What do you think everyone should know about autism?
DOMINIC Autism is not a disease. I therefore say "I am autistic" and not "I have autism". Instead, it simply means to be neurologically different from the norm, but thus not wrong. I would like people to accept and acknowledge that there are individuals who think and perceive completely differently. People should preferably talk to us, rather than about us, so that autistic people are not excluded from their own topic debate.
How are autistic people doing in the work environment?
DOMINIC: We autistic people are often pushed into an outsider role, often experience rejection by the social environment, even to the point of social retaliation such as bullying. This is mainly due to the social non-conformity in our communication. Depending on the circumstances, we can be absolute low or high performers. These and other reasons mean that probably only five percent of us have a job, although many major innovations can be traced back to autists or people with ADHD. In order to get along in the best possible way in the working world, we often engage in extremely exhausting "masking" – we try to adapt as best we can and not stand out. Due to this constant stress, our life expectancy is statistically 16 years lower.
You describe yourself as neuro- and culturally diverse. What do you mean by that?
DOMINIC: As an autistic and ADHD person, I am neurodiverse. Due to the combination of both, my brain is extremely associatively networked. Constantly running associations trigger so many thoughts and ideas that my brain then simply takes its course and my focus slips. That's why, for example, only what I really need is on my desk. And I almost always wear headphones at work that block out ambient noise. Otherwise, too much distracts me.
I describe myself as culturally diverse because, as the child of a German emigrant family, I grew up in the U.S. until the age of 12, most of that time on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. What was special there was that almost all the islanders had an immigration background and therefore there was no "guiding culture". For us kids, it was completely normal that everyone spoke a different language at home, ate different food, had a different religion, celebrated different festivals, and had different habits. As an autistic person on this island full of diverse and open people, I did not stand out negatively at all and did not have any problems.
Does the combination with ADHD bring any other special features?
DOMINIC: The combination is like a special edition of neurodiversity, because of course there is a whole spectrum in autistics as well. Without ADHD, people are probably more introverted and structured. With the combination with ADHD, the creative, the "out of the box" thinking is even more pronounced. You can visualize it like this: ADHD is like the wind blowing in through the window, jumbling up the leaves on the table and assigning them to each other in a completely different way. This creates new associations and innovations can arise by chance.
How are you doing in the working world?
DOMINIC: I see myself as a "dog in a cat world" who is mistaken for a "sick cat". I only look like a cat, but I am a dog. I communicate differently, just like a dog that barks and jumps around. Cats perceive this as a threat and extend their claws. So this is a complete misunderstanding in communication. From the bad experiences you change and so the dog starts to try to behave like a cat. This sometimes works more and sometimes less.
