WHEN we think of autism we usually think of challenges and deficits, such as autistic people having difficulty with communicating, making friends or understanding others.
Dr Anna Remington, director of the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) in London, explores the idea that different doesn’t mean worse. She brings her talk, Is Autism a Gift? to Belfast and Derry next week as part of the NI Science Festival, where she will look at situations where these unique skills can help push society forward in new and exciting ways.
Why were you interested in working in the area of autism?
For me it was growing up with friends who had an autistic brother. I saw the challenges he faced and that the family faced. I was intrigued that autism was becoming so prevalent and yet so little was known about it. Awareness is definitely improving now, but so much more needs to be done.
Can you tell us about your current research at University College London?
Although it's important not to ignore the challenges associated with the condition, it's really vital that we embrace the idea that autism is associated with specific areas of skill. My research specialises in areas where autistic people do better than non-autistic people – looking at attention, perception, and the way autistic people take information from the world around them.
We are quite unique as a research centre in that we put emphasis on how cutting-edge research should have a meaningful and positive impact on autistic people's lives and collaborate with autistic people at every level, including our research topics being based on the priorities of the autistic community.
What are these priorities?
Mental health, employment and taking a lifelong approach to learning. Often after people leave formal education, there is little out there in the way of support.
Was it a bit of a risk giving your talk the title Is Autism a Gift?
Traditionally, there have been this very negative views towards people who weren't the same as the mainstream population. In the past people with autism tried to hide their diagnosis or intervention tried to make autistic people look the same as non-autistic people. I think understanding the strengths of autistic people can start countering that approach and the unique contribution everybody makes to society can be valued. So for me, the title was worth the risk.
Can you summarise the strengths that autistic people have?
Our research is in the areas of attention, perception, auditory and visual strengths. It shows that autistic people are better than non-autistic people in doing tasks that involve pattern spotting or paying attention to lots of auditory or visual information. They were also better at innovative thinking and creativity when asked to generate novel uses for particular items.
What careers best suit people with autism?
Many, many careers can suit them. Obviously everyone is unique and there is a risk of stereotyping. Traditionally you think of IT and it's true lots of autistic people have great careers in IT, but now there is growing awareness and there are lots of autistic people in other areas including the performing arts, defence, transport, security and working with animals.
Often those on the autistic spectrum have comorbidities such as dyslexia, which can contribute to difficulties gaining employment – even getting past the application form.
Should more accommodations be made for such job applicants?
Definitely. There is often someone who would be really good at the job but can't get past the interview stage, which is about social interaction and performing under pressure. In an ideal world we need to move away from those application forms and move towards job trials, where you can see how well someone can do the job and also what support might be helpful to enable them to thrive.
Are businesses starting to recognise and utilise the unique skills of autistic people?
Yes. It's not a charitable act, it actually makes good business sense and gives those businesses a competitive edge by employing people who think differently. Deutsche Bank UK have set a specific internship for autistic graduates and Microsoft have an autistic hiring programme and Vodafone also have something similar.
You also contribute to education courses in UCL – how can research into the superior abilities in autism translate to the classroom?
When you start to understand what underlies these skills and abilities, then you can start to create the right learning environment. For example, in the area of perception we often find autistic children feel more distracted in the classroom. The research we've been doing suggests that it isn't to do with motivation or remembering what they are to be doing, it's because they are taking in far more information at any particular time compared to non-autistic people. That means we need to take a more individualised approach to supporting these children by creating the right learning environment and perhaps using noise-cancelling headphones or letting them sit near a window as natural light is easier to process than flourescent light.
Are you aware of other research being carried out worldwide into the positivities of autism?
There is still more focus on challenges, but there is some really good work being done by various groups across the world. One I would highlight is the research being done by Michelle Dawson and colleagues in Montreal. Michelle is on the spectrum herself and much of her research is highlighting skills and abilities and pushing against that deficit approach many have taken.
Long term, how do you see society being pushed forward thanks to autistic people being allowed to use their 'gifts'?
Temple Grandin [American animal scientist and prominent author and speaker on autism] has a wonderful quote that says "what would happen if the autism gene was eliminated you would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave chatting and socialising, but not getting a lot else done". There is so much truth in that quote. We need people to innovate and think differently. Diversity, whether it's gender, race or in this case neuro-diversity is the key to progress.
Is Autism a Gift? by Dr Anna Remington will take place on February 20 at 7pm in Derry's Nerve Centre. Her talk at Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre is sold out. For tickets and full festival details visit Nisciencefestival.com
