Most of the time, people think about autism as a set of deficits. This is the way that a clinical diagnosis works. You have to check off certain boxes on a list of areas where you aren’t “normal,” things you can’t do the “right way” or ways in which your brain or body aren’t able to manage living as a neurotypical person. “Warning signs” for autistic children include:
1. Lack of eye contact
2. Repetitive behavior
3. Difficulty communicating
4. Trouble anticipating social expectations
5. Literalism/difficulty with jokes or metaphoric language
6. Sensory sensitivity
7. Needing routine/difficulty with change
8. Picky eating
9. Clumsiness/proprioception issues
10. Lack of appropriate friendships
Note that each of the items in this list is seen as a kind of deficit. Of course, this explains why autists are often targeted for behavioral therapy of some kind that is designed to “fix” them. Autistic adults often talk about the trauma of being forced to “behave” the way that others want them to. It is distressing, and is a form of socially acceptable abuse.
