Biological Perspectives in Autism April 5th-7th 1993. Helena Eastwood presented the following paper titled An Alternative View on Autism at the conference organised by Autism Research Unit at the University of Sunderland. The papers presented at this conference were subsequently published by the National Autistic Society.

Does the autistic child have problems with sensory reception and associated stimulus response?
Not specifically – if they are motivated to do something they illustrate very good and sometimes exceptional sensory perception and their quick accurate responses to stimulus within the context of stimulus response reactions. However, they appear to shut out sensory reception and withdraw into an inner world often choosing to be physically separate from environmental stimulation. Although these children often seem shut off from sensory stimulation we know that they have the ability to receive accurate reception of sensory information, e.g. echolalia, balancing, climbing, singing and drawing. The children often demonstrate exceptional motor coordination and manipulative skills of dexterity.
Questions to consider: In that autistic children are able to accurately receive and coordinate sensory information, why do they withdraw physically and/or mentally from the sensory stimulation that is around them?
Are these children over receptive to sensory stimuli?
When a child is drawn into relating with the environment s/he does appear to be subject to abnormally high levels of distract ability. Are they not able to isolate the sensory input they want to attend to or unable to adjust the levels of sensory perception and thereby regulate their stimulus response reactions?
Are they unable to regulate their reception of sensory stimulation?
Is their lack of attention due to distractibility: i.e. when the child opens his sensory reception is he unable to control (primal-survival) stimulus response reactions?
Is the child governed by a kaleidoscope of environmental stimuli and the strongest stimulus presented at any one time? If they have no sensory ‘volume control’ or ‘system of selection’ then they would be over stimulated by normal levels of environmental stimulation. The ability to select (focus) on a specific stimulus and at the same time turn down superfluous environmental stimulation, is surely essential to any successful interactionwith the environment or indeed a comfortable existence within our world of complex and continuous environmental stimulation.
Question: Is this the reason why autistic children appear most comfortable in a very unstimulating environment and distressed /anxious in exciting and highly stimulating situations?
The ability to consciously regulate sensory input must be fundamental to the development of consciously organised learning as opposed to subconscious learning, i.e. that of intuitive and direct stimulus response behaviour. This presents the classic ‘chicken and egg syndrome’ – if conscious thinking concerns itself with functions such as reasoning, thinking and planning, is it conscious thinking that regulates the reception of stimulus or the inability to regulate sensory reception of stimulus that inhibits the development of consciously organised thinking?
If the autistic child is unable to initiate a stimulus in order to gain a preconceived response from the environment, he will not develop through trial and error, or gain the rewards of instigating cause and effect in his environment. Presenting a stimulus and/or causing an environmental response are fundamental to the development of consciously controlled thinking. If autistic children are able to receive and recall environmental stimulus but are not able to consciously organise their influence on the environment, then their learning difficulties could be described as the opposite to severe learning difficulties which are predominantly related to sensory reception and recall. In addition to this an autistic child may also have brain damage causing one or more areas of impaired sensory reception and resulting specific learning difficulties.
In summery – autism is not the inability to learn skills, it is the inability to consciously control learning and regulate the reception of environmental stimulation.
Does the autistic child have problems with social interaction?
Yes profound problems. They do not respond to physical interaction when it is presented as a source of comforting or the communication of feelings and emotions.
Why do autistic children reject physical communications of love and care?

Abstract & Concrete Thinking

The following diagram has been designed by the author to illustrates her own understanding of associated areas of abstract and concrete development. It is important that everyone and especially children are encouraged to integrate functions in the brain in a balanced way that promotes more complex areas of learning and appropriate responses.

 

This diagrammedefines areas of abstract thinking as personal identification, authentic ideas, imaginative thinking and the development of language communication and conceptual understanding. Normal development of concrete thinking processes is seen as dependent upon consciously organised or intuitive recall from memory (A).

Subsequently the areas of development that require integration of both concrete and abstract thinking will be inhibited if either the development of concrete or the abstract thinking skills, and associated recall form memory are disrupted.

The autistic child appears to function predominantly on abstract thinking and primitive often fear based survival responses. The child functioning on the Aspergers area of the autism spectrum appears to have impaired links between concrete thinking processes and social and emotional integration (B&C) Where by this child has only limited development of personal identity, imagination, language, conceptual and concrete thinking when s/heis experiencing emotional responses to an external environmental situation. Thus when this child is directed by conscious motivation the intrinsic emotional disposition inhibits the use of concrete thinking and this subsequently affects his social development.

A–Concrete thinking dominates over abstract thinking and facilitates the development of skills related to the reception, adjustment, focus, and regulation of sensory input. Conscious thinking skills are related to the ability to present information into memory and retrieve appropriately from memory. Concrete thinking skills relate to a logical consideration of cause and effect and related strategic thinking and conceptual understanding. B–When concrete thinking fails to dominate over abstract thinking normal development of concrete thinking is disrupted and the concrete thinking skills presented in A fail to develop normally. CWithout a structured concrete environment the abstract thinking skills become progressively more dominant as they try to maintain survival and compensate for the lack of concrete thinking. The following graphs illustrate the commensurate relationship between abstract and concrete thinking i.e. as one fails to develop normally the other develops an abnormal compensatory dominance.

