Listen now | In this episode we begin our journey through the 10 Pillars of Autistic Culture, starting with Bottom-Up Processing — the foundation of how many autistic people experience and interpret the world.
Bottom up processing is definitely a dominant factor in how I experience the world. I sometimes try to explain it to people by saying that when learning something and other folks are putting together a ten piece puzzle, I’m putting together a thousand piece puzzle.
With me it can often come across as perfectionism even though once I thoroughly learn a process I’m actually pretty good at doing C or B work if there aren’t time or other resources constraints. But I have to understand what A+ work looks like - fully assembled from the bottom up before I can figure out what specific pieces I can discard for a B or C version without the whole thing collapsing Jenga style.
Holmes was on cocaine, not heroin. A 7% solution in “The Sign of the Four.” That’s the only story where he uses it “onstage,” but other stories refer to his ongoing use. He eventually gave it up. It’s a stimulant as opposed to the depressant effect of heroin. It mimicked the high Holmes got from the chase of a case.
REALLY? Am I remembering from a movie? I thought it was specifically opium. I believe you and just said that off the top of my head but I thought there was a whole opium plotline somewhere. Maybe the TV show Elementary?!
Exchanges like this feel like home to me. I’m imagining a world where sharing info and growing collective knowledge is this easy and welcomed by more folks. 🍻
Another excellent podcast which I have learned from. With that, I am, without a doubt, a bottom-up processor since as far back as I can remember. In addition, I’m not autistic nor do I have autism. I am an autist or neurodivergent. Lastly, I have always used the term “work-life integration” instead of work-life balance which doesn’t make sense.
Yes! This is such an important point. Autistic traits are human traits. Just like not everyone who dances Flamenco or eats dinner at 11pm is Spanish, not everyone who is a bottom-up processor is Autistic.
Oh and I hate work-life balance... it's so dumb! You can't balance something that is part of something else. Work-life integration is genius. I'm training my brain to memorize that right now!
I love your podcast, Angela! It’s extremely meaningful and insightful. I usually listen to it in different parts because there is so much to process and digest (so much that is reflected back to me) that it takes me on a roller coaster; mentally and emotionally—and I need time…but it’s an awesome ride! 🫶🏼
I didn't have any idea that I was autistic until well into my adulthood, but I always preferred inductive reasoning to deductive (bottom-up versus top-down). I also looked for a word for "knowing where your body is in space," and as soon as I knew it was proprioception, I started telling anyone who'd listen that I had poor proprioception.
I always talking about how I had "poor depth perception" to explain why I always tripped and fell. I mean I don't think that is untrue but it's funny how we were basically walking lists of Autistic traits with no one to tell us what conclusions to draw from all our data points!
Oh, I claimed poor depth perception too - but my eye doctor was the one who told me that. I also knew I was a klutz - I'd been put in remedial gym class at age six, and I never did learn to sit on the balance ball without falling.
This episode blew my mind. So much in it. Thank you for these, they are so authenticating after decades of derision. Xxx
Thank you so much. This podcast is SO hugely insightful for me. Brilliantly communicated and explained.
I bet Taylor Swift would relate 😉
Bottom up processing is definitely a dominant factor in how I experience the world. I sometimes try to explain it to people by saying that when learning something and other folks are putting together a ten piece puzzle, I’m putting together a thousand piece puzzle.
With me it can often come across as perfectionism even though once I thoroughly learn a process I’m actually pretty good at doing C or B work if there aren’t time or other resources constraints. But I have to understand what A+ work looks like - fully assembled from the bottom up before I can figure out what specific pieces I can discard for a B or C version without the whole thing collapsing Jenga style.
Holmes was on cocaine, not heroin. A 7% solution in “The Sign of the Four.” That’s the only story where he uses it “onstage,” but other stories refer to his ongoing use. He eventually gave it up. It’s a stimulant as opposed to the depressant effect of heroin. It mimicked the high Holmes got from the chase of a case.
REALLY? Am I remembering from a movie? I thought it was specifically opium. I believe you and just said that off the top of my head but I thought there was a whole opium plotline somewhere. Maybe the TV show Elementary?!
Exchanges like this feel like home to me. I’m imagining a world where sharing info and growing collective knowledge is this easy and welcomed by more folks. 🍻
Another excellent podcast which I have learned from. With that, I am, without a doubt, a bottom-up processor since as far back as I can remember. In addition, I’m not autistic nor do I have autism. I am an autist or neurodivergent. Lastly, I have always used the term “work-life integration” instead of work-life balance which doesn’t make sense.
Yes! This is such an important point. Autistic traits are human traits. Just like not everyone who dances Flamenco or eats dinner at 11pm is Spanish, not everyone who is a bottom-up processor is Autistic.
Oh and I hate work-life balance... it's so dumb! You can't balance something that is part of something else. Work-life integration is genius. I'm training my brain to memorize that right now!
I love your podcast, Angela! It’s extremely meaningful and insightful. I usually listen to it in different parts because there is so much to process and digest (so much that is reflected back to me) that it takes me on a roller coaster; mentally and emotionally—and I need time…but it’s an awesome ride! 🫶🏼
I didn't have any idea that I was autistic until well into my adulthood, but I always preferred inductive reasoning to deductive (bottom-up versus top-down). I also looked for a word for "knowing where your body is in space," and as soon as I knew it was proprioception, I started telling anyone who'd listen that I had poor proprioception.
I always talking about how I had "poor depth perception" to explain why I always tripped and fell. I mean I don't think that is untrue but it's funny how we were basically walking lists of Autistic traits with no one to tell us what conclusions to draw from all our data points!
Oh, I claimed poor depth perception too - but my eye doctor was the one who told me that. I also knew I was a klutz - I'd been put in remedial gym class at age six, and I never did learn to sit on the balance ball without falling.