Autism
The term context blindness was originally developed to describe the core problem of autism (Peter Vermeulen, 2011).
Autistic individuals often have difficulty using contextual information when interpreting signals and events.
Autism in the DSM
In the DSM-5, autism is described as a disorder with:
- limitations in social communication and interaction
- limited, repetitive behaviors or interests
Important to emphasize: the DSM is a classification system, not an explanatory model.
The label autism only describes a cluster of behaviors and experiences, but says nothing about the unique person.
A well-known saying summarizes this well:
If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism.
Although this is sometimes true, it is not a general rule. People with autism can also lie, for example — often as a coping mechanism to compensate for their context blindness.
This illustrates a broader critique of the DSM classifications: they create types and clusters, but do not capture the complexity and uniqueness of the person.
Reframing from the perspective of contextual thinking
Within this project, we see autism not merely as a disorder, but as a variant in thinking style:
- low context sensitivity (strongly detail-oriented, difficulty with cohesion and implicit signals)
- strengths in accuracy and detail perception
- vulnerabilities in relationships, flexibility, and basic trust
Examples of context blindness in autism
- Literal interpretation of language ("the train is delayed" → looking at the vehicle instead of the timetable).
- Difficulty contextualizing the emotions of others without explicit explanation.
- Sensory overload due to noise or social pressure, because filtering irrelevant stimuli is difficult.
Spectrum and overlap
Autism shows overlap with other context-related vulnerabilities:
- personality disorders (rigidity, basic trust)
- psychoses (when overload leads to reality problems)
- depression and burnout (due to constant overcompensation in a complex world)
Conclusion
Autism can be understood as an extreme form of low-contextual thinking.
Classifying it as a "disorder" helps in healthcare practice but should not be confused with an explanation or with the person themselves.
Every person with autism is unique, with their own strengths, vulnerabilities, and ways of dealing with context.