10/22/2025
Interesting, food for thought 🤔
Some Autism traits are well known and overgeneralized while others are less known and often subtle differences.
Autism is a combination of characteristics and not just 1-2 traits. It includes differences in social communication and interests and routines. Here are how these lesser known traits are categorized:
Social communication:
Stereotypes: non-speaking, socially avoidant
Nonstereotypical differences: difficulty understanding abstract language and concepts (such as time concepts, pronouns, prepositions), flat affect/ exaggerated facial expressions or body language, advanced communication skills, socially motivated but different in *how* they socialize
Interests & routines:
Stereotypical: only likes one thing, extremely distressed with all changes in routine
Non-stereotypical/lesser known: collecting items (and often not using said items for play or other purpose), difficulty transitioning before precious task is complete (or if previous task is not “perfect”), strong sense of direction on roads (tied to memory skills and routines), and carries a comfort item everywhere
This area also includes sensory differences such as: holding hands out or shaping body in tight or unusual ways, running fingers along the hall walls, discomfort in crowds, high or low pain tolerance
Differences in Autism can vary from person to person and an autistic person may have all of the differences in this visual, or non of the differences in this visual. But all autistic people will have *some* differences in social communication and interest and routines.
