Tag: Neurodiverse

  • Part 18: Refrigerator Mother Theory

    One of the most tragic examples of the damage that has been caused by misguided autism research and clinical practice is that of the so-called refrigerator mother theory. This effectively blamed autism on bad parenting, and triggered one of the biggest scandals in autism history. Unfortunately, its effects continue to echo down the years.

  • AFI Part 3: Follow the Money

    The latest episode of AFI: the podcast that explores the intersection of autism and financial independence has landed! Episode 3: Follow the Money has a pretty intense examination of the mind-boggling amounts of money flowing through the autism industry, and why that’s not a good thing for autistic people.   Then, we have a practical…

  • Extra! The AFI podcast is now live!

    AFI: The Autism and Financial Independence podcast is now live! Well, we’ve finally done it. AFI: Autism and Financial Independence is now a podcast! In the first episode, David and I introduce the podcast and explore why financial independence matters, particularly for autistic people. We also have the first instalment of Autism in the News, where we discuss…

  • Part 17: Autism – Why Words Have Power

    The work of Loftus and Palmer, and others, has shown that our memories and the way we think can be affected by other people’s words without our even realising. This has implications for the things we say in our everyday conversations and our social media activity, especially in unguarded moments. Our words and spoken opinions…

  • Extra! AFI: The Podcast that Explores the Intersection of Autism and Financial Independence

    At AFI, we are autistic people talking about the autistic experience. Historically, the loudest voices talking about autism have not been autistic.  We believe autistic people should take the lead in conversations about autism. 

  • Part 16: Is Autism a Disability?

    One of the most fiercely debated autism-related subjects is that of whether autism is a disability. Even a quick glance at social media reveals quick-fire disagreements that often disregard explanation or nuance, and just give an opinion: Of course it’s a disability, or No, it’s not a disability.

  • EXTRA: Response to Uta Frith

    Hello, and welcome back to The Autistic Writer. Uta Frith, Autism and Epistemic Injustice Many readers will be aware of the recent controversy following media comments attributed to Uta Frith. Her remarks have caused considerable consternation within the autistic community, and I believe it is necessary to put forward my position on this issue. Uta…

  • Part 15: Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence: The Difference

    Language changes all the time. It evolves. Sometimes a word can start off meaning one thing, but as time goes by, it comes to mean something else entirely. But the fact that language evolves should not be used as an excuse to attach any meaning whatsoever to any term, whenever you want. If definitions of…

  • Part 14: Autistic Black-and-White Thinking

    The phrase black-and-white thinking has become closely associated with autism, and there seems to be a commonly held belief that it is one of the defining characteristics of autism. Like many common assumptions about autism, it is frequently repeated in the media and on social media, often without reference to the evidence. Today, I am…

  • Part 13: Autistic Routine and Cognitive Load

    I want to suggest a particular way of looking at the autistic insistence on routine, sameness, and ritualised behaviours. Rather than seeing these traits as things that need explaining in themselves, I want to examine the possibility that they are an adaptive strategy: a long-term way of managing the heightened cognitive demands of living as…