Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP)

I didn't know what it was in me, till I had a Kanner cutie of my own. To explain BAP, I will borrow from The Vision Splendid
who borrowed from Valerie Paradiz’s book “Elijah’s Cup: A Family’s Journey into the Community and Culture of High-Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome”
quoting researchers Susan Folstein and Susan Santangelo:
“[i]n concept, BAP is similar to both autism and [Asperger's syndrome], but the traits and the behaviors are not usually severe and sometimes have adaptive value; it usually does not come to clinical attention. Individuals with BAP generally lack the markedly restricted interests or striking difficulties of getting along in the workplace that plague individuals with [Asperger’s Syndrome].”

Ms. Paradiz goes on to examine her own life in light of these shadow traits, and discovers she has several hallmarks of Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) including preoccupations with particular, often highly scholarly subjects and feelings of being
“bored, sensitive, and isolated as I observed the social culture around me, feeling uncompelled to jump in and participate in what seemed superficially meaningless. I wasn’t entirely aloof, but I preferred being with only one friend at a time. Too many people made me edgy. The social stimulation made my stomach ache. I went through periods of extreme “shyness”, as others labeled my seemingly removed or quiet behavior, rehearsing social situations in my mind over and over and, but both before and after they had occurred, sometimes speaking them aloud to myself. I still do this today. It’s a kind of mental exercise that makes me feel safe. I just like the sound of words spoken aloud, in poetry, in theatrical dialogue, and in foreign languages.”


That's ME
invisible spectrum. The radiation lying on either side of visible light, i.e., infrared and ultraviolet light.