Strengths in autism video transcript

Hello. In this video we will talk about strengths in autism.

Much of the information on our website focusses on the needs and difficulties within autism, which is due to the fact that parents usually seek help and support from our team for the things their children are struggling with and our role is to offer advice and consultation to support families.

 

Nonetheless, we wanted to also discuss a few of the many strengths which autistic people also present with. As well as being valuable strengths in their own right, a lot of these areas can also be harnessed to help children compensate and overcome other areas of difficulty.
Autistic people can often be quite visual learners and may show an excellent eye for detail.

In general people on the spectrum are quicker at solving puzzles, like this Where’s Wally, than who aren’t on the spectrum. They might notice other details the rest of us don’t.

As we’ve discussed in previous videos, autistic people have a tendency to be quite systematic and rational thinkers, so can be drawn to topics which are quite rule based, like Maths, Computing, Engineering or Music.

Because autistic people often feel most comfortable with clarity and clear rules, children on the spectrum can tend to be quite compliant, as long as the rules are clear to them and they’re able to follow them.

Some autistic children have a particular interest in the alphabet and numbers, so at times they learn these more quickly than their peers.
Some children learn to read much earlier than expected due to particular skills and interests in letters and reading. This is called hyperlexia.

 

A small number of people on the spectrum (less than 10%) have an area of special ability (called a savant ability) which means they have a particular area of genius skill. This could be something like the ability to do very complicated mental maths like a calculator or having an exceptional memory.

This was represented by Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film “The Rain Man” who was able to perform amazing calculations in his head. A real-life example is that of Stephen Wiltshire, who is also autistic. He has a photographic memory as well as an amazing artistic ability which has helped him become a successful artist. He can be taken in a helicopter over a city to see the skyline and then later he is able to draw the scene from memory with incredible accuracy.

Although genius or savant ability is something of a stereotype and the majority of autistic people do not have these types of genius abilities, people on the spectrum do often have strong focus on areas of particular interest, meaning they may become relative experts in areas that they are really passionate about.

In young children, the types of focussed interests vary greatly, but examples might include a strong interest in transport or bus routes, or a fascination for Lego or Thomas the Tank Engine.

There are many examples of autistic adults who have channelled this ability into their careers and there are some you may be familiar with.

 

One is Chris Packham who is a television presenter and naturalist who presented “The Really Wild Show” in the 1980s and 90s and more recently the BBC nature series “Springwatch”. He has a huge passion for animals which he uses in his work. He features in a documentary about his experiences of being on the spectrum called “Asperger’s and Me.”

Greta Thunberg is a teenage climate activist who has been in the news a lot recently since she led the climate school strikes in Sweden. She has described her Autism as her “superpower” and credits it with helping her achievements.

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch this video from the social communication team. We really hope that you have found it useful.