Three Layers of Autism
I like to conceptualize autism as comprised of three separate layers.
This idea came to me as I was recalling paging through my grandmother’s encyclopedias when I was younger. I really liked the one about whales (because whales are awesome) and the one on human anatomy that contained the transparencies where you could overlay different parts from the skeleton to muscles to circulatory system to skin/clothes.
When I conceptualize autism, and neurodiversity more broadly, I think of it like those transparencies.
The skeleton is a metaphor for the diagnostic criteria as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).
You then overlay this with the musculature system, which includes the things that the person experiences that may or may not be a part of the DSM criteria.
Finally, the overlay with the skin/clothes represents the mask or the concept of self that one presents to the world.
