Observations about Neurotypicals

April is Autism Awareness Month.

I happen to be autistic.

In fact, I was diagnosed before it was cool.

Keep in mind every experience with autism is different, and it is quite a spectrum.

Some of us are nonverbal and need care for the rest of our lives. Others need just a little more support than normal.

In my case, I can function independently, as can many other people on the spectrum.

Autism can take many different forms.

However, the most accepted baseline is below average social intelligence, a tendency toward bluntness, solid attention to detail, a strong attachment to routine, sensory issues that can take many forms, hyper fixation on specific interests, and a monotone voice unless experiencing intense emotions. The hype fixation and focus can be a positive thing depending on the situation.

Keep in mind that social intelligence is knowing how to interact in social situations with other humans to achieve specific goals; it does not mean a lack of empathy or care about other people.

Many founders and leaders of authoritarian regimes have high social intelligence or at least a specific form of social IQ that allows them to be expert manipulators.

For example, Trump has a specific type of social intelligence that allows him to manipulate the worst impulses of his base and take advantage of people’s prejudices.

In my case, autism means sensory issues regarding hearing and texture, a high level of focus when required, social awkwardness outside of specific contexts (otherwise I am quite adept socially), being introverted (in the sense that social interaction mostly tires me out), a monotone voice, a rather blunt way of interacting with other people and a tendency to get hyper focused on topics I am interested in.

Like with neurotypicals, the IQ of autistic people ranges considerably, though it’s complicated by the tests used to measure intelligence overall.

For example, during my first tests, my IQ was thought to be in the seventies, whereas my intelligence, depending on the situation, can be well above average.

Often, I feel like a stranger in a strange land.

Inspired by this video on the channel Overly Sarcastic Productions, I have a few observations about neurotypicals that I notice from the outside looking in.

Let my counterpart from another dimension take over.

Observations about a Strange Land

Hello, humans.

What you call autism in your world is normal in mine. I have lived among you all for decades and will submit a report back to headquarters shortly.

How is it that many of you humans find it fun to overload your senses with loud noises from stages with poor acoustics? In fact, why do you people tolerate so much noise in general? Why do you like to mix foods in weird ways?

Why do you so-called normal people choose your elected leaders based on who you would like to socialize with over who can do the job at hand most effectively? In fact, you have this habit of selecting people based on who their parents are, their gender, skin color, what you humans call sexual orientation or who you happen to like. It’s never based solely on qualifications, loyalty and character.

Secretary Clinton would have been a fantastic American president based on qualifications alone, yet many of you voted based on who you would like to have a beer with or attend a march with. Many of you voted against her just because she is a woman.

You Americans got lucky with President Obama in that he turned out to be an excellent president, but your process of selecting him was deeply troubling. Many of you voted for him in what you call primaries because you found him likable.

This is a disturbing pattern I see across Earth in systems that you humans call democracies and republics.

Why do so many of you adore people who would kill or brutalize you without thinking twice?

The world today relies more on experts and specialists in various fields in order to function, yet you scorn and disempower these vital people. Why?

I am seriously thinking about leading a group of technocrats from my planet to show you how proper public administration is done.

Also, no, I am not interested in starting a sex cult. Stop asking me.

Light-skinned normal people, you have a disturbing habit of treating those with darker skin than you as less than despite the fact that there are no functional differences among humans based on skin color. You treat people differently based on skin color, even members of your own body politic. Those with darker skin must meet requirements for recognition and honor that lighter-skinned people do not need to, and it is easier to punish darker-skinned people in harsher ways for crimes than their lighter-skinned counterparts. All of your systems are compromised in this manner.

Keep in mind these characteristics are not limited to lighter-skinned folk from Europe. It’s a problem all over Earth.

Your actions are making Earth less habitable for yourselves and your way of life. You humans have had decades to plan for a technological transition to stave off what you call climate change. Don’t worry about life on Earth; worry about what will happen to your civilization.

I will receive orders about what to do about these problems once I submit the report.

On a More Serious Note

How you experience autism depends heavily on your family background, race, gender, skin color and socioeconomic status.

All of these factors influence your chance of getting an early diagnosis and needed support. They also influence how characteristics typical of autism get perceived and how much danger they place you in.

For example, it’s much more dangerous for a young Black man to misread a social situation than it is for me. It’s the same if the autistic person in question is a woman.

What is required going forward is more investment in early intervention. That way, autistic children can be aided so that they grow into functioning adults.

Education for the most part is decided on the state and local levels, so these changes need to start with school boards and state education budgets.

More needs to be done in general.

Either way, happy Autism Awareness Month.