social media – A Is For Aoife Not Autism

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous posts about autism and animals, alpacas, and assistance dogs, this week I’d like to discuss a concept that has been floating around the neurodiversity reels on social media- “animal whisperer autism”.

There have been a number of reels floating around where autists claim to have “animal whisperer autism” and not “good at maths autism”, and I have to admit this sums me up in a nutshell 😂 I have always had a love and affinity with animals that has become increasingly apparent in recent years. It’s gotten to the stage lately where random dogs have pulled their owners towards me for snuggles walking down the street! 🙈

It’s not just dogs, all kinds of animals just tend to gravitate towards me- when I’m out walking my dog the local horses, cows and sheep all come up to the gate or follow along beside us in the field as we go. Once I was pulled out of bed to herd some cows that had escaped into our field (I’ve never herded cows in my life), I just walked up to them and they all randomly formed a line in front of me 😂🐄

@allkindsinmind
I’d rather be the animal whisperer anyway #animalwhisperer #autism #latediagnosedautistic #autisticadult #autistic #actuallyautistic #animallover #friendsnotfood #sheep #cats #catlady #squirrel
♬ This Is The Life – Micky

But is there any explanation for our animal magnetism?

The evidence for this phenomenon is mainly anecdotal, so it’s not an easy one to explain. As I’ve discussed previously, animals have a calming influence on autists, so it’s possible that animals are responding to that calm- like a mutually shared vibe. In addition, studies have shown that some autists have an altered fear response wherein they show less fear than neurotypicals in a scary situation, so where many people might feel nervous around animals, an autist might not have that same fear.

Other explanations could be linked to our intuition and keen observational skills. Temple Grandin, one of the most famous autism advocates, is a leading livestock expert with particular expertise in the area of animal handling. Her observations on animal behaviour and their interactions with their environment have revolutionized humane animal treatment- the ultimate animal whisperer. With animals, there are no confusing social rules or games, so it’s easier for an autist to understand them.

Another wild explanation could be linked to body odour as different smells can control social behaviours. Studies have linked body odour to imitating behaviours in autists where an autist imitates the behaviour of their family in response to smell. If we were to apply this observation to animals, perhaps autists are becoming animal whisperer’s through imitation behaviours where we are subconsciously learning how to socially interact with animals through smell. In other words, the animals could be teaching us how to communicate with them!

However, some autists impaired perception of body odours causes them to misread social cues, so maybe this one is a long shot (or this group are not of the animal whisperer autism persuasion 🤷🏻‍♀️).

Maybe one day researchers will investigate this phenomenon properly. Who knows, maybe there’s a genetic mutation that makes us smell better to animals or some other random biological phenomenon that makes us irresistible to our feathered and furry friends? 🙃

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to have a discussion about a somewhat polarizing topic- the internet and autism.

The internet is without a doubt one of the most powerful tools in the world- it connects us, shops for us, provides us with data instantly and is a vital tool in both school and the workplace. But as with most tools, it has many sharp and dangerous edges. As such, we need to be quite cognizant of both sides of the coin for vulnerable autists.

The internet often feels like a Godsend to an autist- it educates us about our condition, keeps those of us with ADHD stimulated (so many hours of online content to shut my brain up! 😛 ) and it removes the physical barriers of socializing, allowing us to make friends in a seemingly less threatening environment. Online support groups, vlogs and blogs can be immensely beneficial for autists, giving information, advice and a sense of community, knowing there are people out there dealing with the same struggles as you.

It can also really help mitigate some of the anxiety associated with in person or phone interactions. I’ve always hated shopping, so the rise in online retail during the pandemic has been very convenient for me, allowing me to offset some of the awkwardness and anxiety I would normally feel when dealing with retail workers (not to mention it’s keeping my habit of dropping/knocking things over in shops from poor coordination at bay! 😛 ). Even little things like being able to book appointments and restaurants over the internet can have a huge impact for an autist- the smallest of things can make our lives so much less stressful.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the internet to emerge from the pandemic for autists is how it enables us to work remotely. With just a couple of clicks, we can work away as if we were in a physical office, safe in the comfort of our home, free from many of the stresses of workplace life.

But as useful as the internet is, it can also be a very dangerous place for autists.

The internet provides us with a vast network of information, but a large percentage of it goes un-monitored which could be dangerous in the hands of vulnerable autists. We can be quite innocent and trusting, our struggles with social cues often making it difficult to discern what is truly ingenuous. The internet is filled with harmful pages about “curing” autism which a desperate and struggling autist could take at face value. The threat of cyber bullying is a serious issue for today’s youth (I was blessed this was only taking off as I was leaving school), but autists are especially vulnerable given our social struggles. An even bigger danger may arise from these struggles as online predators may target autists, many of whom may be innocently oblivious to their potential danger.

Furthermore, there are an increasing number of studies which have identified a trend of internet addiction among autists, as we can often be vulnerable to addictive behaviours. Researchers feel that the internet allows us to compensate for our social difficulties in the offline world through online activity. The list of perceived advantages of the internet is endless to an autist, and so it can very quickly become a crutch.

Whilst we can put up filters and blocks to mitigate some of these risks, there is a real need to properly educate growing autists about the internet and the potential threats that are out there. Not just from others, but autists also need to be educated about the danger they pose to themselves with what they post on the internet. With our mimetic and impulsive nature, internet behaviours can often be monkey see-monkey do, and so we may post inappropriate content without properly realizing the potential consequences.

It’s easy to demonize it, but we cannot deny that the internet truly has provided a platform to increase visibility for the autistic community in recent years. It’s given so many of us a voice that we never knew we could have. The internet is on the whole primarily a good thing for autists, but we should always be wary of the dangers and advocate for proper education around internet usage.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife