The autism friendly tag is a big thing where I live. Clonakilty, deep in South of the Irish Republic, is well known for its black pudding, local whiskey, and for being Ireland’s first autism friendly town.A laudable achievement, that last… except from where I’m sitting, it frankly seems like bullshit. At best people seem to […]
Catherine Noone seems to have dropped herself in it (again) with her profoundly uninformed, and frankly ignorant anti-autistic comments levelled at Leo Varadkar on last week’s Virgin Media head-to-head debate with Micheál Martin.She said:”He’s autistic like, he’s on the spectrum, there’s no doubt about it. He’s uncomfortable socially and he doesn’t always get the in-between […]
We autistics are notorious for seeing things in black and white and taking things somewhat literally. And while amusing and frustrating, here’s why it’s not necessarily always a bad thing…
High-functioning autism is another one of those irritating, annoying, and misleading labels we’d all be better off without.
Why?
Because it’s predicated on a flawed understanding of what autism is as a spectrum disorder, and ultimately makes life harder for a huge numbers of people who walk around with the label stuck to them.
First…
Alexithymia and autism are strongly correlated, way beyond the correlation with it among neurotypicals (around 10% of NTs have alexithymia, whereas alexithymia and autism are correlated at around 50%).
Fascinating facts, I’m sure.
But what is alexithymia, even?
Yeah… […]
Autism and empathy, one of the most contentious topics I see thrown about by autistics and NTs alike (with the latter claiming the former don’t have it, the former claiming they do, and both of them missing the mark).
Here’s my take on it, from an autistic point of view.
Autism is woefully misunderstood and the common stereotypes are not just plain wrong but wholly unhelpful. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about it…
So, are you “autistic” or are you a “person with autism”.
It comes up more frequently than you imagine, and just like religion and politics, everyone’s got their own opinion.
Here’s mine.
A common question: can autism be cured?
Nothing quite stirs up the hornets’ nest of autistic indignation, outrage, and offence more quickly and comprehensively than this.
The answer is simple…
The myths around autism and eye contact are rife — and mostly inaccurate.
And it’s not just annoying but it’s harmful. Here’s why…