She has discovered that people on the autism spectrum have increased sensitivity to visual motion in their peripheral field of vision, which affects how they perceive their environment and where they place themselves in time and space.
Some autistic people may experience problems seeing with “meaning” within their visual surroundings and environment. This means they may use other sensory inputs to gain meaning because they cannot internally mentalise the image, visuals or see the significance they hold.
Autistic people can experience both hypersensitivity (over-responsiveness) and hyposensitivity (under-responsiveness) to a wide range of stimuli. Most people have a combination of both. Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights).
Autistic people may also have problems coordinating their central and peripheral vision. For example, when asked to follow an object with their eyes, they usually do not look directly at the object. Instead, they will scan or look off to the side of the object.
She has discovered that people on the autism spectrum have increased sensitivity to visual motion in their peripheral field of vision, which affects how they perceive their environment and where they place themselves in time and space.
Many people with high-functioning autism have unusually intense emotional reactions when compared to their peers. For example, a frustrating experience like spilling coffee on their shirt or taking the wrong turn on the way to work can cause irritability and difficulty concentrating for the rest of their day.
BV issues cause double/blurry vision, headaches and eye strain. A common binocular vision issue associated with ASD is convergence insufficiency (CI). This condition causes an inability of the eyes to converge together on an object close-up, making tasks such as reading or writing especially difficult.
Myth 1 – autistic people cannot make eye contact
This is well known but factually inaccurate. Whilst many autistic people struggle to make eye contact, some are able to, so don't assume someone who identifies as being autistic won't be able to meet your gaze.
Autistic people often prefer to view inanimate objects over people interacting. This atypical gaze pattern may help clinicians flag autism before other traits appear. The average age of diagnosis in the United States is 4 years.
Some studies have suggested that individuals with autism may have certain physical characteristics that are more common than in the general population. These include a broader face, wider set eyes, and a flatter mid-face region.
Some of the frequent facial features of autism are a broader upper face, shorter middle face, wider eyes, bigger mouth, and the philtrum [19]. The use of facial features as a physical marker to detect autism is one of the most exciting topics in autism research.
Eye movement disorders: Eye movement disorders, such as crossed eyes, are common with people with autism. Crossed eyes, also called strabismus, occur when the eyes point in different directions and are not correctly aligned. For example, one eye may point upward and one inward.
Autistic individuals are often described as “thinking in pictures”. This assumption mainly originates from the eponymous book by Temple Grandin, Thinking In Pictures. In this book she reports that “when I think about abstract concepts I use visual images”, “thinking in language and words is alien to me.
How autism affects seeing the 'big picture', Difficulties with Central Coherence. Individuals with autism may have difficulty seeing the 'bigger picture'.
Characteristics of Mild Autism
Social deficits: Autistic people might approach conversations and social interactions in an “abnormal” way and have difficulty expressing and interpreting nonverbal cues. This can cause difficulty “developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.”
Level 1 is the mildest, or “highest functioning” form of autism, which includes those who would have previously been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Individuals with ASD level 1 may have difficulty understanding social cues and may struggle to form and maintain personal relationships.
Children with level 1 autism may find it difficult to engage in conversations. They also may form social bonds, but establishing and retaining friends may not come easily to them. Those diagnosed at this level may prefer established routines and find changes or unexpected events unsettling.
It's a common misconception that autistic people are unaware of their condition. The truth is, many autistic people are very much aware of their autism and how it affects them. In fact, some say that it's through understanding and acceptance of their autism that they've been able to lead fulfilling lives.
She has suggested that autistic people's thinking styles fall into one of three categories: visual thinkers; verbal/logic thinkers; and musical/mathematical thinkers. Although each person falls predominantly into one category, one can have a mixture of two or three.
They found that although the autistic children did not differ from the younger, typically developing children in the amount of time spent looking at their own faces, but that they did spend a lot more time looking at objects in the mirror, and that their behavior toward their reflections differed from that of either ...
Facial expressions smooth social interactions: A smile may show interest, a frown empathy. People with autism have difficulty making appropriate facial expressions at the right times, according to an analysis of 39 studies1. Instead, they may remain expressionless or produce looks that are difficult to interpret.
Smiling may not come easily to you if you are autistic or neurodiverse. It might feel unnatural or insincere. It doesn't mean you're in a bad mood if you don't smile. You could be neutral or really focused on your work.
Yes! Although not necessarily all autistic people, many autistic people are more than capable of dating, being physically intimate, and empathizing with their partners.
Visual stimming uses a person's sense of sight. It may include repetitive behaviors such as: staring or gazing at objects, such as ceiling fans or lights. repetitive blinking or turning lights on and off.