It’s Autism Awareness Month. For that reason, I should blog about autism. Asperger’s syndrome is the high-functioning form of autism that I have. The most noticeable trait in Asperger’s is usually an intense interest in a narrow range of subjects. People with Asperger’s, called aspies, are more likely to be more outgoing than people with classical autism. The more outgoing ones still have social trouble, but learn them faster. Aspies also tend to be more intelligent than people with classical autism.
Those differences are general differences and it is not always clear which form of autism a person has. My official diagnosis was PDD, meaning that I am autistic but they don’t specify which form I have. Another psychologist might have diagnosed me with Asperger’s. In fact, the entire autism spectrum is most likely going to merge into one diagnosis. Psychologists look for the exact same traits when diagnosing any form of autism.
That’s more of a scientific view of autism. We need to take a more spiritual view of autism. The Bible says that we are made in God’s image. God is so great, that everyone put together cannot completely reflect God. For this reason, every person reflects God in a different way. I would like to highlight three positive traits of the autism spectrum and how these traits are a reflection of God.
Caring- People with autism tend to be more caring. They easily get moved when they see that a person is in need. I personally care strongly about the issue of abortion. The emotional effect it has on women has been difficult for me to handle.
God strongly cares about people in need. In the Old Testiment, He constantly tells people to care the orphans in widows. He commands reapers to not collect any wheat that they have left behind after harvesting the field. The wheat that is left behind is to be left to the poor.
In the New Testiment, Jesus tells a man to sell all of his posessions and give them to the poor. The New Testiment also tells us to care for the widows and orphans.
Non-judgemental- People with autism except everyone as they are. They tend to befriend people whom society rejects and do not care whether their friend is a part of a group that they aren’t supposed to befriend by society’s standards. Aspies also overlook people’s flaws.
I first became aware of society’s division in high school. People of certain jobs are frowned upon. There is a political divide, a racial divide and class divide. I’ve personally seen it happen.
God is judges us according to our deeds, but not by society’s standards. The Bible says that Christ is the lord of all and does not distinguish between Greek and Jew, slave and free or male and female. Today, God does not distinguish between CEO and minimum wage worker, Democrat and Republican or teenager and adult.
Thinking differently- I will now have to address autism and intelligent. Some people with autism have amazingly above average intelligence. Others have below average intelligence. Above average intelligence is particularly common in Asperger’s. There are instances of people with low functioning autism who are intelligent.
Intelligence in people with Autism is a different type of intelligence. Intelligent people with Autism think differently. Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton probably had Asperger’s. They advanced science by thinking differently. A large number of other brilliant minds from history showed signs of autism, but there is not enough evidence to make a strong case. Some people with Asperger’s are a huge asset at the company that they work for because they think differently. One of my professors told me that I think differently.
The Bible obviously shows that God thinks differently. He uses people in circumstances in ways that we never would expect. Most of what God tells us in the Bible goes against the way that humans think. God understands a lot of things we don’t.
Those are only three of the ways in which people on the autism spectrum reflect God. I came up with a total of nine positive traits of autism that reflect God. That list is missing. One last thing, do not associate autism with Rainman. Rainman is one case and every case is different.
In Christ,
James Tuttle
