Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your own presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement. Alice Koller It is commonly held that autistic people are lonelier than non-autistic people. This is believed to be […]
Why do children with autism spectrum disorder have abnormal visual perception?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with severe impairment in social functioning. Visual information processing provides nonverbal cues that support social interactions. ASD children exhibit abnormalities in visual orientation, continuous ...
The Neurodiversity Smorgasbord: An Alternative Framework for Understanding Differences Outside of Diagnostic Labels — Lived Experience Educator
Before I introduce The Neurodiversity Smorgasbord, I would like to acknowledge that this framework which I started to develop in 2022 has been inspired, shaped, influenced by movements that have come before as well as Mad, Disabled and Neurodivergent Indigenous and Black scholars, thinkers, writers
Guardian of Mind - AD(H)S, Autismus & Neurodiversität | Facebook
Diese Gruppe basiert auf der Aufklärungsarbeit von Katharina "Guardian of Mind" Schön. Hier geht es um AD(H)S, Autismus, Hochsensibilität und Neurodiversität. Du bist selbst neurodivergent, hast ND...
Find Your Voice is a family-driven initiative created by a team of neurodivergents: Designer Dad Steve, Early Years Educator Mom Tara, and their daughter, Miss A. Based in Melbourne, Australia, our journey began with a need—our daughter often experiences situational mutism, especially in high-stress environments, and we wanted to help her communicate more comfortably.
Autistic People's Experience of Empathy and the Autistic Empathy Deficit Narrative | Autism in Adulthood
Background: There is a dominant discourse, both in clinical texts and throughout the academic literature, that autistic people lack empathy; however, over the past decade, both clinicians and academics have increasingly rejected deficit-based descriptions of autism in favor of more nuanced explanations of the experience of autistic individuals in a social world. Methods: This study asked 76 autistic individuals about their own experience of empathy and the oft-cited empathy deficit. Data were thematically analyzed and revealed a wide array of empathic self-concepts among respondents. Results: Notably, there was a high proportion of hyper-empathic experiences. Many respondents reported their empathic responses to be overwhelming, or even distressing. These different experiences of empathy contrast with societal expectations of empathy, which often result in additional labor for autistic people as they navigate the non-autistic centered world. Conclusion: Although the academic literature is, in some areas, slowly moving away from a deficit perspective, more broadly there is still a negative impact from misconceptions around autistic people and empathy. Further work needs to be done to not only explore this misconception at a societal (rather than academic) level, but also better bridge the gap around the changing ideas of empathy and real-world understanding of autistic empathy.
“I'm Human After All”: Autism, Trauma, and Affective Empathy
Academic literature has long associated autism with empathy deficits. Although this view has been attenuated over time to include only cognitive empathy, earlier perceptions continue to influence popular representations of autism and screening/diagnostic ...
ADHS und Autismus Die Abkürzung von Autismus-Spektrumstörung ist ASS. Spektrumstörung bedeutet, dass es fließende Grenzen gibt zwischen einer Normvariante mit nur bestimmten Persönlichkeitszügen bis hin zu schweren Krankheitsbildern mit ausgeprägter Symptomatik – also ein Kontinuum […]
Education Access: We’ve Turned Classrooms Into a Hell for Neurodivergence
We have autistic children who need us to support them as architects of their own liberation against the schools and clinicians and institutions and police and prosecutors who would crush and destroy them. AUTISTIC HOYA: THE NEURODIVERSITY MOVEMENTS NEEDS ITS SHOES OFF, AND FISTS UP. The picture shows a school classroom as I see it, […]
Autismus verschwinden lassen - Eine Geschichte des Nicht-Verstehens
I. Die Natur des Autismus Was ist Autismus? Im Kern handelt es sich auf biologischer Ebene um einen qualitativ und quantitativ unterschiedlichen Prozess der Gehirnentwicklung.
Collected herein are ways of creating neurodiversity inclusive environments in education, healthcare, and everywhere based on research and lived experience.
Why 'Neurodiversity' and 'Neurodivergence' Shouldn't Be Used Interchangeably
Using the terms interchangeably poses the risk of erasing the individual autonomy of neurodivergent people, and homogenizing their diverse lived experiences.
