Dual purpose memoir

kw: book reviews, nonfiction, naturalists, natural history, autism, memoirs

I scour the Science shelves at libraries and bookstores. Naturally, once I saw Diary of a Young Naturalist, by Dara McAnulty, I anticipated a good read. I was not disappointed.

The author has been a naturalist as long as he's been able to get out and into nature. The book is taken from his diary starting in Spring 2018, through Winter 2019, just before his 15th birthday. He writes to re-process a day and its experiences. It is a triumph for him to share all that with us.

This is a memoir with two tracks, as his diary has two tracks. He shows us nature as he sees it, and he shows himself to us, as he experiences himself and the world around. This takes some doing because he is autistic, at least according to the modern definition (It wasn't that long ago that "high-functioning" autistic persons were described as having Asperger's Syndrome, but that term has been swallowed up into "the spectrum", which covers a huge range from classical autism—which depicts those who cannot communicate nor even recognize the difference between people and furniture that inexplicably moves about—, to the highest-functioning end of Asperger's, which grades into the hyper-focus of ADHD).

Both Dara and his brother Lorcan are "on the spectrum," though they experience it differently and behave differently. I'm not certain that his sister Bláthnaid is also autistic, but once or twice he writes of her as though she might be so. Whatever their status, all three children are very, very lucky in having a mother who knows how to nurture them and provides a safe haven for them, and a father who is equally accepting and nurturing. This family picture is from Irish News. Dara is wearing blue.

Dara, in particular, is easily overwhelmed by business/busyness in the human world. It is time-consuming and difficult for him to recover from attending a public function or giving a speech, something he is called on to do more and more often, particularly as his blog has gained popularity and he's become better known among naturalists and environmentalists. Just attending school takes its toll, all the more when he is bullied, as autistic youngsters frequently are. However, the school in their new neighborhood is quite different, he's bullied far less often, and he writes of gathering a number of students to form a club for environmental activism.

In spite of all the troubles he's had, Dara writes with open-hearted charm. There's a freshness akin to what I've enjoyed during conversations with young friends "on the spectrum." Describing his family's last leave-taking of Rathlin Island, which he describes as shaped like a mermaid's tail—they were soon to move farther away from the northern coast—, he says, "There's a Rathlin space inside me, mermaid-shaped, and it needs to be filled again." In this picture, perhaps you can almost see the mermaid, off the picture to the upper right, taking her leave. (Picture from Wikimedia).

Later on, writing of a walk in late September: "The beach is invigorating today. I haven't stretched my legs properly in a few days, and the comfort of walking unloads a little more weight. With every passing day, a little more joy sneaks in – is there a peak, a maximum amount of joy that we're allowed to feel?"

I see I have dwelt mostly on autism. The book is filled with bits of knowledge about birds and other animals. I don't know if I can easily recognize more than a handful of bird species. Dara seems to know dozens, perhaps hundreds, by sight, sound, or even from a single fallen feather. He's much more than a bird watcher, however. He writes of insects, particularly those that inhabit streams and ponds, toads and frogs, and numerous other creatures whose habitats we have, quite frankly, invaded and often ruined.

He has a visceral reaction to things. He feels with his whole body. This can cause surprise at times: he writes of finding a jay feather and handing it to a girl standing nearby. Her mother snatched it away, saying, "Dirty!", at which point Dara screamed. He screamed loud and long, and it took much of his mother's care to calm him down. This was probably when he was younger than ten. He also writes of a later incident: seeing a boy pick up a chestnut, followed by a similar reaction from that boy's mother. But Dara held back and waited. When the mother was distracted, he found a bigger chestnut, sidled up to the boy, told him a bit about chestnut trees, and let the boy whisk the nut into his pocket before the mother could see. That's one-on-one activism, and I hope the youngster keeps his love of nature.

At about 200 pages, the book is just right. Not every day is detailed, perhaps a quarter of them or less. What we do have produces a comforting feeling that at least some young people are "getting it", that they realize we cannot continue to devour the earth, heedless of those with whom we share it.