The 0, 3, 9 and 11 present a guide to the child’s age during early years of development.
The GREEN line represents the child’s development of consciously organised thinking and subsequent self-directed learning.
The RED line represents the child’s level of subconsciously organised abstract (often impulsive, reactive and fear based thinking) and subsequent behaviour.

Graph A

illustrates how the consciously organised concrete thinking skills gradually develop and supersede the primitive survival responses. At around the age of three normal development of concretely organised thinking establishes itself as dominant over the child’s abstract thinking and imagination. Now the child can assess environmental situations and accommodate sensory information from a past-present-future perspective using concrete thinking skills and associated memory skills. Once concrete thinking can regulate the influence of abstract imagination then self-directed learning activity,initiated through play and creative endeavour, can enhance the development of consciously organised thinking skills, concrete logical thinking and an understanding of cause and effect.

GraphB

illustrates how abnormal physical and mental development can limit the child’s development of thinking and create an ongoing limitation to both abstract and concrete thinking and thereby prevent the development of self-directed learning through play and creative activity.

Graph C

illustrates that the concrete thinking skills have not developed to a level that gives them an option to over-ride the subconsciously organised abstract thinking skills. Thus the normal development in Graph A fails and compensatory learning processes elevate the child’s use of abstract thinking and subconsciously organised behavioural responses. Thus the concrete thinking development is progressively weakened and the child has little or opportunity to establish self-directed responses, play and learning.

Graph D

illustrates optimum development of intellectual potential whereby the abstract subconsciously organised thinking retains a maximum potential of influence while the consciously organised thinking maintains a dominant influence which ensures that self-directed learning through play and creative endeavour can fully establish the child’s intellectual potential.

The author considers that the natural aspects of our environmental experience support optimum development, especially during the early years 0-7. Concrete thinking skills are encouraged when environmental stimulation/experience is simple and focused on the natural world and practical aspects of cause and effect. Consciously organised concrete thinking is supported by the laws of natural growth, instinctive reaction and the laws of physics, e.g. the laws of gravity, balance and movement.

The final section described briefly the difference between autism and other learning difficulties and the respective conventional approach to the children’s education.

Learning difficulties

• Sensory reception is impaired due to physical and mental areas of disability. High levels of multi-sensory stimulation may be needed to help the child receive and attend to environmental stimulus.
• Impaired physical co-ordination and balance.
• Poor development of fine motor control and skills related to dexterity.
• Impaired ‘stimulus-response’ reactions.
• Impaired memory skills.
• The above difficulties disrupt the child’s ability to learn through imitation however the child’s ability and motivation to coordinate interaction and manipulation with the environment may develop effectively.( Subject to restrictions caused by impaired sensory reception and/or physical mobility.)
• Similarly social and emotional development may be good, slow or erratic. However, social and emotional interaction, help and support are generally appreciated and may be actively sought. Physical illustrations of love and care are appreciated and reciprocated.

Conventional educational provision for children with learning difficulties.

• Emphasis on sensory, sensory-motor and multi-sensory stimulation.
• Teacher lead and adult directed organisation of learning.
• Lots of environmental stimulation and visits to places of interest in the surrounding district.
• Lots of verbal and social encouragement and opportunities for repetition and practise of skills.
• A wide and complex variations on social interaction and integration, with an emphasis on working in groups and appropriate sharing and caring.
• Complex timetables and varied schedules of social and community integration with lots of physical and social interaction.
• Firm deterrents and consequences for anti-social behaviour and unwanted interaction/manipulation of the environment.

Autism

• Sensory reception is generally good and often exceptional. However, sensory reception appears to be overwhelming due to a general inability to adjust levels of sensory reception. Thus, highly stimulating and multi-sensory experience may cause stress and anxiety.
• These children usually have excellent physical coordination skills and balance.
• They also have good fine motor control and dexterity skills when motivated by a personal desire.
• Their ‘stimulus-response’ reactions and generally good to excellent.
• An excellent ability to copy and imitate in exact detail. They can illustrate an excellent photographic memory and echolalic language.
• Very poor ability to coordinate practical interaction with the environment and structural thinking.
• Socially and emotionally very limited. They usually avoid eye contact and reject, often violently, physical contact and comforting. Illustrations of love and care are generally not appreciated or reciprocated.

Proposed Eastwood educational provision for children with Autism

• Simple and natural environment that eliminates, as far as possible, environmental distractions and over stimulation.
• Passive social interaction, usually on a one to one basis. An emphasis on special time interaction and child-directed activity and interactions. Physical interaction is limited to that which the child is willing to accept or required for reasons of safety.
• Gentle and carefully organised introductions to new people, environments and activities.
• Emphasis is on the child’s awareness of him/herself and child-directed interaction with the environment. Educational priority is given to the development of social interaction, personal identity and self-directed interaction with the environment. The development of eye contact and social interaction has priority over the teaching of practical and academic skills.
• Stimulus-response reactions and obsessional exclusive activities are creatively encouraged and directed into an inclusive social context.
• Children are not physically or verbally disciplined. Anti-social behaviour is ignored or blocked. Discipline is based on a ‘change the environment’ approach so that stressful and unsafe situations are avoided.
• Ideally these children should have the company of children that present a good role model so that the autisticand outstanding ability to imitate is successfully motivated as a positively learning experience.