Stereotypical vs. Non-Stereotypical Autistic Traits
When I work with adults in therapy or evaluation, one thing we talk about frequently is stereotypical vs. non-stereotypical Autistic traits.
What Do Stereotypical Autistic Traits Look Like?
Stereotypical Autistic traits are what most people think of when they think of autism. Think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. Our idea of stereotypical autism is mostly based on research and clinical work with white, cisgender, and affluent boys and men, who are more likely to have stereotypically Autistic traits (more on autism and gender below).
Here are some examples of stereotypical Autistic traits:
Thinking: A highly logical, concrete, and pragmatic thinking style.
Emotions: Alexithymia, or difficulty feeling and/or identifying emotions.
Empathy: Hypo-empathy (lower levels of empathy), especially cognitive empathy (consciously stepping into someone else’s shoes to imagine what they are experiencing).
Social communication: A blunt, direct social communication style.
Relationships: Might have less motivation to seek out close relationships.
Speech: A monotone or “flat” intonation or way of speaking.
Interests: Stereotypical interests and passions. Individuals with stereotypically Autistic traits might dislike imaginary worlds, fantasy, and fiction.
Repetitive behaviors: More externalized and obvious stimming behaviors, like rocking, flapping, or pacing.
Masking: Typically low-masking. Many stereotypically Autistic individuals do not camouflage Autistic traits to try to fit in with neurotypicals.
Stress response: Being Autistic in our society is inherently stressful (and even traumatic). Under stress, Autistic individuals with stereotypical traits might have a “fight” response and become angry or aggressive. Alternatively, they might have a “flight” response, which can look like avoidance, escape, or anxiety.
What Do Non-Stereotypical Autistic Traits Look Like?
In contrast, non-stereotypical Autistic traits can look quite different. Here are some examples of non-stereotypical Autistic traits:
Thinking: Existential thinking and a tendency toward deep thinking.
Emotions: Deeply felt emotions and emotional sensitivity.
Empathy: Hyper-empathy, or higher-than-average empathy (especially emotional empathy). Many non-stereotypically Autistic individuals identify as “empaths” because they easily “catch” or absorb others’ emotions.
Social communication: May have a more passive social style, be more appeasing of others, or appear more socially “naïve.”
Relationships: Might have more motivation to seek out close relationships, but may prefer a smaller number of close friends. In addition, they often need time to recharge after social interactions.
Speech: Might have a “sing-song,” “childlike,” or emotionally expressive way of speaking.
Interests: Interests and passions that blend in with mainstream culture and are more “socially acceptable” or socially valued. For instance, it is very socially acceptable for girls, women, and people assigned female at birth to be interested in things like fashion, makeup, social sciences, animals, and spirituality or religion. Many non-stereotypically Autistic individuals can also develop a special interest in books, particularly fantasy, imaginary worlds, and fiction.
Repetitive behaviors: Internalized stimming behaviors that might not be obvious. These can sometimes happen entirely inside the Autistic person’s mind, such as silently counting ceiling tiles or repeating a phrase.
Masking: High-masking, or camouflaging Autistic traits to blend into society. This can involve mimicking allistic (non-Autistic or neurotypical) social norms.
Stress response: Fawning (people-pleasing). They may also have a “flight” response, which can look like avoidance, escape, or anxiety.
Diffuse sense of self: Non-stereotypically Autistic individuals can struggle with a diffuse sense of self, or difficulty distinguishing their own feelings, needs, and thoughts from others’. This can be due to a combination of hyper-empathy, fawning/people-pleasing, and masking.
What About “Male” vs. “Female” Autism?
Although some researchers and clinicians refer to “male” and “female” autism, many neurodiversity-affirming scholars and practitioners do not believe that different presentations of autism fall along binary gender lines. While boys, men, and people assigned male at birth may be more likely to have stereotypically Autistic traits, many girls, women, and people assigned female at birth also have these traits. Likewise, girls, women, and people assigned female at birth may be more likely to have non-stereotypically Autistic traits, but plenty of people assigned male at birth have these traits as well.
Referring to “male” and “female” autism also erases the experiences of genderqueer and nonbinary people, and the Autistic community has a higher proportion of genderqueer, trans, and nonbinary individuals. For this reason, I do not use the terms “male autism” or “female autism,” and instead use the language of stereotypical and non-stereotypical autism.
If you want to learn more, here is a fantastic Venn diagram from Dr. Megan Anna Neff at Neurodivergent Insights on stereotypical Vs. non-stereotypical autism.
Also, check out my Instagram series on non-stereotypical autism.