Rechecking autism prevalence

kw: autism, statistics

This morning I heard an ad I have heard many times, in which Curt Schilling ends by saying, "The chances of having a son with autism: one in 110." I decided to look into it. My sources for the statistical information below are this publication by C.J. Newschaffer et al and this Wikipedia article.


The public perception of autism was greatly improved by Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of a high-functioning autistic man in The Rain Man. The character of Raymond was based on Kim Peek, who died in 2009. However, not many autistic persons have genius-level abilities of memory or calculation. Kim Peek is an example of an autistic savant, and he was somewhere in the middle of the "autistic spectrum".


The autistic spectrum comprises three defined syndromes:

• Classical Autism describes people who cannot form relationships, may never recognize other people, and communicate poorly or not at all.
• PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, is a wide-ranging slush bucket of syndromes that include some, but not all, characteristics of classical autism. Some cases are more profoundly affected than others, and many or most instances of autistic savants are found here.
• Asperger Syndrome is the highest-functioning type. A few AS persons are savants, but the syndrome as a whole describes people who are very focused on one or a few interests, may become very expert in those interests, are able to converse and form relationships, but have certain autistic behaviors.

I know three men with Asperger syndrome. One in particular is a young man who went to high school with my son. He and I were assigned to collect tickets for a football game. He is extremely interested in weather, and when he learned I had lived in Oklahoma, he quizzed me extensively about my experiences of powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes. My son said he is the school weatherman, always glad to provide a forecast, though perhaps in greater detail than you have time for. Unlike people with classical autism, he could look you in the eye.


I also know two young men who are profoundly autistic. One is the son of a couple who belong to the local Mensa chapter. He is barely able to recognize his parents, cannot speak, and the slightest frustration causes him to roar like an animal. It seems his mother can guide his behavior a little, in that he understands a few of the words she says. His perception of English is probably below that of a house pet.


In spite of several decades of study, the actual incidence of these disorders is only poorly known:

• Autism: 1 or 2 per 1,000. The average of a number of studies is near 1.7 per 1,000.
• PDD-NOS: 3.7 per 1,000.
• Asperger: About 0.6 per 1,000.

These add up to very nearly 6 per 1,000, or 1 out of 167. There is an added fact. Across the spectrum, males outnumber females 4.3 to 1. In my reading I didn't get a clear feeling whether one of the three areas hits females harder or less hard than males, in proportion, so I just analyzed these data based on the 4.3:1 figure for all. I find that the totals for the entire spectrum are 1/440 for girls and 1/103 for boys. The ad with Curt Schilling is correct in this regard, as it specifically says "son". The spectrum splits up this way:

• Autism: 28%, or 1/1580 for girls and 1/370 for boys.
• PDD-NOS: 62% or 1/710 for girls and 1/165 for boys.
• Asperger: 10% or 1/4,400 for girls and 1/1,030 for boys.

If there is a silver lining in this dark cloud of affliction, it is that nearly 3/4 of children on the autism spectrum will be able to relate to others at a useful level. The tragedy is that of 4.1 million babies born yearly in the U.S., nearly 25,000 will be afflicted with an autistic spectrum disorder, and nearly 6,900 of them will be classically autistic and require lifelong care.

Different doesn't mean bad

kw: book reviews, asperger's syndrome, asperger syndrome, autism, references

Tony Attwood is a clinical psychologist, who works with many persons who have Asperger's syndrome. His book The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome is both a text and a reference, written for a more general audience than his earlier book Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals.

I found the book of interest because I am closely associated with four such persons, one at work, two students, and a fellow church member. I also have had some contact with autistic persons, and two characteristics are easy to spot: someone with Asperger's syndrome can maintain eye contact, at least for a short while, but an autistic person will very rarely glance at your face; and it is usually possible to hold a conversation with the one, but almost never with the other. Also, when stressed sufficiently, almost anyone will rock back and forth or from side to side; this is much more frequent for someone with Asperger's, and is often constant for an autistic person. It is often called "autistic rocking", and is the symptom that most directly leads one to conclude that autism may be largely a phenomenon of over-sensitivity to stressors. I recall reading that many autistic people recover more control of themselves after they have been trained to block out or ignore noise, or given dark glasses that they then wear almost constantly.

