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Autism is neither neurodevelopmental nor a disorder. It is simply an inherent neurophysiological difference in how the brain processes information. Autism is perpetual and unrelenting hyperfocus, the state of intense single-minded concentration fixated on one thought pattern at a time to the exclusion of everything else, including one’s own feelings. We who are autistic live in a specialized inner space that is entirely intellectual, free from emotional and social distractions. We observe the world in scholarly detail, but without any emotional attachment to what we see. Newton, Jefferson, Darwin, Edison, Tesla, and Einstein were autistic. Unfortunately, we are witnessing an epidemic of false diagnoses of autism. Two-thirds of those considered to be on the so-called “autism spectrum” are not in fact autistic. The fault lies with the American Psychiatric Association who in 2013 created an umbrella ASD category that includes a broad range of conditions of questionable similarity. Professionals diagnose by ticking off subjective symptoms on a checklist without ascertaining the probable causes of said symptoms.
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I am SO HAPPY to have found your work. I have several close friends who have almost been misdiagnosed with autism recently… Autism has become the “go to” diagnoses for generalized anxiety, trouble fitting in, etc. This is NOT autism!! Your “Need to Redefine Autism” paper is the perfect answer to this overextension of diagnosable characteristics. THANK YOU!