Monotropism

{{Short description|Cognitive strategy in autism}} thumb|alt=The differences between polytropism and monotropism|The differences between polytropism and monotropism '''Monotropism''' is an individual's tendency to focus their attention on a small or singular number of interests at any time, with them neglecting or not perceiving lesser interests. This cognitive strategy has been posited as the central underlying feature of autism.

A tendency to focus attention tightly has a number of psychological implications, with it being seen as a state of "tunnel vision". While monotropism tends to cause people to miss things outside their attention tunnel, within it, their focused attention can lend itself to intense experiences, deep thinking, and, more specifically, flow states.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Andy |first1=McDonnell |url= |title=Good Autism Practice: Autism, Happiness and Wellbeing |last2=Damian |first2=Milton |date=2014 |publisher=BILD |isbn=9781905218356 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Glenys |location=Birmingham, UK |pages=38–47 |language= |chapter=Going with the flow: reconsidering 'repetitive behaviour' through the concept of 'flow states' |author-link2=Damian Milton |access-date= |editor-last2=Hurley |editor-first2=Elizabeth}}</ref> However, this form of hyperfocus makes it harder to redirect attention, including starting and stopping tasks, leading to what is often described as executive dysfunction in autism, and stereotypies or perseveration, where a person's attention is repeatedly drawn back to the same subject or activity.

== History ==

The term "monotropism" is attested in the context of autism since 1992. It appeared in a text by Dinah Murray and is said to have been suggested by Jeanette Buirski.<ref name="Murray1">{{cite conference |last1=Murray |first1=Dinah |author-link=Dinah Murray |date=1992 |title=Attention Tunnelling and Autism |url=https://monotropism.org/dinah/attention-tunnelling-and-autism/ |conference=Living with Autism: The Individual, the Family, and the Professional. |publisher=Durham Conference Proceedings}}</ref> The word ''mono'' ("one, single") here is chosen in contrast to ''poly'' ("many"); whereas ''-tropism'' points to "directional movement or growth" as in the biological concept of tropism.<ref>{{Cite OED|-tropism|9897202606}}</ref>

The theory of monotropism was developed by Dinah Murray, Wenn Lawson, and Mike Lesser starting in the 1990s, and first published in 2005.<ref name="Murray">{{cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Dinah |author-link=Dinah Murray |last2=Lesser |first2=Mike |author-link2=Mike Lesser |last3=Lawson |first3=Wenn |date=2005 |title=Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism |url=https://monotropism.org/murray-lesser-lawson/ |journal=Autism |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=139–56 |doi=10.1177/1362361305051398 |pmid=15857859 |s2cid=6476917 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Lawson's further work on the theory formed the basis of his PhD, ''Single Attention and Associated Cognition in Autism'', and the book ''The Passionate Mind'' published in 2011.

== Characteristics == thumb|alt=Monotropic way of teaching can be greatly helpful for autistic students. |Monotropic way of teaching thumb|alt=Typical classroom activity requires lot of polytropic processing of stimuli|Typical classroom activity requires lot of polytropic processing of stimuli.

Since the amount of attention available to a person is limited, cognitive processes are forced to compete. In the monotropic mind, interests that are active at any given time tend to consume most of the available attention, causing difficulty with other tasks such as conventional social interaction. Language development can be affected, both through the broad attention required and the psychological impact of language, which provides a tool for others to manipulate a child's interest system.<ref name="Murray"/>

Monotropic individuals have trouble processing multiple things at once, particularly when it comes to multitasking while listening. For example, some students have trouble taking notes in class while listening to a teacher<ref name="Bogdashina">{{cite book |last=Bogdashina |first=Olga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RCQ1U38WmjIC&dq=monotropism+autism&pg=PA11 |title=Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Different Sensory Experiences – Different Perceptual Worlds |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |year=2003 |isbn=9781843101666 |location=London}}</ref> and may find it difficult to read a person's face and comprehend what they are saying simultaneously.<ref name="Murray" /> A common tendency is for individuals to avoid complex sensory environments because of this hypersensitivity.<ref name="Bogdashina" /> Monotropic individuals may suppress attention and focus on something else, or develop great depth in a given interest or skill.<ref name="Lesser">{{cite book |last1=Lesser |first1=Mike |url= |title=The Neurodiversity Reader |last2=Murray |first2=Dinah |publisher=Pavilion |year=2020 |isbn=9781912755394 |editor-last=Murray |editor-first=Dinah |editor-link=Dinah Murray |location=Shoreham by Sea |pages= |chapter=Mind as a Dynamical System: Implication for Autism |author-link=Mike Lesser |author-link2=Dinah Murray |orig-date=1998 |editor-last2=Milton |editor-first2=Damian |editor-link2=Damian Milton |editor-last3=Ridout |editor-first3=Susy |editor-last4=Martin |editor-first4=Nicola |editor-last5=Mills |editor-first5=Richard |chapter-url=https://monotropism.org/dinah/mind-as-a-dynamical-system/}}</ref>

== Implications for practice == Murray et al. (2005) proposed certain steps to help autistic individuals, such as increasing "connections", building understanding through the child's interests, and making connections between people and concepts more "meaningful and less complex".<ref name="Murray" /> thumb|alt=a hypothetical radar plot of spikey cognitive profile. Similar details can be found in Doyle, Nancy. "Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults". British medical bulletin 135, no. 1 (2020): 108-125.| '''Different information filtering mechanism in autistic people may be due to difference in cognitive components.''' a hypothetical radar plot of spikey cognitive profile. Similar details can be found in Nancy Doyle's paper ''Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Doyle |first1=Nancy |title=Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults |journal=British Medical Bulletin |date=14 October 2020 |volume=135 |issue=1 |pages=108–125 |doi=10.1093/bmb/ldaa021|pmc=7732033 }}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== Further reading == * {{Cite book |last=Lawson |first=Wenn |title=The Passionate Mind: How People with Autism Learn |date=2011 |publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers |isbn=978-1-84905-121-7 |edition= |location=London}} * {{Cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Dinah |chapter=Monotropism: An Interest-Based Account of Autism |date=2021 |url= |title=Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders |pages=2954–2956 |editor-last=Volkmar |editor-first=Fred R. |access-date= |chapter-url=https://monotropism.org/dinah/monotropism-2020/ |edition=2nd |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_102269 |isbn=978-3-319-91279-0 |author-link=Dinah Murray |editor-link=Fred R. Volkmar}} * {{Cite journal |last=Murray |first=Fergus |date=30 November 2018 |title=Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism |url=https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/me-and-monotropism-unified-theory-autism |journal=The Psychologist |publisher=The British Psychological Society}}

== External links == * [https://monotropism.org/ monotropism.org] – Information portal on monotropism, including an archive of Dinah Murray's work on the subject

{{Autism spectrum}} Category:Autism Category:Learning disabilities Category:Cognition