Page 27 - SEN106 SEN Magazine May-June 2020
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such as a tendency to focus on detail over the bigger picture.   Therefore, this suggested to us that perhaps these individuals   are experiencing similar levels of autistic difficulties and   differences as other autistic people but they have greater   ability to compensate for them. This is the compensation   hypothesis of autism.   In our initial study, we refer to these individuals as “high   compensators”; somehow they are able to get by in social   situations without relying on a theory of mind, at least in the   way in which neurotypical individuals do. Further analysis   gave us some insight into how this might be possible. These   high compensators demonstrated greater intellectual ability,   and greater ability to plan and regulate themselves (known as   “executive function”), than other autistic people in the study.   Perhaps then, these autistic people are able to intellectually   work out social rules and so-called “acceptable” forms of social   behaviour, enabling them to regularly pass as non-autistic in   social situations.   Further evidence that autistic people who compensate are   nevertheless autistic, and often still require an autism diagnosis   and support like other autistic people, comes from some   qualitative research. We asked autistic adults to tell us in detail   about the strategies they use to compensate for things they   find difficult in social situations. We found that many autistic   adults work really hard in social situations just to pass as   neurotypical, with the experience of socialising often feeling   like learning a foreign language or doing complicated mental   arithmetic. For example, one person said, “we have a hell of a   lot of difficulties and just because we hide them doesn’t mean   they don’t exist”. This again suggests that, although it might not   always be obvious to other people, neurotypically-presenting   autistic people are still inherently autistic, experiencing both   difficulties and strengths associated with the condition.   “Appropriate” behaviour  We also found that there is an array of different strategies   autistic people use. These include learning when and how long   to make “appropriate” eye contact and modelling neurotypical   people’s gestures and facial expressions, as well as using   sophisticated internal calculations to work out other people’s   thoughts and feelings (for example, facial expression A +   gesture B + context C = thinking D).   Finally, we found there are both positive and negative   consequences associated with heavy use of compensatory   strategies. On the one hand, strategies that enable individuals   to at least “appear” less autistic on the surface may help them   to gain employment and relationships and live independently.   On the other hand, compensatory strategies often come at   a high cost to the individual, causing high levels of stress,   depression and even suicidal ideation. Such individuals are   also less likely to receive appropriate support and a timely   diagnosis, as their difficulties are often overlooked by doctors   and other professionals. One person who received their autism   diagnosis in mid-adulthood said, “adults with undiagnosed   autism consider suicide, because every day is like a scheduled   and definite torture session. Even on a good day, my face and   mind is exhausted from the performance that I have to put on”.   This is also poignantly reflected in Duncan’s story (below). It   is clear that he has reaped both the benefits and significant   personal costs from using compensatory strategies throughout   his life. Therefore, compensation – which enables you to   appear more neurotypical than you truly are – may represent   some kind of double-edged sword; as one person put it, “we   exist in a harmful no man’s land between disability and normal   functioning… we have enough skills to at least do something,   but we always skip along that fine line, where at any time we   could be rejected, hated or attacked for being different”.    Many autistic adults work really   hard in social situations just to   pass as neurotypical  About the author  Dr Lucy Anne Livingston   is   a Lecturer in Psychology at   Cardiff University and a Visiting   Researcher at the Institute of   Psychiatry, Psychology and   Neuroscience, King’s College   London.    cardiff.ac.uk/people/  view/1749875-     @Lucy_Livingston    ■    ...other autistic people have a greater ability to compensate.  27  senmagazine.co.uk  SEN  106  Autism


































































































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