More and more, the experiences and perspectives of autistic individuals are contributing to our understanding of neurodiversity, beyond the limits of the observable characteristics (usually by neurotypical researchers) that dominate the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders’ (DSM) criteria for autism. One example is Chamak et al. (2008)’s analysis of autobiographical writings of autistic individuals, together with interviews, in efforts to explore their narratives relating to their inner experience.
Chamak et al. found that unlike autism’s diagnostic criteria included in the DSM-5 (a dyad of challenges with social communication and restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior), participants in their study described challenges with emotional regulation, along with others related to atypical perception and information processing. The researchers conceptualized the above variables as two overlapping circles that interrelate and influence one another.
