Autistic individuals need opportunities, not treatment

By Shelby D Burns, Wed, November 09, 2011

Just because the autistic brain is different doesn’t mean it’s inferior. New research shows that autistic individual, not just the savants, have abilities that may exceed people without the condition. Dr. Laurent Mottron from the University of Montreal’s Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders says, “Recent data and my own personal experience suggest it’s time to start thinking of autism as an advantage in some spheres, not a cross to bear.”

Mottron’s research team has established and replicated the abilities of autistics in multiple cognitive operations such a perception and reasoning. His own research group includes several autistic people. One of them is Michelle Dawson. “Michelle challenged my scientific perception of autism,” Mottron explained. Dawson has provided insight into the interpretation of autistic strengths as the manifestation of real intelligence rather than a kind of trick of the brain that allows them to mindlessly perform intelligent tasks, like counting matches or calculating large numbers.

“It’s amazing to me that for decades scientists have estimated the magnitude of mental retardation based on the administration of inappropriate tests, and on the misinterpretation of autistic strengths,” said Mottron.

“We coined a word for that: normocentrism, meaning the preconception you have that if you do or are something, it is normal, and if autistic do or have it, it is abnormal,” Motton explained. He explained that the bias is built into everything from diagnosis to fundraising. “While state and nonprofit funding is important for advancing our understanding of the condition, it’s exceptional that these tools are used to work towards goals identified by the autistic community itself,” Mottron said, pointing out that many autistics end up in menial jobs despite their intelligence and problem solving skills.

“As a result my lab and others believe autism should be described and investigated as an accepted variant within human species, not as a defect to be suppressed.”

Source: Nature, MedicalNewsToday

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