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Synchronization and Syncopation: Conceptualizing Autism Through Rhythm

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Abstract

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.

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Notes

  1. The study was completed in accordance with institutional and local regulations for good scientific conduct, specifically the Aarhus University Code of Practice (Aarhus University 2018) and the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science 2014).

  2. Such as TEACCH and PICS.

  3. Because Myrna uses the expression “has autism”, so do I in my conversations with her. I am aware this is not in alignment with autism advocacies on neurodiversity, arguing against ‘person first language’, but I wanted to stay within her vocabulary.

  4. The HBO series On Tour with Asperger’s Are Us is an interesting exception.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Center for Cultural Epidemics: Epicenter at Aarhus University created and run by Jens Seeberg and Lotte Meinert. I would especially like to thank Jens Seeberg for support, patience and feedback—on this article and in general. I would also like to thank Laust Elbek, Mathias Elmose and Claire Dungy for helping me develop ideas relevant for this article and encouragement along the way. And a warm thanks to Marcello Mannino for support, help and multiple discussions. Lastly a big thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which immensely improved the quality of the manuscript.

Funding

The author has received research grants from Aarhus University.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Fie Lund Lindegaard Christensen

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Correspondence to Fie Lund Lindegaard Christensen.

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Ethical Approval

The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency and all procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the American Anthropological Association. According to the Committees on Biomedical Research Ethics in the Central Denmark Region, the Act on a Biomedical Research Ethics Committee System and the Processing of Biomedical Research Projects does not apply to this project.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Christensen, F.L.L. Synchronization and Syncopation: Conceptualizing Autism Through Rhythm. Cult Med Psychiatry 45, 683–705 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-020-09698-y

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