All posts tagged: autistic

Autistic Children Are Not Lab Rats

Autistic Children Are Not Lab Rats

Published by Jenni Sidey

Another news article about expensive, experimental autism treatments showed up in my feed this weekend—this time in the British paper, The Guardian. Over the years, I have read dozens of stories like it. Different families, different “miracle cures,” different groups of professionals or pseudo-professionals pushing it, but essentially the same. Each time, some individual, group, or company is pushing an untested intervention that will cure autism. They prey on desperate families who have insufficient supports for their high-needs children, teens, or adults, who are willing to do anything—and pay any price—to help their loved one. I have seen individuals push all sorts of cures, such as hyperbaric chambers, expensive chiropractic interventions, bleach water, and even açaí berry juice. Some of these interventions are harmless, some potentially deadly. Some are relatively inexpensive, some cost tens of thousands of dollars—but they all share the common theme of claiming to help cure autism. Then, when it has played out, they move on to some other scheme. Relaxed Protocols Have Enabled Experimental Autism Treatments This time around, Robert Kennedy …

School trips aren’t always accessible for autistic children – but they can bring huge benefits

School trips aren’t always accessible for autistic children – but they can bring huge benefits

Published by skeptic

School trips are often remembered as a highlight of childhood education. Whether it’s exploring a castle, visiting a museum or spending the day at a farm or zoo, these experiences offer something the classroom often cannot: learning that is immersive, memorable and often exciting. For autistic children, school trips can be both highly valuable and, at times, unintentionally inaccessible. One of the most significant challenges is sensory overload. Busy, noisy and unpredictable environments can lead to anxiety or distress for children, particularly when their routines are disrupted. Alongside this are other barriers. Teachers may feel underprepared to support autistic pupils in a new environment. Logistical pressures such as staffing ratios, risk assessments and time constraints may limit what schools feel able to offer. My previous research, drawing on the perspectives of primary school teachers, found that they have concerns that behaviour, safety and support needs can create barriers to participation for pupils with special educational needs on school trips. This implies that some children may not always be able to access these opportunities fully. But …

Autistic adults face higher risk of certain types of sexual victimization, study finds

Autistic adults face higher risk of certain types of sexual victimization, study finds

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in The Journal of Sex Research suggests that adults with autism experience higher rates of certain types of sexual victimization compared to those without the diagnosis. The findings indicate that these vulnerabilities might be linked to specific sensory sensitivities rather than just the official diagnostic label itself. This provides evidence that tailored education programs focusing on consent and sensory regulation could help protect people with varying levels of autistic traits. Scientists Brianna M. Akers and Zoë D. Peterson conducted the study to gain a more accurate understanding of how often autistic adults experience different forms of sexual harm. Akers is a counseling psychology doctoral student at Indiana University Bloomington and the Kinsey Institute. Peterson is a professor of applied psychology and director of the Sexual Assault Research Initiative at the Kinsey Institute. “Across the globe, many people report nonconsensual sexual experiences (i.e., sexual victimization), and that is no different here in the U.S.,” Akers told PsyPost. “I have long been interested in ability status, particularly how this identity shapes the way …

Brain scans reveal how people with autistic traits connect differently

Brain scans reveal how people with autistic traits connect differently

Published by José Betancourt

People with similar levels of autistic traits show greater social attraction to one another, and their brains synchronize in unique ways during active conversation. A recent experiment published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that social difficulties related to autism might be a problem of mismatched communication styles rather than an inherent social deficit. For decades, clinical psychology has treated autism primarily as a social impairment. This view assumes that autistic individuals lack a cognitive tool called theory of mind. This concept refers to the ability to intuitively understand what others are thinking and feeling. Recently, alternative frameworks have emerged to challenge this deficit-based assumption. One major alternative is the double empathy problem. This idea proposes that social friction is a two-way street. Neurotypical people and autistic people have vastly different ways of experiencing the world and processing sensory information. These differences lead to mutual misunderstanding, meaning neurotypical individuals also struggle to read the minds of autistic people. Building on this concept, scientists developed the dialectical misattunement hypothesis. This hypothesis relies on predictive coding, a theory explaining …

Unexpected bilingualism is surprisingly common among young autistic children

Unexpected bilingualism is surprisingly common among young autistic children

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry provides evidence that many autistic children can learn to speak a second language without any social exposure to it. These findings suggest that autistic children often acquire language skills through non-interactive sources like videos or tablets. This opens up new ways to think about early language development in nonverbal children. Autism is a developmental condition that affects how individuals communicate, behave, and interact with the world. It often involves differences in social behavior, repetitive actions, and highly focused interests. Many autistic children experience early delays in speaking, often going through a plateau period between the ages of two and six where their spoken communication develops very slowly. In typical development, children learn language primarily through social interactions with parents and peers. Because autistic children tend to face challenges with social communication, scientists wanted to understand how they might learn language differently. “I assess more than 100 prototypical autistic children two to five years of age,” said study author Laurent Mottron, a medical doctor …

