THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO AUTISM

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Category: research

Steampunk illustration of a white mother wearing a yellow dress, standing with her back to a small child with spiky hair who is leaning into the mother's back. The mother is holding a metal spinner device.
profound autism

Grave Concerns About “Profound Autism” and Diagnostic Overshadowing

Posted on September 4, 2023September 5, 2023 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

We spoke with autistic academics Richard Woods, Kathryn Williams, and C.A. Watts about their recently published letter explaining why “profound autism” bungles the support needs of autistic people with co-occurring conditions, and will endanger autistic lives.

Formal photo of Jenny Mai Phan, a Vietnamese American woman with long straight black hair with light highlights.
Autistic

Talking with Asian American autistic autism researcher Jenny Mai Phan

Posted on July 5, 2022May 29, 2023 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Jenny Mai Phan is an Asian American autistic autism researcher, an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) member, and the mother of four children, two of whom are autistic.

Selfie of Bella Kofner, a white autistic person with long straight brown hair.
Autism

We Should Tell Children They Are Autistic As Soon As Possible

Posted on June 18, 2022November 14, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Parents should tell their children they are autistic in ways that help them understand and feel good about who they are.

Headshot photos of Shannon Rosa, a white woman with red hair and glasses, and Matthew Belmonte, a white man with Picard hair and a beard, next to their short bios.
Autism

UC Davis Neurodiversity Summit 2021: Debate on the Neurodiversity Movement, with Shannon Rosa and Matthew Belmonte

Posted on December 1, 2021May 23, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Our senior editor Shannon Rosa was invited to participate in the 2021 UC Davis Neurodiversity Summit, on a panel debating the role of the Neurodiversity Movement in supporting and including autistic people with intellectual and communication disabilities.

A photo of Rodin's sculpture The Thinker
Autism

Spectrum 10K and Cognitive Dissonance in Autism Research

Posted on October 27, 2021April 9, 2022 by Mary Doherty

“I have no doubt that the individual researchers I have encountered are well-meaning and sincere in their desire to positively impact the world. However, there appears to be a total lack of awareness of current reproductive medicine practices’ bias against neurodivergent people, never mind the implications.”

Photo of a smiling Black toddler with curly black hair up in puffs, sitting in a Black adult's lap, while a smiling medical professional interacts with them. We need more friendly and informed professionals conducting autism diagnoses.
Autism

About That Study on “Preventing” Autism Diagnoses, and How Autism Researchers Can Do Better

Posted on October 22, 2021May 23, 2022 by Patrick Dwyer, MA; Lucas Harrington, PsyD; and Ava Gurba, BS 

What if the headlines had read, “Autism doesn’t have to be a problem if children are understood and supported”?

Photo of a yellow diamond "Dead End" road sign flooded to mid-post and reflected in the water underneath.
Autism

The Autistic Community’s Concerns Regarding Spectrum 10K and Eugenics Are Valid

Posted on August 31, 2021December 20, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

For the most part, autistic people and our families do not want funds to be used on genetic research, and would prefer them to be used to focus on services and societal interventions that can impact the wellbeing, quality of life, and mental health of autistic people across the lifespan.

Scrabble tiles spelling out the word "Research."
Autism

What Happened to Ethics, in Research About Autistic People?

Posted on May 22, 2021July 25, 2023 by Ann Memmott

Autistic people generally have different social skills, not broken ones. Yet we see paper after paper saying our social skills are broken, and the research teams don’t even bother to mention all the new research showing it’s not true.

hand of a person with light skin arranging long red, green, and yellow construction blocks in a line.
Autism

It’s Time For Autism Research To Do Better By Autistic People

Posted on October 8, 2019May 3, 2023 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Research indicates that autistic brains exhibit more diversity than non-autistic brains. If autism research is truly going to address the needs of such a varied population, then it needs to branch out similarly, get real about what autistic people need, and humanize its priorities.

Crowd of neurodivergent people posing in the corner of the INSAR press room. Back row: Emily and Manuel Casanova, Jon Adams, Bret Heasman, Sue Fletcher-Watson, Anne Fritz, Cat Hughes, Aaron Bouma, Bethan Davies, Corina Becker, Stephanie Vreeland, and Steven Kapp. Center row: Sara Luterman, Christina Nicolaidis, Lorcan Kenny, Christine Jenkins, and Louise Tardif. Front: TPGA editors Shannon Rosa and Carol Greenburg.
Autism

AutINSAR 2019: Discussing Autistic Priorities For Autism Research

Posted on May 27, 2019May 11, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

AutINSAR is a conversation between autistic people and/or autism researchers about needed autism research directions, priorities, oversights, course corrections, and goals.

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thinkingautism thinkingautism.bsky.social @thinkingautism ·
17h

On spiky autistic development: "Autistic people with speech delays or impairments are often underestimated. Applying lessons from evidence on their sensory and motor strengths can support recognition of their intelligence & communication." @drstevenkapp:

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felisroboticus Anne Corwin @felisroboticus ·
19h

I say this as someone who had official diagnosis & documentation but was often denied accommodations at the whim of professors who just didn’t feel like dealing with disabled student needs.

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felisroboticus Anne Corwin @felisroboticus ·
19h

My hot take is that everyone should get extended time on exams without any need for medical documentation. If you don’t know the material, no amount of time will improve your performance, and strictly timed exams are nothing like anything in the world outside school.

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clearautism ∞ Clear Autism ∞ @clearautism ·
1 Dec

The 'believing your kid's autism just appeared spontaneously' to 'realising that family members on both sides have all been neurodivergent for generations' pipeline

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On Autism Diagnoses

  • The Importance and Power of Autistic Self-Diagnosis
  • After an Autism Diagnosis: 13 Necessary Next Steps For Parents
  • Jean's Adult Diagnosis Story

Understanding Autism

  • Why No Autistic Child Should Be in ABA Therapy
  • What Is Sensory Processing Like For Autistic People?
  • Behaviour Analysis, The Autistic Way
  • Starting Points for Understanding Autism
  • Why I Do Not Hate Autism
  • The Problems with Functioning Labels
  • What the Neurodiversity Movement Does—And Doesn't—Offer
  • Eye Contact: For The Recipient's Validation Only
  • Eleven Ways You Can Make Your Autistic Child's Life Easier
  • Autism Is Not a Shell Surrounding a “Normal” Child
  • An Open Letter from an Autistic Child in Meltdown
  • Understanding Autism, Aggression, and Self-Injury: Medical Approaches and Best Support Practices
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