Why I believe the Top is on the autistic spectrum
I wrote this piece during the early spring, before the release of the DSM-V. Since then there have been changes in the field of autism diagnoses: Asperger syndrome and autism have been folded into Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the criteria have been partially re-worded. However this change is somewhat controversial, and because the DSM-V is so new and expensive many non-professionals haven’t even seen the newest diagnostic criteria. Thus I’ve decided to stick with the information from the DSM-IV, which was officially in use until May 2013 (and is probably still being used by some).
This is long and probably not of interest to anyone else, but it’s something I’ve wanted to write for about five years now.
Autism is a neurological condition which affects social interaction, communication, and the sensory system. It exists as a spectrum, with people affected in different ways and to varying degrees. It’s not a mental illness, though certain mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety often co-exist with it. It's diagnosed with assistance from publications like the DSM-IV manual, which defines the diagnostic criteria for autism and autism-spectrum disorders (such as Asperger syndrome). In part, the book's definition for Asperger’s states:
B. restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3) stereotyped and repetitive motor manners (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
It is my belief that the Top (Roscoe Dillon) fits the criteria for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. In the past, Asperger syndrome was considered related but somewhat distinct from autism itself; current theory is that it’s simply a variant of the same disorder (this is at times controversial, but I’m not trying to wade into semantics here). And ultimately I’m discussing a fictional character, so whether somebody wants to declare him “autistic” or “Aspie” isn’t particularly important.
It’s useful to keep in mind that the character’s been around for approximately fifty years and has been handled by quite a few writers, none of whom were likely well-versed in psychology or neurology. Sometimes I jokingly refer to his obvious mental illness as “comic-book crazy”, meaning that the writers clearly intended him to be mentally ill but aren’t exactly careful or consistent with symptoms. I doubt the manifestations of his mental illness would match up with any known psychological diagnosis, and one might argue that about his autistic symptoms too. However, I believe his autistic symptoms are generally more distinctive and applicable to an actual condition.
The aforementioned diagnostic criteria seem immediately relevant to him. The Top is so obsessed with tops and spinning that he made them his entire criminal shtick: he quite literally named himself after tops, and spun as part of his modus operandi. Up until Geoff Johns’ run on the Flash title, his primary tools and weapons were gimmicked tops. He regularly made reference to and punned about tops, and although that wasn’t unusual for the Rogues, he continued it throughout Johns’ run even after most of his colleagues had ceased the habit. The man even had a top-shaped tombstone, and it's safe to say that he genuinely loved tops.
Right there we see clear fulfillment of one of the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria: a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.
In his very first appearance, we learn that he loved tops from childhood. He became absolutely entranced by them after discovering their existence, and even declined opportunities to interact with other children so he could play with his tops (we’ll come back to this). With an intense focus on his toy, he noted “There’s something about spinning tops that fascinates me!” This strongly evokes the DSM-IV criteria of d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects. While the DSM-IV does not expressly state it, it’s a well-known fact that many autistics have a fascination with moving objects, particularly things that move in a predictable pattern (such as a machine part, or something spinning). As this childhood neurology site notes “Arranging toys in rows, spinning themselves or objects, or showing fascination in spinning objects, straight lines, or trains is a common [autistic] behavior.”
Though the DSM-IV does not mention it specifically, its citation of c) stereotyped and repetitive motor manners (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements), is pertinent because “complex whole-body movements” sometimes manifests as spinning. Some autistic people have a surprising tolerance for dizziness, and will happily spin their bodies in circles for some lengths of time. These actions sometimes seem puzzling to non-autistics, but make sense when one realizes that the movements are comforting to the autistic person. In some cases they may have an under-reactive vestibular (inner ear) system and spinning themselves helps to stimulate it, or the activity may simply feel pleasant and soothing. This self-soothing behaviour is called stimming, and although everyone does it -- repeatedly tapping a foot, for example -- it's particularly pervasive amongst autistics. It helps to cope with sensory stressors, and makes life a little easier to navigate.
We don’t know if Roscoe has vestibular dysfunction, and it’s true that the few flashbacks we see of his childhood don’t depict him spinning his own body. However, there are so few scenes of his early life shown that it’s entirely possible he did do it. And when he started spinning as part of his criminal career, he clearly had an affinity for it, and (for whatever reason) an obvious resistance to dizziness. The only times he was ever shown getting dizzy were because of the re-manifestation of his psionic powers, a metahuman issue otherwise unrelated to his normal health.
