Is Asperger's syndrome the next stage of human evolution?: Tony Attwood | Australian Story

It's an interesting theory for sure. With our society shifting more towards individualism, you could say that social interaction and dependence no longer serve as a priority and thus autism could be the next step in human evolution. Of course there are more aspects to take into account, but it's an interesting topic to think about nonetheless.

Is there anyone, who feels difficult to go and wander around in a crowded shopping mall ?

I can't speak for Aspergers...but my autism isnt a gift, it makes my life very difficult.

The next step of human evolution is homoautismus.

I’m 27 with asd and I’m literally trying to find the bright side of it 😅

The comment section of this video is truly the peanut gallery embodied.

No, it's brain damage.

That is one click bait title

Imagine finding out you have ASD @ 31.
Society SUCKS.

Not knowing, nor really caring much, about the nuts-and-bolts details of human evolution, I assert that autsm itself is the next stage, and I hope desperately that the higher forms like what used to be known as Asperger's predominates.

Evolution doesn't work in stages like that. It's random. There are generally advantages and disadvantages to any state of an organism, depending on the environment and collective circumstances. The misconception that certain traits belong "before" or "after" each other has a very dangerous history.

What kind of crap is this? Autism comes with a host of health issues that shorten the life expectancy<. People with autism have been harmed and made sick, it's not something you're born with. They're the sensitive people that have over the centuries have never been listened to without having to deal with being sick on top of that. They'd be just as incredible healthy. If this is one of the leading experts in the field of autism, it's no wonder so little is known and they can't be helped.

I am a 60 year old female and just had a diagnosis of Autism.
Things need to be changed for females, surly.

Perhaps Nikola Tesla was aspergers

…why is everyone so late to this

We are out of the box people!

human evolution depends of social interaction, and autistic people are opposite of that.
How could they be next step?
As someone who knows few people who are unfortunate to be really autistic, I must say that all ''rational 'autistic'' individuals are nothing else but attention seekers and welfare leaches

**in our office, we were temporary assigned a new colleague who has autism. He never asked for anything, never started any talk, spoke only if asked, slept and snored, occasionally stimming for whatever reason- without being able to mask it, never complained nor went to toilet- probably pooped in pants as whole office had unbearably stank from him- we kept all windows and doors open whole time.
Not example of next step in human evolution, as I can't think of any woman who'd sleep with him. **

Where was the mention of evolution?

Very interesting.

Just introverted.

I was thinking the same.

Encouraging and empowering insights into how Aspy self awareness can be an asset.

Si, nadie se salva casa de herrero cuchillo de palo !!!!

Geniuses are traditionally and historically classic of neurodiversity (incl. In particular down syndrome and autistic 😅). Now with the next quantum leap (carl jung approx 1943 quote), we now are starting to realise that methods like religious or eastern (in particular secular spiritual) origin, can realise all individuals including neuroTypical. 😮 😅 everyone is actually a genius if they realise total awareness of reality. Which is the predisposition of psychologys core beliefs foundations. Which is before, just before the creation of the MIND. this of course creates itself through trauma. No one knows why currently at least, in the world. Incl. HARVARD (ClickBank) and of course TOLLE AND ah... sadhguru 😅and many many others! Thank you mr attwood i have asperger and ah.. genius territory ability of increasing nature. This is due to a medical change and extremely substantial work spanning just under 25 years. Thank you for your assistance in this work. It was vital to me and others across ireland and the world of course 😊

If Asperger's WAS "the next stage of human evolution," our extinction would follow in one generation - If human communication and cooperation gets any worse than it is now, we'll be toast.

America could not do anything for fair and free elections in Bangladesh, I think America has lost to India

Being Asperger's is a burden, it is suffering especially during adolescence. The only thing that can help is an early diagnosis, something that many do not have.

🙏🙏🙏

Well, I've been regarded as an arsehole for 74 years, so anything that might mitigate that would be a bonus?!

I'd rather die than have an autistic kid. I'm autistic

What's interesting for me, as someone with both a very high IQ as well as autism, is how -- as I learn the traits of intelligence and the "symptoms" of autism (notice the negative connotations?)... they turn out to be one and the same thing.

For instance -- and I know ADHD isn't autism, but they are so frequently hand-in-hand that they might as well be the same syndrome -- what you call being lazy or distractible? I call being bored with stupid things. What you call being hyperfocused on minutiae? I call extreme precision and detail orientation. What you call sensory overload, I call having a keen appreciation of the senses; you "like music," whereas I... am transported. I wouldn't trade that for the fact that sometimes certain sounds are like fingernails on chalkboards to me.

