Halfway through, I have to thank you for this article! This is such an elusive subject and nowadays you cannot hide from it. Friends and friends children will be affected.
Excellent overview of autism. One area that I would like to see expanded: What are the top three environmental causes of autism and what can parents do to minimize the risk of autism for their children?
I agree about the autism being non-genetic. Having a hundred suspect genes is like having no real suspect. If someone is invetsigating a murder and he has a hundred suspects, it means that he really has no clue who the killer is.
And yet there's highly reliable and specific genetic testing for autism, autism spectrum, and ADHD. The tests specify that the genetic propensity exists, or not. It definitely runs in families, again, as evidenced by genetic testing of multiple family members.
It’s likely a combination of genetic factors and environmental. It’s not hard to believe that some genetic structures of brain are less resilient to others and may be overexposed to toxins than others.
So far, no environmental toxins have been proven as contributing factors.
Gut health, which is a new area popular with researchers of brain health, seems to be different in people with autism. Not yet compelling, but a different line of inquiry instead of continually looking at factors that have led nowhere.
I read this post this morning, and when reading your book Leave Society this evening, realized that even though autistic people are misunderstood, I (someone who identifies as non-autistic) was still able to relate to the scenarios, facial expressions, and reactive behaviours to situations you describe in your book.
Which made me suddenly think that even though neurodiversity exists, perhaps we all inherently experience self and reality in a similar way (due to connections with nature, maybe)
Unreal. I feel seen. You wrote and have scientifically proofed what I have been deducing as a 32 year old. Read it in 4 days. Obviously I must read more before I declare this the Bible, but I absolutely am not going to forget that during COVID I made significant changes to my routine and all of them were anti-inflammatory. I had never felt better all my life.
I came out of a household with deep mental health issues. People who have suffered a lot. And this feels very gratifying to understand their struggle is (likely) not “just bad genetics.”
Poetic how in the end you implied that the problems we face are all caused by the sins and greed of humans past -- but such problems will create new humans of tomorrow, that will usher in new change and hopefully a new World. Almost like Nature is resetting itself by enacting change through "us" humans, even if on an microscopic, undetectable, multi-generational scale.
Yes, seeing all this clearly, and finding ways to come to terms with it, what are the opportunities the situation presents, what (beautiful!) new future can we create with it?
I guess the piece of the puzzle which is missing (for me, at least) is: grounded in nature, what are the spiritual implications of all this?
A beautiful takeaway I have had, when my stressors are alleviated, is how adaptable human beings are. Through all the suffering, we persist. Develop resilience. Deeper levels of empathy. Codes of honor. And that is hope if I’ve ever fucking seen it.
Yes, all this is just here to make us stronger, learn and grow, and create a better future... it's really useful to have all this knowledge, but let's not get hung up on it - otherwise there's a strong risk of playing victim. Let's create!
You noticed I restacked, "The deeper into history one was born, the more damaged one is likely to be." I think that's profoundly true and should become a oft quoted saying by Tao Lin. I would just ask you to reconsider the timescale -- you say "50,000, 5,000, 500, 100, and even just 50 or 25 years ago". but stop to consider that, environmentally speaking, one could be equally damaged 5,000 years ago or 500 years ago -- in fact, any time before the industrial revolution, things pretty much stayed the same, in terms of weather, in terms of toxic pollution, in terms of autism (because as the autistic father of a more autistic son, I'm certainly agreeing with you about the environmental causes of autism although not specifically the vaccine piece of it). It was the introduction of petrochemicals into our life that changed everything. Timothy Morton, the environmental philosopher, never actually said "Modernity is the process of oil getting into everything" (though I do attribute the quote to him). Before Coal Tar brought industrial chemistry into existence, the worst we could do is mismanage the land, cut down forests on a local basis, etc. Now, for the last 130 years there's been this qualitative shift into petrocapitalism, and 130 years is, historically speaking (and certainly in terms of environmental history) no time at all. This is why I focus all of my work on those two elements: petroleum and capitalism. Those two things are historically distinct from "civilization," which is much older and used to be done in healthier (if not less exploitative) ways. Hope you'll check it out -- I could really use some already-famous writers to get behind my work. https://thespouter.substack.com/p/revised-hydrogen-corpse-juice
Bear with me but I'll never forget reading a New Yorker article on the beaches of Miami - stated that autism was natures failed attempt to evolve our species to the next level. Would you ever consider that theory? Thank you for sharing
Doesn’t make sense to me at all, and it ignores the evidence for environmental toxins—typically incoherent take on autism from mainstream corporate media.
Halfway through, I have to thank you for this article! This is such an elusive subject and nowadays you cannot hide from it. Friends and friends children will be affected.
Thank you specifically for the references!
Good article. I would say for genetics I would describe "autistic traits". I may write about my own experiences in the future.