My Autistic Son’s Secret Life

My Autistic Son’s Secret Life

Published by Jenni Sidey

We truly never know what goes on inside another person’s head, and this drives me crazy, in particular with my autistic son. Nat is a quiet man. He gives nothing away. Ever since he was a little guy, he has preferred to speak his own language, a sing-song pattern of sounds that he matches with certain birdlike tilts of his head, and hand flutters. When he does speak English, you can see that it is very hard for him. He uses a mixture of long, long pauses and terse, choppy phrases that cut right to the chase—no wasted words for him. I believe he is quiet by choice, maybe because English speech has always been a challenge for him. But I want him to talk, because I want to know what he does with his days, what he observes, what he wants. What captures his imagination. Of course I hear some news from the caregivers in his group home, the staff in his day programs, and he visits on the weekends. When he’s here he …

Autistic Teenager Euthanized in the Netherlands

Autistic Teenager Euthanized in the Netherlands

Published by Jenni Sidey

Wesley J. Smith April 16, 2026 2 Ethics The boy, aged between 16 and 18, had described his life as “joyless.” Wesley J. Smith April 16, 2026 2 Ethics This republished article first appeared in the National Review. Once killing becomes an acceptable answer to human suffering, the kinds of “suffering” that justifies killing continually expands. In the Netherlands, where mental illness can provide the pretext for being MAIDed and there are no age limits (including infanticide for disability), it was recently reported that a suicidal autistic teenager was lethally injected in 2023. From the National Post story: Four-and-a-half years after he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a Dutch teen was euthanized at his request. The boy, aged between 16 and 18, had described his life as “joyless.” He’d struggled with anxiety and mood-related problems, and where he fit in, in the world. Oversensitive to stimuli, “every day was an ordeal he had to get through,” according to the latest annual report from the Netherlands’ regional euthanasia death review committees. In the final weeks before his death, he …

5 Ways to Accept Yourself More Fully as an Autistic Person

5 Ways to Accept Yourself More Fully as an Autistic Person

Published by Jenni Sidey

April is Autism Acceptance Month, making it a great opportunity to more deeply accept ourselves and others as autistic people. It invites us to embrace autism as a different way of thinking, feeling, and acting, while raising awareness in the wider community. Autism Acceptance Month can also help us focus inward and ask: What does “acceptance” mean to me as an autistic and neurodivergent person? Here are five ways to approach it. Accept your experience as different and valid. It doesn’t matter how well you appear to function or how successful you are. If you’re autistic, getting to wherever you are has probably required a huge amount of effort. You may have had to develop creative strategies to manage things that feel very natural to most people, and you may have always realised that your experience seems very different to people who don’t struggle in the same way. Accepting that things are different for you helps you begin to embrace yourself at a deeper level. Accept that it’s OK to have different solutions. Many of …

Leading While Autistic | Psychology Today

Leading While Autistic | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

“I want to be a better leader to autistic people.” “I want to know how to manage autistic workers.” When I started teaching and presenting on neurodiversity inclusion in the workplace, I kept seeing this statement as the reason for attendees’ interest in my workshops. That statement did not just come from CEOs and managers. It just as often came from early career professionals in their first positions and from college students—people who had not yet managed anyone in their careers. A few wanted to know how to be better peers and allies. Nobody ever wondered how to best support an autistic leader. And yet, autistic leaders not only exist, but in organizations that welcome different types of talent, they thrive. Philips, a healthcare technology company headquartered in Amsterdam, has a more-than-130-year history of commitment to innovation. It is also a company that appreciates and supports neurodivergent talent and neurodivergent leadership. Autistic leaders, in their own words For example, Ben Gorissen built a 35-year career with Philips; he is currently the product safety risk management …

I’m autistic and non-speaking. Here are three common myths that aren’t true

I’m autistic and non-speaking. Here are three common myths that aren’t true

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore My travels with autism started long before my diagnosis at the age of three years and three months. My family noticed autistic features from around 15 months of age. I never looked at people and did not respond when called. I lined up toys instead of playing with them. When I wanted something, I took people’s hands to get it for me. I had frequent meltdowns in busy environments or when routines changed unexpectedly, but I couldn’t let people know why I was upset. I was later diagnosed with autism. My family grieved to hear that I might never be able to lead an independent or full life. But my mother wasted no time in organising support. Soon, my days were filled with home-based intensive behavioural programs, speech therapy and other supports. But unfortunately, I never learned to speak. But I …