“Autistic people are rigid thinkers”

Rigid thinking is not a universal autistic trait. In fact, some autistic people are more cognitively flexible than most nonautistic people. 

So why is cognitive rigidity mentioned in the autism section of the DSM?

Here's my take...

I think cognitive rigidity is a survival response due to unmet needs.

So if a person's autistic needs are fully met, cognitive rigidity likely wouldn't show up.

But because the diagnostic criteria are constructed based on observable behaviors that occur as a direct result of unmet needs, that's what you get in the DSM.

Here are a couple examples of how unmet needs can look like rigidity.

1. Rigidity around rules.

When an autistic person feels lost in social situations where unwritten/unspoken rules are common and they are finally given clearly written rules about something... 

When those rules are (seemingly randomly) broken, it can be highly anxiety inducing for them.

2. Rigidity around word definitions.

Similarly, when autistic people are already constantly feeling lost in social interactions... and then people (seemingly randomly) use words incorrectly... it can feel deeply confusing and anxiety inducing for them/us.

In both of these examples, it was social confusion that led to autistic people acting in ways that appeared rigid. 

But really, the behavior was their attempt at desperately clinging to things that made the world make sense to them.

This is not inherent cognitive rigidity. It's an attempt at making sense out of what feels nonsensical. 

Now, let's talk about cognitive flexibility in autistic people. 

Because this is far more common than most people realize... but, frustratingly for many of us, it is often mistaken for rigidity.

One thing that has repeatedly shown up in research is autistic people having a unique ability to hold so much information and nuance in our minds, that it slows down our processing speed... a lot.

And, interestingly, this is actually what makes cognitive flexibility possible... the sheer amount of information and nuance actively held in our brains at any given time. Because we see more of the picture than most other people can.

But when we are talking to someone who is refusing to acknowledge the nuance we see as critical to the conversation... this often results in us pushing back pretty hard. 

Not because we are rigid, but because we are unwilling to accept a flattened version of a highly nuanced topic. 

And guess who ends up looking like the rigid one in this scenario? 

Not the person flattening the conversation and refusing to see the nuance. 

It's us... the autistic ones... often being called rigid. 😬🤦‍♀️

Isn't it ironic... don't you think?