(edit)
https://acousticspackerdiscussionism.substack.com/p/notes-on-autism
I would love to hear from people about this and give me some feedback, I'm fairly new to Substack
Excellent overview of autism. One area that I would like to see expanded: What are the top three environmental causes of autism and what can parents do to minimize the risk of autism for their children?
I agree about the autism being non-genetic. Having a hundred suspect genes is like having no real suspect. If someone is invetsigating a murder and he has a hundred suspects, it means that he really has no clue who the killer is.
And yet there's highly reliable and specific genetic testing for autism, autism spectrum, and ADHD. The tests specify that the genetic propensity exists, or not. It definitely runs in families, again, as evidenced by genetic testing of multiple family members.
It’s likely a combination of genetic factors and environmental. It’s not hard to believe that some genetic structures of brain are less resilient to others and may be overexposed to toxins than others.
So far, no environmental toxins have been proven as contributing factors.
Gut health, which is a new area popular with researchers of brain health, seems to be different in people with autism. Not yet compelling, but a different line of inquiry instead of continually looking at factors that have led nowhere.
This is extremely impressive research. Fantastic journalism, thank you.
This is absolutely lovely work. Personal, universal, and hopeful. Thank you.
me when i have to kill all my neurotypical/ableminded friends in the great Autism War of 2048 when they have become an oppressed minority :crying:
Loved this so much.
I read this post this morning, and when reading your book Leave Society this evening, realized that even though autistic people are misunderstood, I (someone who identifies as non-autistic) was still able to relate to the scenarios, facial expressions, and reactive behaviours to situations you describe in your book.
Which made me suddenly think that even though neurodiversity exists, perhaps we all inherently experience self and reality in a similar way (due to connections with nature, maybe)
Damn! Thank you
Unreal. I feel seen. You wrote and have scientifically proofed what I have been deducing as a 32 year old. Read it in 4 days. Obviously I must read more before I declare this the Bible, but I absolutely am not going to forget that during COVID I made significant changes to my routine and all of them were anti-inflammatory. I had never felt better all my life.
I came out of a household with deep mental health issues. People who have suffered a lot. And this feels very gratifying to understand their struggle is (likely) not “just bad genetics.”
Poetic how in the end you implied that the problems we face are all caused by the sins and greed of humans past -- but such problems will create new humans of tomorrow, that will usher in new change and hopefully a new World. Almost like Nature is resetting itself by enacting change through "us" humans, even if on an microscopic, undetectable, multi-generational scale.
thank you
Yes, seeing all this clearly, and finding ways to come to terms with it, what are the opportunities the situation presents, what (beautiful!) new future can we create with it?
I guess the piece of the puzzle which is missing (for me, at least) is: grounded in nature, what are the spiritual implications of all this?
A beautiful takeaway I have had, when my stressors are alleviated, is how adaptable human beings are. Through all the suffering, we persist. Develop resilience. Deeper levels of empathy. Codes of honor. And that is hope if I’ve ever fucking seen it.
Yes, all this is just here to make us stronger, learn and grow, and create a better future... it's really useful to have all this knowledge, but let's not get hung up on it - otherwise there's a strong risk of playing victim. Let's create!
You noticed I restacked, "The deeper into history one was born, the more damaged one is likely to be." I think that's profoundly true and should become a oft quoted saying by Tao Lin. I would just ask you to reconsider the timescale -- you say "50,000, 5,000, 500, 100, and even just 50 or 25 years ago". but stop to consider that, environmentally speaking, one could be equally damaged 5,000 years ago or 500 years ago -- in fact, any time before the industrial revolution, things pretty much stayed the same, in terms of weather, in terms of toxic pollution, in terms of autism (because as the autistic father of a more autistic son, I'm certainly agreeing with you about the environmental causes of autism although not specifically the vaccine piece of it). It was the introduction of petrochemicals into our life that changed everything. Timothy Morton, the environmental philosopher, never actually said "Modernity is the process of oil getting into everything" (though I do attribute the quote to him). Before Coal Tar brought industrial chemistry into existence, the worst we could do is mismanage the land, cut down forests on a local basis, etc. Now, for the last 130 years there's been this qualitative shift into petrocapitalism, and 130 years is, historically speaking (and certainly in terms of environmental history) no time at all. This is why I focus all of my work on those two elements: petroleum and capitalism. Those two things are historically distinct from "civilization," which is much older and used to be done in healthier (if not less exploitative) ways. Hope you'll check it out -- I could really use some already-famous writers to get behind my work. https://thespouter.substack.com/p/revised-hydrogen-corpse-juice
Bear with me but I'll never forget reading a New Yorker article on the beaches of Miami - stated that autism was natures failed attempt to evolve our species to the next level. Would you ever consider that theory? Thank you for sharing
Doesn’t make sense to me at all, and it ignores the evidence for environmental toxins—typically incoherent take on autism from mainstream corporate media.
It sounds like typical western quack pseudo-science to me too
Fucking idiotic lol
thank you for reading
Proud of you, Tao
thank you