I always had an idea of what autism is, however after reading Straus’, “Autism as Culture,” I was a bit surprised and interested in seeing the different views of autism. To start, Straus makes a wonderful point that most physiological disorders are simply desirable traits that are excessive. He then states, “In this sense, autism might be understood as excessive individuality, autonomy, and self-reliance, normally understood as highly desirable traits,” (Straus 461). This is what I found strange, because I never thought of autistic people as being “self-reliant.” In my experience with autistic people and children, usually they are seen, by NT people, as dependent and not so much self-reliant. Obviously this may depend on how high or low functioning the individual is, however I think this is how our culture has been shaped to view autistic people.

I liked how Straus also changes the “western world” desirable traits to fearful traits of “painful solitude, isolation, and loss of community,” (Straus 461). It puts into perspective how views of these traits change depending on the person, whether they are ND or not, and the objective view of society. The rhetoric that Straus uses – the juxtaposition of the two sets of synonymous traits and the different effect they have – puts into perspective how labeling works for mental illness, disorders, etc. From the text, it can be said that the word “autism” signifies these these harmful traits and connotations instead of the positive connotations

While Straus gives the medical diagnosis and facts of autism, he also brings up the fact that autism is “instrinsically a relational phenomenon, a function of the interaction between people,” (466). Autism can be seen not only as a pathological but as a social phenomenon. The traits of autism – the need for aloneness and individuality – can only be constructed by social relationships and knowledge of the opposing qualities: community and sameness.

To ask the question “is autism a medical condition (syndrome, disorder, pathology) or is it a social group (an identity, a shared culture)?” as if it has a “one-or-the-other” type answer (Straus 462). Much like every other issue I think about, I believe there is a gray area: where medical conditions and social connections are both seen as the answer.

Lastly, I disagreed with the claim that “autistic people themselves” construct autism” “through the culture they produce,” (Straus 466). I do believe this to a degree, however to ignore the neurotypical communities creation of autism makes no sense. I think this is actually one of the most significant construction of autism, and (if seen from a perspective without knowledge of autism) can be seen as a reason why autistic people prefer aloneness because of societal prejudices and judgments.

This seems to be the opposite when reading Higashida’s text, when he states “But please, whatever you do, dont give up on us. We need your help,” (Question 5 – poor MLA due to online source). I couldn’t find any evidence to prove or dispute whether or not Straus is autistic. Therefore, if he can be thought of as a NT person, comparing these two ideas of autism and how they think about aloneness can be conflicting. While Straus is claiming that autistic people lack a sense of community, Higashida’s answer expresses a need to connect with someone but his incapability of it.