’t aware of that yet. Did I really want my child to not be like me? Many of us adults don’t know that we are autistic. We’re fearing and resisting what we are, or what our grandparent, neighbor, uncle or coworkers are. Approximately 90% of autism in adults over age 50 is undiagnosed. Moreover, women and gifted individuals are routinely missed for diagnosis.
When people react from a place of Fear, they invite Fear’s siblings, Blame and Shame. Blame can be a way of attempting to control Fear. “You deserve X because you used iPads too much, so that won’t happen to me.” Or, “I can protect myself from this by not doing Y.” Shame: “What did I do to deserve this?”
What I’d like to share is a “flip of the coin” on Autism. Your lived experience matters. Your struggle matters. The fact that there is beauty, wonder and integral importance connected to the autistic experience doesn’t diminish your struggle. Both things can be true. Together we are gently turning the coin to examine the side that often gets overlooked.
Let’s dive in. These are documented trends; every individual person is unique.
Early Expertise. Autistics often have special interests. This is the subject that lights them up. They want to interact with it, touch it, do it, learn about it, talk about it, see it. From trains to birds to ice skating. When given the time and support, autistics can get in those “10,000” repetitions at a very young age. They are capable of early, true expertise. As so beautifully articulated in The Coyote Curriculum article in Reel2e, their area of special interest is also a wonderful point of connection when we give room for it and engage with them.
Sensory Nuance. Autistics can be highly sensory sensitive. When we flip the coin, we discover that they are statistically more likely to have perfect pitch, better able to distinguish or recognize sounds or smells that are mixed together, and perform high on visual search tasks.
Honesty and Rational Thinking. Autistics are known for their straightforward and direct communication. Do you remember the story, The Emperor’s New Clothes? When a certain answer is unpopular but is the truth, an autistic profile is more likely to speak the truth in the face of unpopularity. We need those voices in our lives, in our businesses and in our communities. They don’t conform. An autistic person is more likely to give the same donation to a charity whether or not people are watching. While some might describe them as, “lacking a filter,” the flipside of the coin points out that they bring clear understanding to the room.
Justice. Justice runs deep in the autistic community. Their black and white thinking distinguishes between wrong and right, and they care about justice prevailing. The world is a better place when we all have an autistic friend ready to speak out and advocate if we are getting unfairly treated.
Systems and Routine. Many autistic children early on see the patterns and systems that others miss. They line up toys into patterns. They are drawn to the patterns they see in the world around them. This type of engagement is valuable foremost because it brings them joy, but it also strengthens their nonverbal reasoning skills at a young age. Later, they are able to create their own systems to make things work. They create routines that allow them to thrive.
Hyperfocus. This is one that is more associated with ADHD, but it can also be a part of autism. With autism, people tend to enter a hyperfocus or flow state, locked in focus, around their areas of special interest. This is part of that ability to achieve expertise.
Creativity and Attention to Detail. Attention to detail is a common self-reported strength of autistic people, who may rely more on current sensory input than past perceptions. I think of it as perceiving the world with fresh eyes. That attention to detail in collaboration with their rich sensory appreciation results in very creative ideas, problem solves and artistry.
Amazing Autistic People. Temple Grandin is a professor, vocal autism advocate, author, and she used her own understanding of the nervous system plus her deep connection to animals to invent systems of handling livestock that were revolutionary. They have made the world a better place. Dan Ackroyd, Darryl Hannah, and late-diagosed Anthony Hopkins are all autistic. In an interview and in his 2025 memoir, Bill Gates has stated that he believes if he were a kid today, he’d be identified as autistic. Satoshi Sajiri channeled his special interests into creating Pokemon. Looking back in history, Albert Einstein, Andy Warhol, Emily Dickenson and Michaelangelo all demonstrated traits that are in keeping with an autistic learning profile.
We got this.
With love,
Christina
Leave a Reply