What can we learn about autism from autistic persons?

[Guest guest]

A most unusual study. The researchers endeavored to learn about autism

by paying attention to descriptions by HFAs and Aspies.

1: Psychother Psychosom. 2008;77(5):271-9.

Click here to read

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3030 & itool=AbstractPlus\

-def & uid=18560252 & db=pubmed & url=http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.as\

p?typ=fulltext & file=000140086>

What can we learn about autism from autistic persons?

Chamak B, Bonniau B, Jaunay E, Cohen D.

Inserm, U 611, CNRS, UMR 8136, Université Paris Descartes, CESAMES

(Centre de Recherche Psychotropes, Santé Mentale), Paris, France.

brigitte.chamak@...

BACKGROUND: To date, few studies have focused on the viewpoints of

autistic persons themselves despite an increasing number of

published autobiographies. The aim of this study is to highlight

their personal experiences, and to compare them to scientific and

medical knowledge and representations. METHOD: Adopting an

anthropological approach, we analyzed 16 autobiographical writings

and 5 interviews with autistic persons. We systematically screened

this material and explored the writers' sociodemographic

characteristics, cognitive skills and interests with a focus on

their sensory-perceptual experiences and their representations of

autism. RESULTS: The authors' ages (22-67 years), their countries (n

= 8) and backgrounds were varied, and most of them were

*high-functioning individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome*. The

most striking observations were that all of them pointed out that

unusual perceptions and information processing, as well as

impairments in emotional regulation, were the core symptoms of

autism, whereas the current classifications do not mention them.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that what has been selected as

major signs by psychiatric nosography is regarded as manifestations

induced by perceptive peculiarities and strong emotional reactions

by the autistic persons who expressed themselves. These

considerations deserve to be taken into account by professionals to

better understand the behavior and needs of autistic persons. We

propose to include this point in the reflection on the next

psychiatric classifications. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID: 18560252

..