Did Neanderthals Have Autism? Insights with Dr. Emily Casanova!

[@peteracton2246]

Well explained (and unedited!). There was a theoretical link which then went away, before recent genetic evidence brought it back. Neorodivergent or "typical" we compliment each other and together we achieve more.

[@TheImmortalArt]

Great job

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

Thank you!

[@CuriousJenJen]

I have a friend that's writing a dissertation on this she claims it as true for a behavior science study not ABA related. The reason being is that they claimed that you can get neurodivergent people to interact with you more quickly if you approach them like these old social behavior rules that neanderthal people had. She and another person are doing a study scanning people's brains and doing these exercises with people. Anyways she carried the interaction with my son that's neurodivergent on the spectrum considered non verbal and when verbal he scripts what he heard. It was completely different than what they teach you in ABA so it was not ABA related. She has a breakthrough in her hands. She went next to him made no eye contact, she went really low, very low to the ground and sat and did not move at all. And she sat him on a chair so that he would be higher up than her. When she began to talk to him making no eye contact. He literally took off his sunglasses after 2 minutes then his hat. He told her everything about his day. She had him talking in sentences and full on conversations. Never once faced him never once made eye contact just sat to the side and lower down. I was like in shock it was amaizing. And that was their first ever time meeting.

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

As a former RBT and ABA I would always incorporate what I have learned about humans from the anthropological and primatological (as bad as that sounds) way if looking at things, understanding the root of human behavior differently. - led me and my kids to some great progress. I’d love to hear more about this study once it comes out. Do you know where they are going to publish?

[@CuriousJenJen]

@@worldofpaleoanthropology I'll ask her more about where exactly they are going to publish it it's her and another person doing it.

[@WarAndFame]

How would one find out if they have these Neanderthal variants that seem to correlate highly with autism?

[@maverickstanding5733]

Get your genome decoded as a first step

[@mickelodiansurname9578]

Okay so can these traits be measured, of have they been measured now that the DNA has been evaluated by Paabo et al and others? Like one thing I think was mentioned was that people with a higher Neanderthal level of hybridization would have increased risk of diabetes... okay well this is easy to measure right? So what about other traits we see now that we can measure against people with high levels of Neanderthal admixture and those with a lower level?

[@paintingtracey]

Cool thanks

[@Infinitesimal-ho7it]

So it must've been evolutionarily neutral or beneficial, right?

[@macgonzo]

Hard to say. If one of the potential environmental influences that can result in a child being autistic is common, such as a lack of dietary folates, then autism could potentially arise from no genetically heritable source in every generation. Best I can say is that there's multiple factors. Which is dominant likely exists in a state of equilibrium.

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

If it doesnt interfere with reproduction, which autism can in the most severe of cases (just in the act of doing so) it wont have an affect on the gene pool or our phenotypes, and those genes will continue to be passed on. So, it's neutral. Ya? Good question. Autism is a spectrum, and there are some situations where some people's ASD is a skill, and in other cases it makes living literally impossible without help.

[@Infinitesimal-ho7it]

@@macgonzo , so is something like a lack of dietary folates cause autism post-natal?

[@EmilNicolaiePerhinschi]

it was beneficial for the population which produced them, for example having a nerd being self-motivated to learn all the plants and their uses is even now an advantage ( or finding stones suitable for knapping by obsessively trying everything available) and the populations which produced them nerds when genes aligned properly did better than those which did not

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

Autism is a spectrum. Many people with autism would not have survived without much help.

[@EmilNicolaiePerhinschi]

I wish "Aspergers" would still be used, "autism" is not all a single thing, same way type 1 diabetes is something very different from type 2 diabetes

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

That’s why it’s called ASD not autism. Aspgerger was a nazi. So there’s that.

[@GoodBeets4ME]

@@worldofpaleoanthropology he didnt want to be but there was no way for him to help children unless he faked it. Nazi's suck.

[@Vintles1]

Depends on what the definition of autism is. Is it a genetic trait, or a learned behavior? Is it a behavior associated with a nutritional deficiency? A short attention span could be defined as autistic and I can see that as being a trait of the neanderthals. Always looking over your shoulder for the next threat ...

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

Autism is not learned. That is ridiculous.

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

@@RulgertGhostalker such as?

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

@@RulgertGhostalkeryou’re not being censored. That’s a blatant lie. Just because you can’t figure out how to use the comment section.

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

@@RulgertGhostalkerI honestly don’t care. You’re an asshole. Plain and simple. Be kind. It takes nothing. You don’t know what other people are going through. Make it all about you.

[@worldofpaleoanthropology]

@@RulgertGhostalkerYour comments on my channel have been nothing but spam, get back on your meds and get off my channel.