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A Distant Reality: A Theory of Autism
The following is a theory about the experience of autism.
Though I am not myself autistic, I grew up with a brother and sister who are diagnosed autistic, and, as a result, spent time with many other autistic people. My life having revolved around a passion for psychological investigation, I have endeavored to understand what makes the autistic person act differently from those we call “neurotypical.”
I view autism as a growth limit on human intelligence. I believe it is a hyper-development of cortical functions, as one would predict as inevitable based on the value of intelligence in natural and sexual selection.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for a host of “executive functions,” which are fundamental to the human ability to act rationally. Among the executive functions is the ability to suppress emotions by enacting localized release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid). Beyond a certain threshold the balance between emotionality and rationality could theoretically tilt towards rationality in such a way that one becomes emotionally disconnected.
Emotions serve to motivate and dissuade us, but they also serve to constantly draw our attention to the world around us. Emotions are the only thing that makes anything at all matter to us.
