Not 'Not Looking,' but 'Looking at Something Else' — Autism and the Multi-layered Nature of Perception
Introduction: A Hypothesis Starting from an Observation
One day, I read a manga about a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
In it, there was a depiction of the child 'showing no interest in people,'
and the parents were shocked by that reaction.
I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort with this phrasing.
Are they really 'not showing interest'?
Or, could it be that they areinterested in a different wayinstead?
Perhaps we only perceive the behavior of 'being interested in people'
through a 'socially easy-to-understand format.'
This article begins with this hypothesis.
Chapter 1: What is Adaptation? And Whose Standard Is It?
In modern society, the word 'adaptation' carries immense value.
Understanding language, reading the room, fitting into a group, and cooperating.
That is considered 'normal' and 'good.'
However, this adaptation is merely a measure of 'how well one can act
without deviating from a social structure designed for the majority to function easily.'
In other words, adaptation does not equal truth.
It is merely a matter of 'connectivity to the conventional structures of this society.'
Chapter 2: Invisible Interests, Unspoken Perceptions
Behind the phrase 'showing no interest in people'
lies the premise that 'they do not show the behavior we expect.'
So, what if that child were reacting to the 'presence' or 'structure' behind people's movements?
Or, what if they were sensing the very 'nature of existence' itself at a level that cannot be verbalized?
That would take a form completely different from the actions we expect,
such as 'making eye contact,' 'responding,' or 'joining in play.'
Herein lies theasymmetry in the layers of perception.
Chapter 3: The Diversity Contained Within the 'Autism' Label
While 'autism spectrum disorder' has a clear definition in medical classification,
I believe that various manifestations actually coexist within that label.
People who find social information processing difficult
People with sensory hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity
People whose interests are directed toward a pre-linguistic world
People who feel a strong sense of structural discomfort
People who have become defensive due to trauma
Grouping all of these under a single diagnostic label
may obscure their inherent individuality.
Chapter 4: Why those interested in deeper layers are difficult to understand
If a child is focusing not on 'meaning' or 'conversation',
but on 'layers of existence' or 'resonance within silence'—
their behavior appears socially incomprehensible.
However, it may not be 'alienation,' but rather 'a different way of connecting.'
Yet, currently, there are few people who can translate or mediate those layers.
People who can access 'deep layers' are rare,
and this creates a structure of isolation where an 'interpreter is absent.'
Chapter 5: What we can do
This text does not claim that 'all children possess deep-level perception.'
Nor does it assert that 'there is no need to adapt to society.'
It is simply that,for those who may be touching invisible layers,we should pause for a moment,
and re-ask ourselves, 'What is this child seeing?'
I quietly hypothesize that this very question
will be the key to future understanding and coexistence.
Conclusion: To those gazing at layers that have yet to be named
If there is a child around you who is said to 'show no interest in others,'
I would like you to try listening to what they are seeing and feeling
through a layer that is not words.
It may be different from what is 'normal.'
But it is just different.
Because a world that has not yet been named
might be quietly breathing.
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