There was a time that I was working as an operating systems analyst. The top practitioners of OS programming in assembly codes are truly wizards of the craft. Typically, they are also either autistic or have Asperger's, or at least social anxiety disorder (which I have to some extent). We used to joke that certain programmers were "kept in the forest and fed raw meat." Actually, some of them are maintained in luxurious isolation of their choice, and work by telecommuting. It takes a special sort of manager to supervise their work. On occasion, when they desire human contact, I've met one or another. They are clearly weird, yet relish human contact in measured doses. I've learned to modulate things by working with my door closed as needed.

Note that I haven't used the word "disorder" with Asperger's syndrome (AS hereafter). While some put it on the "autistic disorder spectrum", I think it more useful to maintain, as did Hans Asperger, and also Tony Attwood, that AS is a phenomenon in which several traits seen in everyone are present in more extreme form. In that regard, AS is no "worse" than being seven feet tall (particularly if you have B-ball skills!) or four feet six (like "Mini-Me", Verne Troyer). There are about as many AS individuals as there are 7-footers and 4.5-footers combined...

My contact with AS folks in the working world shows that they can be very valuable employees, particularly because they are exceptionally able (sometimes boringly so) able to maintain focus.

Dr. Attwood's book begins with a general "What is it" chapter, followed by one that details the diagnostic criteria. The following twelve chapters each focus on a clinical (e.g. cognitive ability) or environmental (e.g. teasing) dimension of the live of someone with AS, particularly as a child. It ends with a FAQ chapter, and a full apparatus of references and resources.

The question can be asked, "Is it OK for someone with AS to know it?" I think it is. The ones I've talked to, who know they display AS, can talk about it frankly, and then go on about any subject of mutual interest...as I have many interests, it isn't hard for me to enjoy talking about their interest.

This isn't a book you just read, it is a reference book in itself. I read parts that interested me, and found them quite valuable.

Is Autism an Evolved Adaptation?

kw: speculation, autism, asperger, ASD

I recently read an article in one of the May 2006 issues of Time about autism. Seems the current term is "autistic spectrum disorders" or ASD. I wonder if these are really disorders? I also recently read that some number of folks (10% or so?) are sensitive to very low frequencies, such as those used by elephants, rhinos, and big cats for long-distance communication. These ideas milled around in my head...

I have three friends who are autistic. One is a 4th grader, one of my music students. He is intense, focused, disciplined, very frank, and more sociable than I'd expect of an autistic person. He does tend to live in his head, and not listen well unless you can get him to look at you. He is diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger.

Another, a 10th grader, is a family friend. His particular interest—obsession, really—is weather. He and I have spent some happy times talking about weather and climate. He knows he has Asperger. I have noticed his hands are always chapped, so he probably has a washing obsession also.

The third, in his 20s, is right on the edge of full-blown autism. He is hard to talk to, and usually unwilling to interact. Whatever he is interested in, he does 100%. Whenever he gets bored, he's gone.

I have seen other people who are, I supposed, placed variously along the autistic spectrum. I am told an autistic person who has a job of interest to him (80%+ are male) is a very devoted, often overly loyal, worker.

The various "bad habits" usually reported for autistic persons, such as screaming and head-banging, seem to be exaggerations of responses we all feel to overwhelming stimuli. To me they manifest less-than-ordinary impulse control.

As far as I can tell, autistic characteristics and behaviors are exaggerations of "normal" stuff. If a person mainfests the intense focus of an autistic savant, but is otherwise ordinary, we don't call it a disorder. I am myself sometimes very averse to human contact, and I've been known to indulge in "autistic rocking" when overwhelmed. Some, perhaps many, autistic persons have keener or more sensitive hearing or light sensitivity than usual.

If a person has four or five of these "fringe" characteristics, being "3-sigma" or more from the norm in them, we label it, but what is really going on? In quiet times, people with keener senses, who overreact to sounds or bright light, or who are extra-focused, are considered a nuisance. But what of more chaotic times? Keen senses detect enemies or impending catastrophes sooner. Great focus is needed for rapid problem-solving in the face of emergency.

I think the human species keeps a certain number of these people around, because there are times when we need them. They deserve our appreciation.