Occam’s Razor

“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck – it’s a duck.”  – Harlan Watson

Simply put this logical concept states that any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible. After you eliminate all assumptions that make no difference to the outcome you have the simplest answer. You’ve probably heard the saying “All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.” This is Occam’s Razor.

If two theories are equal we may be able to eliminate one as being too complex or introducing new phenomenon that are not necessary. Succinctness is what we are looking for here. The razor cuts away the bull or unneeded.

So a light in the sky is better explained as a star, Venus, drunken rednecks, weather balloons, lightening, airplanes, and an infinite number of other things before we get to E.T. See simple.

Now you can do it too.

Autism perception and senses

Again by reader request. Keep the comments coming.

Fair warning that I can only speak of autism and aspergers from the experiences of living with someone effected by this disorder. By no means am I a qualified doctor or researcher in this field. Nor should I be your last resource, but if you have further questions I might be able to help.

First the five sences, Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste, and Touch. Why don’t I address some of the things I’ve noticed for each of these.

Hearing – I’ve noticed my son has extremely good hearing. Too good it seems. The sound of the wind sometimes overloads him and we have to ‘turn his ear off’. This involves gently cupping his ears to block out all sound until his ears ‘cool off’ as he says. While in the far side of the house he can hear a train a few blocks away my wife can only hear while outside. Crowds are really a hard thing for someone with autism to handle. The noise is generally the thing that gets to them the most.

Sight – I don’t think his vision is any better then average. After all my son wears glasses to read. I do think his perception of objects is unique. Once while touring a university he pointed out a snake. No one else saw it. We wrote it off as his imagination. Then he pointed UP in a window and there was a stuffed snake there. We hadn’t bothered to look there. His eyes dart around so much that he probably sees way more then he comments on or anyone else would see.

Smell – We haven’t really noticed an enhanced sense of smell really. I’m sure some people with autism spectrum disorder have good ability to smell. We just haven’t noticed in our little guy.

Taste – For people with autism this can be a big reason for not liking certain foods. I know certain textures of food are disagreeable with my son. Not sure if that falls under touch or not but since it could be the taste I’ll mention it here.

Touch – This may be another biggie. We have to have cotton shirts washed in certain soap or it’s ‘too scratchy’. Indeed the kid will bloom with a rash if the clothing isn’t handled correctly. We also have tactile stress balls for him to use to help calm him in tense situations. The feel of the stress ball can help him focus on his touch when a crowd is overwhelming his hearing.

So there you have it. A little idea of how someone with autism views the world. Put all these together in one package and its no wonder they sometimes have trouble dealing with all the input. Ifyou were acutely aware of every fold of fabric touching you, All the objects and sounds in the room. Wouldn’t you want a break?