Regarding autistic social behaviours, the DSM-IV stipulates:
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
Several of these are suggested by Roscoe’s blunt rejection of other children so he could play with his top, indicating this has been an issue since childhood. As an adult he spent time interacting with the other Rogues, so he wasn’t entirely a loner, but his relations with them have long been fractious. Eventually they seem to have rejected him, probably because of his difficult personality (Heat Wave noted he “always tried to talk over your head. He wanted you to know he was smarter”, which is a not-uncommon complaint about Aspies). Regardless, even after alienating the Rogues he attempted to re-connect with them and failed miserably in Flash v2 #210, ending with him getting literally thrown out. Social interaction with peers is clearly not one of his strengths, even when he tries. He did have a girlfriend during his more sociable period, but having a romantic partner isn’t unusual for people on the autistic spectrum. And while the Rogues emphasize the group as a family and their togetherness, he’s an anomaly amongst them by often being content to work on his own. He didn’t even tell the Rogues when he was dying, and deliberately went away to die alone.
The other criteria for Asperger’s are as follows:
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.
The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning is certainly covered by what we’ve discussed. The other criteria are somewhat more difficult to determine, particularly because we know so little about his childhood. The schizophrenia reference is tricky because, as I said earlier, we don’t actually know what mental illness(es) he has. Certainly his possibly-autistic symptoms and possibly-mental illness symptoms run together at times; an example would be when other characters occasionally complained that he smelled bad. Hygiene can be challenging for some autistics who have difficulty reading social cues and don't pick up on others' disapproval about their cleanliness, but the problem isn’t unusual in some people with mental health issues either. It’s difficult to say where that stemmed from in his case.
As a counterpoint, there are a couple of traits which possibly argue against Roscoe being on the autistic spectrum. One is that many autistics lack physical co-ordination and are often clumsy. But this is not a defining trait, and as an example I know an Aspie woman who is a dancer. Like any skill, it can probably be honed and practiced, and Roscoe’s graceful spinning could easily be compared to a dancer’s. He may have simply trained himself to be more physically adept through hard work.
Another possible point against it is that he’s an accomplished liar. Though also not a defining trait of the disorder, many autistics are not particularly good at lying and dislike doing it. However, as with his physical co-ordination skills, he may have simply trained himself to do it (an obvious advantage for a criminal), and in this case I think the changes to his adult brain may be responsible. It’s a canonical fact that his brain underwent several physiological changes when he started spinning at high speeds in adulthood: his intelligence increased, he eventually developed psionic powers, and it ultimately killed him. It’s true that many Aspies don’t lie very much, but they also don’t possess telekinetic powers. So it is entirely conceivable that the changes to his brain which made him a genius and telekinetic also made him more adept at lying, and perhaps better at some other skills here and there.
Thus, despite a couple of minor suggestions against it, I believe Roscoe is on the autistic spectrum. He certainly fits most of the criteria in the DSM-IV, and the few benchmarks that are uncertain are due to insufficient data. His social issues and obsessive interests were demonstrably present from childhood and before the changes to his brain, while the possible evidentiary counterpoints such as his ability to lie were not. And ultimately it’s those scenes from childhood which strongly make the case: without them, one could argue that his oddities were because of the changes to his brain or mental illness (which often manifests during the teenage years or older), but those mannerisms were clearly present when he was a child. He was an unusual child and an unusual man, just like many people on the spectrum. He happened to go in an unexpected direction when he became an adult criminal, but never really left those childhood traits behind.
Links
You may have interest in some web links relating to autism and spinning (linking is not necessarily endorsement of the sites’ other content). I’d wanted to put these into the article, but felt it would clutter things.
Blog post about an autistic child who spins herself (with video)
Blog post about an autistic child who spins himself
Short informational piece about autistics’ interest in spinning objects
Blog post about autistics’ interest in spinning objects, and tops in particular
People at a message board for Aspies and autistics discuss their interest in spinning (and tops)
Blog post about sensory/vestibular issues and seeking stimulation (including spinning)
Blog post about seeking sensory input (including spinning)
Blog post by an autistic woman about the joys of stimming
Blog post about stimming
Blog post discussing autistic behaviour -- it includes this interesting tidbit:
Shelley: Spinning and jumping are also examples of repetitive motor behaviors. When a child is spinning or jumping he/she is activating the vestibular system. The child may seek vestibular stimulation as a means to elicit “feel good” sensations and/or also to positively affect his/her arousal.
