There's not much doubt that autism, along with Asperger Syndrome, is finally becoming accepted as a normal part of the human fabric. Even if some people still see autism as a condition that needs to be "treated," it's increasingly obvious that people on the autism spectrum are finding ways to succeed in our neurotypical-based society.
Not only that, but autistic people are changing the nature of our society as well ? in many ways, for the better.
The image above was drawn by Stephen Wilshire, a British architectural artist who has been diagnosed with autism. He is known for his ability to draw a detailed landscape from memory after just seeing it once.
To better understand how it is that autism has come to impact so significantly on mainstream culture, we spoke to two experts on the matter, Steve Silberman and Andrea Kuszewski. Silberman is a longtime contributing editor at Wired and is currently at work on his upcoming book, Neurotribes: Thinking Smarter About People Who Think Differently. And Kuszewski is a consultant and behavioral therapist for children who are on the autism spectrum, and an expert in finding alternative learning strategies for gifted kids. We also talked to other people whose lives have been touched by autism.
Through our conversations with Silberman and Kuszewski, it became clear that autism has played a significant role in crafting much of what we consider to be modern culture ? from the music and books we read, to the technological devices we all take for granted. The acceptance of radically different ways of thinking, it turns out, can be seen as an integral part of a rich and diverse overarching culture.
Today, talk of autism is normal, and most of us are familiar with it. But as recently as two to three decades ago, kids on the spectrum were mercilessly teased as being nerds or geeks. While many today wear those labels as points of pride, it was certainly not the case back then ? they were used as put-downs, a way of calling out kids who had a hard time socializing ? and who at the same time exhibited a kind of smartness that caused them to be alienated from the "normal" kids.
A major turning point in this story came with the release of Rain Man in 1988 ? a movie that did as much harm as good. On the one hand, Rain Man spread misconceptions, but on the other hand, it made many people aware of autism for the first time. While painting an overly severe depiction of the condition, Rain Man served as a catalyst for a huge shift in the mainstream understanding of autism.
In fact, as Silberman tells io9, most pediatricians hadn't even heard of autism prior to the film's release. It was once seen as a rather arcane disease that didn't deserve mention in most textbooks ? but one that was thought to be related to childhood schizophrenia.
"After Rain Man, we started to realize that autism is common," said Silberman, "and that society was going to have to deal with it ? that we were going to have to accept these other kinds of humans."
More than two decades later, the socio-cultural landscape surrounding autism has shifted. The rising acceptance of neurodiversity has represented a seminal cultural adjustment in the early parts of the 21st century.
Indeed, as Kuszewski tells io9, we're now starting to notice it almost everywhere ? and at the same time, there's less of a stigma surrounding it. "If anything," she says, "it's slightly trendy to have Asperger's."
And with nearly 1 in 88 people diagnosed today, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Silberman quotes Jonathan Lethem, describing it as the "defining room tone of our time."
Moreover, there may actually be many more who go undiagnosed. "It's very important to remember that people who get diagnosed are a minority in a very broad field of people who are kind of only talked about jokingly," he says. "There may be broad autism phenotypes ? people who have traits ? but would probably not earn or seek a diagnosis." Many of these people, notes Silberman, could use the support. "This is not some kind of yuppie flu," he adds.
