[H3rmit]

Research into oxytocin levels and autism:

Why Autistic Kids Get Lost in the Details

"Several studies have investigated the oxytocin-autism connection. A single dose of oxytocin has been found to help autistic people with empathy and other social tasks."

They sure nailed the details versus social aspect of the problem. I've struggled all my life and cultivating empathy specifically marked a turning point where I became much more successful and comfortable with people.

I still find it impossible to block out noise and other details like anything flashing or oscillating.

[rosska]

I laughed reading that article. Not because it's not interesting, but because when I first opened it I saw the little 'image' at the top and thought, "oh I wonder why there is a picture with the letter A repeating in a strange pattern"... Then as I read on they said "For example, in the image above, when asked what letter they see, an autistic person is more likely to spot the 'As' and have trouble seeing the 'W' that they form together. However, they’ll also identify the A’s faster than a non-autistic person would."... How right they are haha!

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by rosska

... when I first opened it I saw the little 'image' at the top and thought, "oh I wonder why there is a picture with the letter A repeating in a strange pattern"...

Yeah, I saw it that way too.

[lynn P.]

Very interesting article and discovery. I saw the W right away but you know what's funny - I read Oxytocin as Oxycontin lol.....simple reverse of the letters. How do they manufacture the Oxytocin? Are they going to start this as a treatment? Do autistic people fail to produce their own oxytocin or do they need more?

[The_little_didgee]

I really enjoyed reading this article. The neuroscience is fascinating. Thanks.

Now I can visualize what is going on in my head, when I cannot filter out stimuli.

The paragraph on reading emotions off someone's face was very accurate. I see faces in pieces and have trouble putting the movements of each piece together to read the emotion a person is expressing.

P.S. I saw the A's before the letter W.

[rosska]

Originally Posted by lynn P.

How do they manufacture the Oxytocin? Are they going to start this as a treatment? Do autistic people fail to produce their own oxytocin or do they need more?

From what I could gather from the article after a few reads, it seems we produce less and also have mutations to the oxytocin receptors so what oxytocin we do produce isn't getting to where it's most needed at high enough levels.

They didn't say whether or not it was going to be used as a treatment, though if it's providing such good results you never know it may end up as such.

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I really enjoyed reading this article. The neuroscience is fascinating. Thanks.

Now I can visualize what is going on in my head, when I cannot filter out stimuli.

The paragraph on reading emotions off someone's face was very accurate. I see faces in pieces and have trouble putting the movements of each piece together to read the emotion a person is expressing.

P.S. I saw the A's before the letter W.

Indeed, it was an interesting read. I definitely agree with viewing faces as 'pieces'. I didn't actually truly realise until now that people not on the spectrum view them as a whole haha. That does explain a lot.

The part where they mentioned the world seeming overwhelming was very true, when I do go out and about (which is rarely these days) I notice everything around me. Little bits of dirt on a pavement that weren't there the last time I walked that path, or the change to a sign in a shop window, the people around the streets and what they are doing. My brain then starts running marathons processing all of this and thinking of reasoning behind why there have been changes, and it stops focusing on what I'm actually doing. I don't like going out without someone with me any more because there have been times where I've almost walked in front of cars on the road because I was too busy wondering why that stain on the pavement wasn't there last week and now it's just there and nobody seems to want to clean it up.
(I hope I'm not the only one who does this, haha.)

Yet if you put me in a room with a depressed person, I'd probably walk out of the room thinking the person was totally fine but the carpet could do with a hoover haha.

[-jimi-]

People say I see details but I think I just have a higher update speed in my brain. You can set your browser to see a site as it was the last time, or you can set it to showing it as it is NOW. My brain is set to show things as they are now. Most people's brains are set to see what they expect to see. That is why they miss the details.

I would want to volunteer to trying the drug. It wears off fast. I'm sure it would not change how I saw others.

[gismo]

My son who is nearly 9 has Autism and he spotted the "W" first ?