Emily: Yes, in other words, many children with autism seek sensory information or experiences from the environment (due to feeling under-stimulated). They may also use spinning and jumping as a way of regulating themselves (i.e.: when they are stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed). Spinning and jumping can help one feel regulated and “grounded.”
This is long and probably not of interest to anyone else, but it’s something I’ve wanted to write for about five years now.
Autism is a neurological condition which affects social interaction, communication, and the sensory system. It exists as a spectrum, with people affected in different ways and to varying degrees. It’s not a mental illness, though certain mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety often co-exist with it. It's diagnosed with assistance from publications like the DSM-IV manual, which defines the diagnostic criteria for autism and autism-spectrum disorders (such as Asperger syndrome). In part, the book's definition for Asperger’s states:
B. restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3) stereotyped and repetitive motor manners (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
It is my belief that the Top (Roscoe Dillon) fits the criteria for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. In the past, Asperger syndrome was considered related but somewhat distinct from autism itself; current theory is that it’s simply a variant of the same disorder (this is at times controversial, but I’m not trying to wade into semantics here). And ultimately I’m discussing a fictional character, so whether somebody wants to declare him “autistic” or “Aspie” isn’t particularly important.
It’s useful to keep in mind that the character’s been around for approximately fifty years and has been handled by quite a few writers, none of whom were likely well-versed in psychology or neurology. Sometimes I jokingly refer to his obvious mental illness as “comic-book crazy”, meaning that the writers clearly intended him to be mentally ill but aren’t exactly careful or consistent with symptoms. I doubt the manifestations of his mental illness would match up with any known psychological diagnosis, and one might argue that about his autistic symptoms too. However, I believe his autistic symptoms are generally more distinctive and applicable to an actual condition.
The aforementioned diagnostic criteria seem immediately relevant to him. The Top is so obsessed with tops and spinning that he made them his entire criminal shtick: he quite literally named himself after tops, and spun as part of his modus operandi. Up until Geoff Johns’ run on the Flash title, his primary tools and weapons were gimmicked tops. He regularly made reference to and punned about tops, and although that wasn’t unusual for the Rogues, he continued it throughout Johns’ run even after most of his colleagues had ceased the habit. The man even had a top-shaped tombstone, and it's safe to say that he genuinely loved tops.
Right there we see clear fulfillment of one of the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria: a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.
In his very first appearance, we learn that he loved tops from childhood. He became absolutely entranced by them after discovering their existence, and even declined opportunities to interact with other children so he could play with his tops (we’ll come back to this). With an intense focus on his toy, he noted “There’s something about spinning tops that fascinates me!” This strongly evokes the DSM-IV criteria of d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects. While the DSM-IV does not expressly state it, it’s a well-known fact that many autistics have a fascination with moving objects, particularly things that move in a predictable pattern (such as a machine part, or something spinning). As this childhood neurology site notes “Arranging toys in rows, spinning themselves or objects, or showing fascination in spinning objects, straight lines, or trains is a common [autistic] behavior.”
Though the DSM-IV does not mention it specifically, its citation of c) stereotyped and repetitive motor manners (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements), is pertinent because “complex whole-body movements” sometimes manifests as spinning. Some autistic people have a surprising tolerance for dizziness, and will happily spin their bodies in circles for some lengths of time. These actions sometimes seem puzzling to non-autistics, but make sense when one realizes that the movements are comforting to the autistic person. In some cases they may have an under-reactive vestibular (inner ear) system and spinning themselves helps to stimulate it, or the activity may simply feel pleasant and soothing. This self-soothing behaviour is called stimming, and although everyone does it -- repeatedly tapping a foot, for example -- it's particularly pervasive amongst autistics. It helps to cope with sensory stressors, and makes life a little easier to navigate.
We don’t know if Roscoe has vestibular dysfunction, and it’s true that the few flashbacks we see of his childhood don’t depict him spinning his own body. However, there are so few scenes of his early life shown that it’s entirely possible he did do it. And when he started spinning as part of his criminal career, he clearly had an affinity for it, and (for whatever reason) an obvious resistance to dizziness. The only times he was ever shown getting dizzy were because of the re-manifestation of his psionic powers, a metahuman issue otherwise unrelated to his normal health.
