What is Monotropism and How Does it Relate to Autism?

By guest writer Jackson McMahan

Monotropism isn’t just another theory of autism. It’s a fresh perspective that seeks to understand what makes autistic individuals tick without pathologizing them. Where other theories focus on the downsides of having autism, like claiming autistic individuals lack empathy, monotropism focuses on the strengths.

Monotropism is an effective enough look at autism that one essay claims it’s more comprehensive than competing theories, like how it impacts women or why sensory differences are common (Murray).

But what is monotropism and why is it important to understanding autism? That’s the question I will be answering today. In this blog post, I will describe what monotropism is, how it connects to autism, and the benefits of having a monotropic brain. 

What is Monotropism?

Monotropism was first presented in 1992 as part of researcher Dinah Murray’s publication “Attention Tunneling and Autism.” Throughout the 1990s, Dinah Murray, Wenn Lawson, and Mike Lesser would further explore the theory. By 2005, the term monotropism was coined and would go on to help define how we understand autistic individuals.

The theory of monotropism explains how autistic individuals focus their attention. Instead of focusing on many things at once, they deeply concentrate on a few interests or tasks at a time. These interests could hold their attention briefly or for their entire life. It could be fun hobbies or work they must complete. All that matters is that autistic individuals focus on a few things at one time. That said, individuals with ADHD can also have a monotropic mindset.

One of the more common monotropism examples is how the focus on a small number of interests comes at the expense of other ones. Take a situation where an autistic individual is interested in science but not math. Their attention will gravitate towards science, which causes it to be the topic they show interest in and potentially become an expert on. By contrast, math is neglected. The person’s monotropic attention lies elsewhere so their odds of enjoying math are decreased.

Monotropism also contrasts with a different style of thinking: polytropism. Where monotropism involves rigidly focusing on a few interests simultaneously, polytropism involves focusing on a wider variety of interests at one time. Where a monotropic mindset causes someone to spend hours researching a single historical event, a polytropic one might skim multiple subjects in a single study session.

Like other aspects of autism, there is a divide between autistic individuals and neurotypical ones when it comes to cognitive styles. Autistic individuals are more likely to be monotropic while neurotypical individuals are more likely to be polytropic.

How Does Monotropism Connect to Autism?

Autistic individuals often focus much of their attention on special interests. These special interests can determine what an autistic individual likes to talk about or focus most of their attention on.

To use myself as an example, my special interests include video games, movies, and comic books. If you entered a conversation with me, I would most likely bring up one of those three subjects because they are what I have the easiest time discussing. Change the subject to sports or pop music and I won’t have as much material to comment on.

Beyond special interests, monotropism also influences aspects of autism like autistic inertia, flow states, and disruptions in routines. Autistic inertia explores how autistic individuals can have a hard time starting and stopping tasks. Flow states explore how autistic individuals become locked into whatever task they’re currently working on. Lastly, disruptions in routines can be rough for autistic individuals because it messes with their usual patterns. Where a polytropic mind can more easily go with the flow of life, a monotropic mind can struggle to adjust to new situations despite their ability to focus on their task at hand.

Monotropism theory doesn’t just explain why autistic individuals like to discuss the same few subjects; it explains where and how autistic individuals apply their ability to focus. An autistic individual’s monotropic focus could be applied to a homework assignment or a chore. Having a monotropic mindset means having a laser-focused mind that can help you complete tasks or become an expert in certain topics.

How Monotropism Benefits Autistic Individuals

Monotropism does such a good job describing the experience of having autism that the benefits of having a monotropic mind are commonly noted as ones of being autistic in general. Here are some examples:

Deep Knowledge of Specific Topics

An autistic individual’s special interests are often ones they will heavily learn about, even becoming an expert on them. If their preferred subject relates to a job, then their knowledge and expertise can become a valuable asset.

Ability to Focus on Tasks

Autistic individuals often enter flow states when working on tasks. This, combined with hyperfocus, can help them be productive and fully engrossed in whatever task they are working on. When I’m writing about a topic that interests me or have a lot to comment on, I often find myself spending long periods of time writing it.

Ability to Draw Attention to Specific Source

Part of how monotropism keeps autistic individuals focused is by allowing them to draw their attention towards one channel. Where a polytropic individual can pay attention to multiple channels at once, monotropic ones are going to keep their attention to one channel.

Final Thoughts on Monotropism

Monotropism explains a lot about what it’s like to have autism. It explains stuff like why autistic individuals have special interests and how they draw all of their attention onto a specific task.

The theory so effectively explores what it means to have autism that it’s no wonder monotropism has become recognized as one of its most important theories. It provides a means not only for neurotypical individuals to better understand autistic ones but also for autistic individuals to better understand themselves.