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Comment by go_elmo | Hacker News Reader

The point is autism is a neurological condition - like a hardware wiring. Changing that because of bacteria can be compared to changing sexualities imo - and Im highly sceptical of it.

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How rigorous is your understanding of human sexuality though? It's a very politically charged topic to compare it to, and we don't, scientifically, understand it. Where we're discovering that there's a gut-brain connection that works in ways we don't understand yet, is it hardware wiring or is it the firmware?

From my understanding, the 'wiring' of an Autistic person's brain is pretty much the same as that of the neurotypical person. Of course, it should be noted that Autism is not one thing, but a constellation of possible ways of thinking. For example, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a trait common in Autistic people, but also a percentage of neurotypicals is not how the brain is wired, but a more complex mechanism that has not fully been understood.

What I am trying to say is the analogy of wiring is wrong. Our brains are not static, like the wiring in the walls of a house. New connections are formed all of the time, old connections are forgotten. Perhaps we should be more inspired by mycelium connections then wires. Research might open up new ways of thinking, for Autistics and Neurotypicals alike. Imagine, thinking like a child.

No. Wiring in the sense of architecture. We process things from details to overview, bottom to top, while allistics do the opposite. Thats the wiring I meant. It is not wrong, you interpretet my analogy differently which can happen! Imagine the difference between intel and amd chips, both are x86 but they have a different architecture, even though the transistors work the same...

Oh, I understand! Yes! I actually have some of these tendencies myself, while my son has much more. My brain is naturally attracted to details, especially the intricate interlocking kind. That being said, I am not entirely certain that all autistic people are the same in this fundamental way. At least, I am not aware of it, I am still learning.

How do you feel about the analogy of Hardware / software. Like the hardware is the same, but the software is written different. Good talking with you. Would love to know more. Any types are welcome!

We call things a Mustang but there are quite few of different Mustangs. I'm speaking about the car.

Do you have a citation for this, or is it just a guess? I think my brain works this way (bottom to top). My child has an autism diagnosis, but I do not.

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