r/autism•
magpiepaw

Mental age spectrum within one person

Question

A Dutch researcher has developed a theory called MAS1P (Mental Age Spectrum within 1 Person). Since autism is a developmental disorder it assumes that an autistic person's psyche can be separated into parts which you can match with specific stages in the development of a typical human brain, so you end up with a spectrum of ages that may not match your physical age; some parts either being stuck at an earlier stage or accelerated to a level you you would expect from an older person. This can help with getting more suitable support for your specific needs because it looks at each of your issues individually instead of you as a whole and treats them like you would with people of those ages.

Some examples:
- A 8 year old who has extensive and extremely detailed knowledge about horses but only speaks in simple sentences. Her memory is much more developed than what you would expect from someone her age and her communicative skills can be compared to those of a toddler.
- An middle aged man who fidgets and struggles with eye contact and has made a mental list of nonverbal cues and what they mean so he doesn't forget how to respond appropriately. He's very experienced in life but was never able to learn to grow out of these things.
- A 13 year old who is very outgoing and makes friends easily but struggles with math, the numbers just register as gibberish in her head. She has advanced social skills and was diagnosed with dyscalculia.
- A toddler with a very advanced vocabulary who does not pick up on other people's emotions or seem to be affected by them.

I was curious what you guys think of this, and if you recognize different developmental ages in yourself or are able to apply the theory to your own struggles and strengths.

Posted Jul 6, 2026, 1:14 PM UTC

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