I know it's not 100%, but more and more, I think "autism"... is just another word for extreme intelligence. The "normies" just don't "get us," man...

Asperger syndrome is part of autism spectrum as being high functioning. I have an Asperger syndrome

I feel as a mother of a child with AsD that it’s more so our society is not set up to allow everyone to thrive. Society is set up for the neurotypical person to thrive

Thank you for sharing, I cried numerous times watching this.

People with autism have above average intelligence, according to new statistics and research which is what I've said all along anyway. Nearly all the greatest contributors to physics and other sciences had it. And it's genetic. Thus it's not unreasonable to think that it has a competitive advantage that may have been selected by Evolution. The intelligence of normal people provides mental problems and anxieties that animals don't have. Same with autism, the higher intelligence provides additional problems as well. Perhaps having more capacity in one area/mechanism in the brain can overload other mechanisms or create conflict of interests. No other mental condition is associated with being world champion in everything and inventing new areas in sciences etc. I read somewhere that autism is associated with both more synapses in the cerebellum but at the same time lack of purkinje cells. So more synapses in the area of the brain that controls where to focus, could lead to the curse of dimensionality. More complexity but also more difficult to generalize. Just speculating whether this could represent a fundamental mechanism.

I have so much respect and admiration for Dr Attwood and his work

I don't know about a gift but my boss and my bass guitar love it👍

💗 we have to celebrate everyone’s unique qualities on the spectrum, like a rainbow it’s the light that shines through the raindrops that create an array of reflected colours, the trick for any of us is finding the light /colours that reflect our best qualities.💗

I am not so sure.

Not working?!?! Sigh! My Autistic brain is working perfectly well in a neurodivergent way!

I felt like it's a curse. 

sigh...

I live with someone who has this sort of perception and response system. It is very challenging and lonely. I cannot say it’s a gift when it causes such disconnect, fury and lack of intimacy. Helping people with these issues learn how to live among others is useful but I wouldn’t congratulate anyone with autism for being autistic. I certainly wouldn’t suggest this is some advancement in evolution…I’d suggest it’s a devolvement. Be as compassionate as you want but these folks are not neurotypical and aren’t able to be so.

is it copium?

No it's not.

Why are people obsessed with subjectively labelling & defaming humans? Unreal.

I came up with a theory recently. I think covid simply accelerated the downfall of the human race. There are too many people on the world and the only way to lower the number is to have them stop procreating. When diseases come up we find a fix pretty quick. So it's just natural evolution that we have become way less social. If you told people 100 years ago that we would all be so isolated they would be appalled.

No it is NOT! If it is, we are just doomed! Stop smoking whatever you are on or get off whatever KoolAid you are consuming! I have Asperger's Syndrome and would just love to get rid of it and be a neurotypical so much! For anyone who calls it a gift or a blessing, you really need a dose of reality because it is anything but that. People only say people with autism are intelligent or smart not to hurt their feelings or make them feel bad about themselves. The harsh reality is that people with autism for the vast majority of it are not too intelligent and it is down right scary. Further, autism is a cluster bomb of issues apart from the intelligence such as weight gain, poor muscle tone and a whole host of other issues. Even if there are a few individuals with autism who are insanely intelligent, which are like finding needles in a haystack, the number of issues far exceeds anything good that comes with having a form of autism, if any actually exists. Further, autism in any form is a nightmare for those who have it and those around them like parents. People with autism, in addition to not being very bright like you said can go through so many more worse things and more of it likely than your average person such as discrimination and being taken advantage off. In addition, taking care of someone with autism can be an absolute nightmare especially as they get older given how many of them are not too bright and cannot take care of themselves and will need constant care. Overall, anybody who says autism is a gift or blessing is either in denial, stupid or does not know what they are talking about. I sure as hell would love to get rid of my Aspergers because my life would be so much better off without it and I would have not gone through the hell I went through because of it.

I once read that atypical is becoming the norm. It's more of "them" than us. I have a 29 year old with autism and I have accomplished more by entering into his world than by trying to make him understand mine. Being able to immerse in and explore his world has been really fascinating. It's been an amazing journey discovering his ways of thinking, his abilities and talents, and his efforts to fit in this weird social environment of ours.

I have thought that people who think like I do are indeed the next step in evolution long before I even considered that is what makes me odd. logic, reason, fact based thinking is how I am... very artistic and creative. 132 IQ yet have only had low skill jobs. in my life it has been a disability.

When it comes to Autism the whole moral landscape is put in question