Monotropism, the DEP, and the Neurodiversity Paradigm

In my post about my autism diagnosis, I mentioned Monotropism, a theory of autism from the minds of autistic scientists. I’d like to come back to it, because I really think it’s the best way to explain autistic traits.

For a brief introduction to the ideas behind this theory, you can visit its home on the web. Please take a moment to check out the homepage as well as the Explanations page – there’s a short video there that gives you the basics, which is very much worth the four minutes, at the very least. But really, there’s a lot of fascinating stuff on the website, so I do think it’s worth spending more than four minutes on it.

I’ll wait.

Okay, you’re back? Did you click through to read about the Double Empathy Problem? No? Well, here’s the link.

Back again? Great. How about that neurodiversity paradigm? Explanation is here.¹

Okay, now did you actually go and check out the linked pages? I promise it’s worth your time! But just in case you didn’t, here’s a micro-summary:

Monotropism is a theory that explains autistic traits by examining the nature of attention; monotropic brains (typical of autism and ADHD) prefer to focus on one thing, or a few things, at a time, and are prone to experiencing “attention tunnels,” while polytropic brains prefer to spread their focus across multiple things.

The Double Empathy Problem explains that two people whose behaviour and communication style are similar may have an easier time understanding and empathizing with each other than two people whose behaviour and communication style are different, especially across the autistic/allistic divide. 

The neurodiversity paradigm describes the range of neurotypes as natural variations of human experience, not identifying the less typical ones as “disordered.”

But again, please see the above links for better and more thorough explanations. I really mean it!

Once you’ve absorbed these ideas, you may begin to see why I included a disclaimer in my earlier posts. The deficit-based view of autism in the DSM is a convenient place to start, but it doesn’t explain the why or how. It also excludes autistic brains from the range of “normal” function, which I think is neither fair nor accurate. Monotropic and polytropic brains are equally “normal” for humans, if not seen with equal frequency.

Understanding Monotropism means finding ways to accommodate autistic people and ADHD-ers that can, importantly, improve our quality of life.

Understanding the Double Empathy Problem opens the door to better communication across the divide, but it takes work from both sides, not just autistic people learning to act more neurotypical.

Understanding the neurodiversity paradigm leads to an appreciation of the range of human experience and the contributions we all make.

Humanity, as a whole, benefits from this natural diversity in how we interact with the world. If we conceptualize neurodivergence as something to be “treated,” or even “cured,” it’s not just those of us who have are neurodivergent that will suffer.² The goal should be helping everyone live well.

I want to do something in the world, but sometimes I feel locked out of participating because I interact differently with the world than the majority. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if people who want to help didn’t end up getting the message that we can’t?³

—

¹ Bet you weren’t expecting so much homework today.

² Although we do suffer. Neurodivergent people being expected to live to neurotypical standards is an injustice.

³ Go read the linked pages!

—

1. AUTISM IN MY LIFE
2. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL RECIPROCITY
3. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOURS
4. RELATIONSHIPS
5. STIMMING
6. SAMENESS AND ROUTINES 
7. SPECIAL INTERESTS 
8. SENSORY SENSITIVITIES 
9. SENSE OF JUSTICE AND MELTDOWNS/SHUTDOWNS
10. MASKING
11. MONOTROPISM, THE DEP, AND THE NEURODIVERSITY PARADIGM ← you are here!