Autism in all of us

Autism

There is an apple on the table. Infront of the apple is a vase. The vase blocks your view of the apple. The person on the other side of the table can see the apple. Now most people understand that whilst they can see the apple other people can’t if they are sitting with the vase in the way. Autistic people are different. They think that as they can see the apple, everyone else can too. This is a way to understand an aspect of autism. The inability to see and understand things from another person’s point of view. Translate that to our inability to understand why other people enjoy different sexual activities.

If you consider bondage, handcuffs, whips, thigh high boots, firemen’s outfits and so on as items of despicable deviancy then you have a form of autism. You will have an undeveloped acquaintance of the diversity of humanity and its disparate nature. You would be perplexed by why someone would want to dress in adult sized nappies or be trampled on or urinated over for pleasure. The range of activities that excite us is mind boggling. Watching someone pop balloons in high heels turns some people on. There are countless things that you wouldn’t think of that have a connection with sexual activity. There are also a good few who have no sexual interest whatsoever. The more you can accept that others like to partake in such activities or not, the less autistic you are. We all lie somewhere on the autistic spectrum.

Watching highly autistic souls we can see that they can still be rather happy and contented. They find life just as rewarding as anyone else. This observation inspired the title of this text. They may have uncountable frustrations. They may not be able to tell us what they want at times, but by no means does it imply that their life is any less satisfactory. Autism is an attribute, not necessarily a disability.

We bump into characters from time to time with a pronounced level of autism. We ask questions and don’t get much back. It feels rather awkward. Although they can be quiet, shy, and reserved they appreciate the time you spend with them immensely. Human presence is adored by most. They enjoy face to face contact but struggle with it. They may not show a lot of gratitude for your effort. But then we can be surprised by how well they can express themselves emotively when writing something down and presenting it to you.