Welcome back to Reading the Research, where I trawl the Internet to find noteworthy research on autism and related subjects, then discuss it in brief with bits from my own life, research, and observations.
Today's article puts a "normal life" into much-needed context. Rituals, it turns out, ease the effects of stress in humans. Sounds familiar, right? Autistic people chewing on things, or rocking, or using echolalia?
Actually, that's not what the researcher is talking about. He's talking about going to church, watching football, and having weddings and funerals. Those are rituals. Coming home every day from work, feeding the dog, and flopping on the couch to read the news before starting anything else... that is also a ritual. Sitting around the dinner table together to eat dinner every day is another ritual. And of course, saying a prayer over a meal is a ritual.
These familiar behavioral patterns make us comfortable and put us at ease. But they're so routine and commonplace that people don't typically recognize them as rituals.
But perhaps they should, because if they did, autistic people might not seem so odd after all. Our rituals and stimming behaviors may be more obvious, but they serve exactly the same purpose: to help us cope with anxiety. Our lives are full of stress, but according to the article, even neurotypical people become more rigid and repetitive in their behavior when put under stress.
This is not to mention socially appropriate stimming, like cracking your knuckles, bouncing your leg, twiddling your thumbs, fidgeting with your phone, scrolling down Facebook endlessly, and humming.
So basically, autistic people are human... just moreso. Our behavior is everyone's behavior, just amped up.
(Pst! If you like seeing the latest autism-relevant research, visit my Twitter, which has links and brief comments on studies that were interesting, but didn't get a whole Reading the Research article about them.)
Today's article puts a "normal life" into much-needed context. Rituals, it turns out, ease the effects of stress in humans. Sounds familiar, right? Autistic people chewing on things, or rocking, or using echolalia?
Actually, that's not what the researcher is talking about. He's talking about going to church, watching football, and having weddings and funerals. Those are rituals. Coming home every day from work, feeding the dog, and flopping on the couch to read the news before starting anything else... that is also a ritual. Sitting around the dinner table together to eat dinner every day is another ritual. And of course, saying a prayer over a meal is a ritual.
These familiar behavioral patterns make us comfortable and put us at ease. But they're so routine and commonplace that people don't typically recognize them as rituals.
But perhaps they should, because if they did, autistic people might not seem so odd after all. Our rituals and stimming behaviors may be more obvious, but they serve exactly the same purpose: to help us cope with anxiety. Our lives are full of stress, but according to the article, even neurotypical people become more rigid and repetitive in their behavior when put under stress.
This is not to mention socially appropriate stimming, like cracking your knuckles, bouncing your leg, twiddling your thumbs, fidgeting with your phone, scrolling down Facebook endlessly, and humming.
So basically, autistic people are human... just moreso. Our behavior is everyone's behavior, just amped up.
(Pst! If you like seeing the latest autism-relevant research, visit my Twitter, which has links and brief comments on studies that were interesting, but didn't get a whole Reading the Research article about them.)
I read this while rocking my little one to sleep-a ritual that helps both of us! <3
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