Autistic Thinking

Peter Vermeulen has written an unusual book. Neither a personal account nor a scientific study, nor a manual, Autistic Thinking is an attempt to get into the minds of autistic people and to work out what is really going on. He calls it

The author uses computers as a metaphor to illustrate the different style of autistic thought. There is no doubt that autistic people have a quite different way of using their brains to the way neurotypicals (non-autistics) do. The comparison with computers and artificial intelligence isn't a new one, and this book attempts to explain why there are these apparent similarities.

The book uses humour to illustrate autistic literal-mindedness. It's neurotypical humour, so you may feel a bit uncomfortable about laughing at it because all jokes have a target. But the many anecdotal jokes do serve to explain the trouble that many autistics have in reading between the lines in social situations. Anything that has not been said explicitly cannot be assumed to have been understood.

Vermeulen explains the term "central coherence", and why weak central coherence characterises autism. To compensate, autistic individuals often choose to concentrate on details, and the author illustrates how this accounts for what can seem like very bizarre behaviour. This attention to details can explain a failure to generalise situations, which is explained in an anecdote about "green sweater situations". Indeed, many of the quirky behaviours that autistic people engage in start to fit together and make sense.

Autistic Thinking is full of little stories and humourous asides. It's quite an enjoyable read, and not at all dry and academic. Nevertheless it is clearly the result of years spent working with and observing autistic people. Understanding the autistic mind is fundamental to comprehending and dealing with this disorder. And Peter Vermeulen pulls no punches in describing autism as a disability, even whilst appreciating the remarkable feats of memory that some autistics are capable of, and the unique talents that many possess.

If you can put aside the fact that the author is not overly sensitive about the dignity of autistic people, there is much to be learned from this book.