27th January 2019
All groups of people have stereotypes that wrongly define them. Most of the time these stereotypes have a negative effect, as by their very definition the stereotype makes people assume that all people belonging to that group are the same. For example, all tall people must be good at basketball. This is seldom true and with most stereotypes, if you stop and think about them logically, you can see that they are not true. By their very nature they are illogical, but unfortunately it is human nature to make these assumptions.
This is something called “unconscious bias” where you make these judgements and first impressions, without even thinking about them. Why do we do this? Well it is probably a survival instinct. If you came across a strange snake, it would be wise to make the bias (or stereotype) that all snakes are poisonous when dealing with it. Even if there was only one poisonous snake in a world of thousands this unconscious bias could save your life, even if statistically the snake is most likely harmless.
The problem happens when the stereotypes attach themselves to groups and minorities of people in a way that can be either damaging to that group or even just simply annoying. Autistic people are no exception. With approximately 1 in 100 people on the Autistic spectrum, it is not surprising that there is an Autistic stereotype that has been formed through people assuming that all Autistic people are the same. Maybe they have met one or two Autistic people and made that assumption. Statistics that often get published show some bias in place of facts. Just like all people are different, all Autistic people are different. A common stereotype is that all Autistic people are good at maths.
No, not all Autistic people are good at maths, and in fact I know many Autistics who would freely admit that they are rubbish at sums, equations and calculations. Yet this stereotype exists strongly. I am not sure exactly where it comes from, but I am sure media and films such as “Rainman” and “The Accountant” have had a role in reinforcing it. However, stating that everyone on the spectrum is a genius when it comes to numbers, is illogical and you might as well say all Autistic people wear only black clothes or some other randomness. I have seen, read and heard many examples of Autistic people online and in social media that hate this stereotype and try to correct it.
This brings me to the main point of this blog, what if you are Autistic and either are good at maths or absolutely love maths. I fall into this category. I love maths especially geometry. It is a special or intense interest that resonates in everything I do, including work and other hobbies. The problem is that this makes me an Autistic stereotype. Sometimes when I read or see people rightly trying to dispel the belief that all Autistic people are good at maths, I must admit I feel guilty and even a bit ashamed. If anyone used me as their only experience of an Autistic person and discovered my joy of maths, and then read the stereotype, then their opinion of the stereotype might be reinforced. Worse still what if they went away educating other people that “I met an Autistic person and it is true they are all good at maths….” because of me!
Obviously I do not want to reinforce a stereotype that clearly is false and rubbish. Therefore it is my responsibility as an Autism advocate to make sure that if I am ever talking to anyone about Autism and maths in the same conversation, that I inform them that not all Autistic people love maths and are maths geniuses, that this is a common wrong stereotype and should be corrected at every opportunity. This is my duty, as I want anybody learning about Autism to know that everybody on the spectrum is unique with their own passions and interests.
But what about my feelings of guilt when I read about somebody discussing the inaccuracies of the maths stereotypes in a conversation about Autism? Well, I make the decision not to join in with that discussion, as I feel me joining in and saying something like “yeah but some people who are Autistic do actually like maths…” would only belittle the point that person is making. I respect and applaud anyone working to remove any stereotype and would not want to undermine that. As for feeling guilty, well I remind myself that I should not.
My love for mathematics has nothing to do me being Autistic, I just love maths. It offers me a lot of enjoyment and understanding. That also means that if I want to post online, discuss or share anything maths related then I should be able to and this should not feed into the stereotype. I cannot be responsible for people making the connection that I am Autistic and I love maths, so therefore the stereotype is true – people may still make that connection.
If it comes across in conversation though, I will call it out as not true, not all Autistic love maths and then proceed to tell them why Euclid’s proof of an infinite number of prime numbers is one of the most beautiful things in the world…
So to end this blog I want to plug some of my favourite maths resource from online. Firstly the excellent (and quite new) podcast “Maths Appeal” hosted by maths enthusiast Bobby Seagull and Susan Okereke. The podcast objective is to make maths accessible for everyone and it certainly achieves this. I have downloaded maths podcasts before and they can be really heavy, for example I once listened to one about “Riemann and the Zeta Function” which would have put a lot of people, who just like to dabble a little with maths, off. “Maths Appeal” is the opposite thanks to the approach of the presenters and the subject matter. They also do some amazing interviews with fellow maths enthusiasts. You can find it here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/maths-appeal/id1445702010
Next is the amazing Youtube channel “Numberphile” which has regular video posts on multiple maths topics hosted by a variety of maths experts such as Hannah Fry. The level of the maths depends on the video but they are always interesting and presented in a fun way with graphics to demonstrate whatever puzzle, problem, statistic or mathematical fact that is being discussed. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/user/numberphile
Thirdly is the magazine is “Chalkdust” which by it’s very tag line is “a magazine for the mathematically curious”. A great read that again explores a lot of fun mathematical concepts. Issues are downloadable as pdf’s which makes them very accessible to read. Their website is: http://chalkdustmagazine.com/
I am sorry the Autistic maths stereotype exists but if you are Autistic and you do like maths then that’s okay too.