Regarding autistic social behaviours, the DSM-IV stipulates:
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
Several of these are suggested by Roscoe’s blunt rejection of other children so he could play with his top, indicating this has been an issue since childhood. As an adult he spent time interacting with the other Rogues, so he wasn’t entirely a loner, but his relations with them have long been fractious. Eventually they seem to have rejected him, probably because of his difficult personality (Heat Wave noted he “always tried to talk over your head. He wanted you to know he was smarter”, which is a not-uncommon complaint about Aspies). Regardless, even after alienating the Rogues he attempted to re-connect with them and failed miserably in Flash v2 #210, ending with him getting literally thrown out. Social interaction with peers is clearly not one of his strengths, even when he tries. He did have a girlfriend during his more sociable period, but having a romantic partner isn’t unusual for people on the autistic spectrum. And while the Rogues emphasize the group as a family and their togetherness, he’s an anomaly amongst them by often being content to work on his own. He didn’t even tell the Rogues when he was dying, and deliberately went away to die alone.
The other criteria for Asperger’s are as follows:
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.
The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning is certainly covered by what we’ve discussed. The other criteria are somewhat more difficult to determine, particularly because we know so little about his childhood. The schizophrenia reference is tricky because, as I said earlier, we don’t actually know what mental illness(es) he has. Certainly his possibly-autistic symptoms and possibly-mental illness symptoms run together at times; an example would be when other characters occasionally complained that he smelled bad. Hygiene can be challenging for some autistics who have difficulty reading social cues and don't pick up on others' disapproval about their cleanliness, but the problem isn’t unusual in some people with mental health issues either. It’s difficult to say where that stemmed from in his case.
As a counterpoint, there are a couple of traits which possibly argue against Roscoe being on the autistic spectrum. One is that many autistics lack physical co-ordination and are often clumsy. But this is not a defining trait, and as an example I know an Aspie woman who is a dancer. Like any skill, it can probably be honed and practiced, and Roscoe’s graceful spinning could easily be compared to a dancer’s. He may have simply trained himself to be more physically adept through hard work.
Another possible point against it is that he’s an accomplished liar. Though also not a defining trait of the disorder, many autistics are not particularly good at lying and dislike doing it. However, as with his physical co-ordination skills, he may have simply trained himself to do it (an obvious advantage for a criminal), and in this case I think the changes to his adult brain may be responsible. It’s a canonical fact that his brain underwent several physiological changes when he started spinning at high speeds in adulthood: his intelligence increased, he eventually developed psionic powers, and it ultimately killed him. It’s true that many Aspies don’t lie very much, but they also don’t possess telekinetic powers. So it is entirely conceivable that the changes to his brain which made him a genius and telekinetic also made him more adept at lying, and perhaps better at some other skills here and there.
Thus, despite a couple of minor suggestions against it, I believe Roscoe is on the autistic spectrum. He certainly fits most of the criteria in the DSM-IV, and the few benchmarks that are uncertain are due to insufficient data. His social issues and obsessive interests were demonstrably present from childhood and before the changes to his brain, while the possible evidentiary counterpoints such as his ability to lie were not. And ultimately it’s those scenes from childhood which strongly make the case: without them, one could argue that his oddities were because of the changes to his brain or mental illness (which often manifests during the teenage years or older), but those mannerisms were clearly present when he was a child. He was an unusual child and an unusual man, just like many people on the spectrum. He happened to go in an unexpected direction when he became an adult criminal, but never really left those childhood traits behind.
Links
You may have interest in some web links relating to autism and spinning (linking is not necessarily endorsement of the sites’ other content). I’d wanted to put these into the article, but felt it would clutter things.
Blog post about an autistic child who spins herself (with video)
Blog post about an autistic child who spins himself
Short informational piece about autistics’ interest in spinning objects
Blog post about autistics’ interest in spinning objects, and tops in particular
People at a message board for Aspies and autistics discuss their interest in spinning (and tops)
Blog post about sensory/vestibular issues and seeking stimulation (including spinning)
Blog post about seeking sensory input (including spinning)
Blog post by an autistic woman about the joys of stimming
Blog post about stimming
Blog post discussing autistic behaviour -- it includes this interesting tidbit:
Shelley: Spinning and jumping are also examples of repetitive motor behaviors. When a child is spinning or jumping he/she is activating the vestibular system. The child may seek vestibular stimulation as a means to elicit “feel good” sensations and/or also to positively affect his/her arousal.
Emily: Yes, in other words, many children with autism seek sensory information or experiences from the environment (due to feeling under-stimulated). They may also use spinning and jumping as a way of regulating themselves (i.e.: when they are stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed). Spinning and jumping can help one feel regulated and “grounded.”