What is monotropic split?
You’ve hopefully heard of monotropism (if not, read this first, as it’s crucial for understanding autism and ADHD), but what is monotropic split?
Monotropic people focus more of their attention on fewer things a time compared people who are polytropic and can more easily switch their focus.
The neuronormative world we live in typically expects people to be polytropic. Think of school where children are constantly expected to switch their attention from one activity and subject to the next.
Monotropic people trying to meet these expectations experience attentional trauma. The brain attempts to replicate the large amount of attention usually given to one thing, across many.
Studies have shown that autistic brains process an average of 42% more information than allistic brains at rest. Trying to operate in a polytropic way while using so much more energy eventually leads to burnout.
When monotropic people are forced to operate in polytropic ways it’s known as monotropic split. Unsurprisingly, this enormous cognitive load frequently leads to meltdown or shutdown.
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