What if autism wasn’t a deficit? What if autism wasn’t a disorder? What if autism wasn’t a delay, a disadvantage or a disability, but an evolutionary enhancement that took things a little too far? This is the idea posed by the Intense World Theory – a new concept behind the existence of the spectrum, which gives our community (although, not all our community) a positive (although, maybe too positive) explanation.
‘But what actually is the Intense World Theory?’ I hear you ask. Well, in today’s article I want to discuss exactly that, taking the time to look at the research that promotes this positive perspective as well as how, if true, it could unravel the entire fabric of what we have come to know as autism – hey, it isn’t called the Intense World Theory for nothing.
What is the Intense World Theory?
Founded in the distant past of 2007, a time when Soulja Boy topped the charts and Putin was inexplicably Time’s person of the year, the Intense World Theory is the brainchild of researchers Kamila Markram, Henry Markram, and Tania Rinaldi and states that, instead of autistic people being viewed as having differently wired minds, we should be seen as having more wiring: which is also ‘supercharged’.
For autistic people, this theory is said to explain why many of us are able to think the things nobody else can and see the things nobody else does and it also, supposedly, explains why we have brains which can be up to 10% larger than the average Joe (which is true). As such, the Intense World Theory chooses to rename and redefine the common signs of autism, binding our thoughts and behaviours to newer (and much cooler) traits:
- Hyper-perception
- Hyper-attention
- Hyper-memory
- Hyper-emotions
This all sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, according to the Intense World Theory, this is where things start going wrong for our community, as even though our brains are running with the power of 1.21 gigawatts (producing an average of 42% more information at a resting rate) we are still human and, subsequently, our minds have the same capacity as everyone else.
This means that, like the candle that burns the brightest, we tend to burn out the quickest and, when there is a lot around us to process, it doesn’t take long until our minds hit a brick wall like Wile E. Coyote running into a painted-on tunnel.
According to the theory, this can be overcome if we find the right support and coping techniques to regulate it – with many of those who do, going on to excel, due to their now tamed advanced minds. However, at best, these strategies will only ever be a buffer from outside stimuli, which creates a constantly ticking time bomb within our thoughts.
How The Intense World Theory Changes What We Know:
As you can see, the Intense World Theory flips our comprehension of autism on its head, reimagining many of the challenges autistic people face as misunderstood advantages. Admittedly, it’s a twist I certainly didn’t see coming. However, if confirmed, it not only changes the future of the spectrum, but the very DNA of the condition – as once thought ‘criteria’ might instead be seen as ‘symptoms’ for example:
Social communication and social interaction
For those with the gift of the gab, we often overlook just how complex communication is – what with its need to constantly focus on tone, context, language and so on. Yet, if there’s one place where communication isn’t seen as simple, it’s in the Intense World Theory, which states that social anxieties aren’t caused by the unpredictable nature of conversation, but the overwhelming volume of information which comes with every new word.
Of course, this does sound like the age-old excuse of ‘I’m so good at X that I don’t do X anymore’, yet it’s a claim which actually has a lot of research behind it. In particular, one study looking at the autistic mind found that, when conversing, our brains don’t light up as though they are desperately seeking information but, instead, when the autistic brain is in conversation, it will light up as though it has too much information and can’t organise it all at once.
Restricted interests and repetitive behaviour:
Similarly, when it comes to looking at how the Intense World Theory impacts our understanding of restricted interests and repetitive behaviour, the theory also poses some interesting ideas.
For example, while our current understanding is that our obsessions start because the autistic mind favours making closely connected links rather than great leaps of logic, the Intense World Theory states that this is, instead, due to our brain’s desire to be surrounded by familiarity that won’t bombard us with new information to process. As you may have experienced yourself, there is definitely a lot of truth in this new concept, especially when so many autistic people seem to use our interests as a safety net.
Furthermore, if accurate, this would also explain why, when things don’t go to plan, meltdowns can often occur – as it isn’t the detachment from the things we love that trigger this response, but the introduction of an unplanned variable going to town on our fine minds.
What’s Holding The Intense World Theory Back?
The Intense World Theory isn’t without its haters though and, sadly, when put on a podium it doesn’t do a very good job at defending itself either. Take for example the fact that a ‘supercharged brain’ doesn’t explain things like language delays and deficits in interoception. In most cases this would be a good opportunity for a theory to reflect on its flaws, however, Intense World believers will turn a blind eye to these shortcomings and ignore these traits altogether.
What’s more, in addition to missing explanations, the theory also pushes some not so great ideas, like how autistic people can be best supported by isolating us – something which is supposed to help us by teaching us to embrace the world before entering it, but instead comes across eerily similar to the old practice of ‘curing’ autism with ‘attention’ and ‘love’ (something made popular by the Elvis Presley film Change of Habit).
These aren’t the only reasons people take umbrage with the Intense World Theory though as, in many areas, people will criticise it for being too dang positive. This is especially evident in the way that it works very hard to appease the autism community, undermining the issues that the condition can cause and pinning the blame for our challenges on everything but autism.
Like the episode of Lucifer where the detectives visit a naturist reserve, this is too many buts for me to ignore and, subsequently, I feel dubious about the benefits the theory can provide and lukewarm to its very explanation.
Nevertheless, dubious doesn’t mean disillusioned, and I’m not completely without hope that the idea could spin off into other theories of greater substance. However, given the clear risks that do exist, for now, I would advise anyone reading up on the Intense World Theory to remain encouraged by the attitude it enforces, but also to exercise firm caution regarding the practices it promotes.
Carry on the Conversation:
Do you believe in the Intense World Theory or do you believe it’s more of an Intense World Failure? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you want to hear a more robust theory behind the spectrum, then check out this article: Monotropism: The Most Accurate Autism Theory You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised, on Instagram @autisticandunapologetic and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next week for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
