In this article, I argue that rhythm is a key concept in understanding autism. The article builds on fieldwork conducted amongst autistic children at two specialized institutions in Denmark, as well as interviews with parents of autistic children, some of whom were also autistic themselves. The paper draws on Lefebvre’s theory of ‘rhythmanalysis’ and treats rhythm as a ‘way of being’. Viewing autism as a rhythm by using locutions expressed by my interlocutors, such as staccato, schematic, robotic, desynchronized, not tuning in and dissonant, illustrates the many ways to perceive social interaction as rhythmic. I add to this the concept of syncopation, to describe some of the most common features associated with autism, pointing to a non-pathological way of being irregular or offbeat. This ‘non-pathologizing language’ communicates both the challenges and contributions of social interactions between autistic people and their friends and family members.

在本文中，我认为节奏是理解自闭症的关键概念。这篇文章建立在对丹麦两家专门机构的自闭症儿童进行的实地考察以及对自闭症儿童父母的采访的基础上，其中一些人自己也患有自闭症。该论文借鉴了列斐伏尔的“节奏分析”理论，将节奏视为一种“存在方式”。通过使用我的对话者表达的语言，例如断奏、示意图、机器人、不同步、不调和和不和谐，将自闭症视为一种节奏，说明了将社交互动视为有节奏的多种方式。我添加了切分音的概念，以描述与自闭症相关的一些最常见的特征，指出一种不规则或另类的非病理方式。