9. Visual proprioceptive disorders (perception of one's body and objects in space)

9. Visual proprioceptive disorders (perception of one's body and objects in space)

Proprioception is the sense that allows us to know the position of our body in space. When it is impaired, we risk bumping into open doors, knocking our knees against chairs or hitting our elbow against the table.

The somesthetic—or somatosensory—system gathers sensory information from our entire body through receptors in the skin, muscles, joints and skeleton, as well as those in the heart, lungs, digestive system and endocrine system. Our receptors are indeed everywhere, and in a person with AS, information may be disrupted: sometimes perceived in an amplified or even extreme way, and at other times imperceptible, delayed or absent.

An illustrative example: if we approach an AS person from behind and touch their shoulder, they may not perceive the contact immediately or, conversely, may feel it too intensely. Such a situation risks triggering panic and disorientation. It is therefore preferable for your gesture to be visible first, so that the sensation of being touched can then take shape.

“Perception in the AS is different. If we compare an allistic person's perception with that of a bee, a dog or a cat, the AS person would be more like a cat, while the allistic person would be comparable to a dog. We too often regard the allistic person's perception as the norm, whereas today we are entering an era of new perceptual norms, those of the AS.”