Temple Grandin
I just watched a fascinating biopic on HBO about Temple Grandin, an exceptionally accomplished autistic who earned a doctorate in animal husbandry and today is sought after both for her designs in cattle slaughterhouses and for her experiences with autism. I'm hesitating, looking at that sentence, because talking about slaughterhouses is not usually a way to impress people or make them respond positively to someone, but in this case she really has done great things - after experiences on her aunts ranch and seeing feedlots, etc, she figured out ways of keeping cattle calm and happy throughout their entire lives, treating them with respect that doesn't often manifest in how our society treats animals.
I find myself in a state of mind distinct from my usual; more thoughtful, more abstract, and a bit less grounded than I usually feel. I'm thinking about her life and experiences, and what it's like to live with autism, and how small the differences might be in some cases. It seems one major distinction between those diagnosed with autism and those not diagnosed is the ability to detect, define and follow unspoken social rules. There are ways that people behave that aren't logical, aren't based on reason, but are just patterns that have developed over a lot of time. Many of them have to do with the idea of "maturity," that stage one reaches when emotions are strictly controlled, goals conform to those approved of by the society as a whole, and we understand the guidelines of "adult behavior" - tone of voice, manner of dress, politeness when addressing a stranger or a friend.
In the movie, Temple didn't understand those unspoken rules, though she did come to notice (usually) when there was something going on she didn't understand - once her mother, trying to console her after a difficult event, looks at her lovingly, saying "sometimes people say things with their eyes. This is me saying I love you and I respect you." Temple replies "I will NEVER be able to do that." Other times, though, she discovered rules that no one else would've been able to verbalize. For example, she was trying to get access to a slaughterhouse for her research, but they wouldn't let a woman in, so she traded in her VW Beetle for a dirty pickup truck, got a denim work shirt and jeans, dirtied them up, and "blended in" with the rest of the "natives," as it were. Clearly there was a dress code that wasn't stated anywhere, but if you matched the rest of the group you blended in.
I think about all the times that my behavior's been "strange" in my life; feeling like a fish out of water is an experience that everyone has had some time or another. Why do we structure our society and our lives such that everyone doesn't belong? Why do we feel it so necessary to exclude behaviors and identities? Why do we enforce that behavior on ourselves, as well, such that natural and perhaps healthy urges are dismissed as weak, or immature, or bizarre. Are there things you do that relax you or make you happy, but you don't allow yourself to do because of how it will be interpreted or seen by others?
I find myself in a state of mind distinct from my usual; more thoughtful, more abstract, and a bit less grounded than I usually feel. I'm thinking about her life and experiences, and what it's like to live with autism, and how small the differences might be in some cases. It seems one major distinction between those diagnosed with autism and those not diagnosed is the ability to detect, define and follow unspoken social rules. There are ways that people behave that aren't logical, aren't based on reason, but are just patterns that have developed over a lot of time. Many of them have to do with the idea of "maturity," that stage one reaches when emotions are strictly controlled, goals conform to those approved of by the society as a whole, and we understand the guidelines of "adult behavior" - tone of voice, manner of dress, politeness when addressing a stranger or a friend.
In the movie, Temple didn't understand those unspoken rules, though she did come to notice (usually) when there was something going on she didn't understand - once her mother, trying to console her after a difficult event, looks at her lovingly, saying "sometimes people say things with their eyes. This is me saying I love you and I respect you." Temple replies "I will NEVER be able to do that." Other times, though, she discovered rules that no one else would've been able to verbalize. For example, she was trying to get access to a slaughterhouse for her research, but they wouldn't let a woman in, so she traded in her VW Beetle for a dirty pickup truck, got a denim work shirt and jeans, dirtied them up, and "blended in" with the rest of the "natives," as it were. Clearly there was a dress code that wasn't stated anywhere, but if you matched the rest of the group you blended in.
I think about all the times that my behavior's been "strange" in my life; feeling like a fish out of water is an experience that everyone has had some time or another. Why do we structure our society and our lives such that everyone doesn't belong? Why do we feel it so necessary to exclude behaviors and identities? Why do we enforce that behavior on ourselves, as well, such that natural and perhaps healthy urges are dismissed as weak, or immature, or bizarre. Are there things you do that relax you or make you happy, but you don't allow yourself to do because of how it will be interpreted or seen by others?