All posts tagged: autistic

I was diagnosed with autism as an adult. These traits might mean you are autistic

I was diagnosed with autism as an adult. These traits might mean you are autistic

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 Entrepreneur Natasha Nelson always knew she was different. The 35-year old from Stone Mountain, Georgia, struggled with establishing social norms. She found small talk difficult, and couldn’t understand why people did things like make the bed. She was diagnosed with autism in 2023 – just after her youngest daughter was also diagnosed. Now, Nelson is encouraging people to seek a diagnosis if they also think, or have long had suspicion, that they could be on the spectrum. “If your life has always felt like it was in chaos and you don’t feel comfortable and you don’t feel like you thrive and you just feel like you’re constantly surviving and going from one thing to the next, what you got to lose?” Nelson said. Common signs of autism include trouble with social communication and a fixation on certain routines or topics — …

Learning from autistic teachers could change schools for the better

Learning from autistic teachers could change schools for the better

Published by skeptic

As a researcher in autism and education and a former secondary school teacher, it took me a while to realise that autistic school staff were rarely included in conversations about inclusion and diversity in schools. With colleagues, I started the Autistic School Staff Project in 2019, focusing on the experiences, needs and aptitudes of autistic teachers and other education staff. Our findings show that autistic school staff can experience significant sensory issues in school. These can be from bright, flickering lights, odours from the canteen, and crowding in corridors or during meetings. The greatest impact of all comes from noise: shouting from children and staff during break times, the clang of the school bell and the roar of traffic when windows are open in the summer. Interestingly, it’s not only a question of volume levels. Whispering from children and humming from technology can also be highly distracting and contribute to feelings of fatigue and overload. Autistic teachers also told us that the ways neurotypical colleagues communicated and interacted with them could be disorientating and exclusionary. …

Mysteries with Autistic Characters

Mysteries with Autistic Characters

Published by Jenni Sidey

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. First, let me get this out of the way: I don’t think Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a bad novel. I recognize that it (and the play inspired by it) has done positive work in fostering empathy and understanding for neurodivergent people. But I do think it’s a complicated novel because it’s often the first book neurotypical readers encounter with an autistic main character. Why is this complicated? Two reasons. One, Haddon is not autistic himself, and two, he also didn’t conduct thorough research about autism or consult real autistic people while writing it. In one NPR interview, he even went so far as to say that he “did more research about the London Underground and the inside of Swindon Railway Station… than [he] did about Asperger’s syndrome.” It’s also true, according to a 2009 blog post, that he doesn’t view the novel as a book about autism, nor does he …

6 Ways Schools Undermine Autistic Students’ Self-Advocacy

6 Ways Schools Undermine Autistic Students’ Self-Advocacy

Published by Jenni Sidey

A new study published in Autism delivers findings that validate what many autistic self-advocates have felt in their bones: Autistic students struggle to advocate for themselves in school and to request and obtain the support they need. Regardless of individual self-advocacy skills, systemic factors keep them back. Not just individual teachers or principals, but the entire structures of meaning, mattering, and management make the autistic experience difficult. An autistic and neurodivergent team—Nicole Nadwodny, Ben VanHook, Brady Esham, Luna N Larsen, Sarah Levinson, and Abbey Eisenhower—set out to examine how K–12 school experiences shaped the self-advocacy of autistic students. In a community-focused design, 19 autistic adolescents and adults in the US participated in 90-minute semi-structured interviews about their K–12 school experiences. Key findings pointed to common systemic and structural issues experienced by participants. The analysis distilled common barriers to six factors: erasure, conformity, isolation, oppression, hidden expectations, and authority. The Core Finding: It’s the System The research team expected to learn which conditions helped autistic students advocate for themselves. Instead, participants kept focusing the conversation on …

New trial suggests CBD oil could lower anxiety in autistic children and reduce parenting stress

New trial suggests CBD oil could lower anxiety in autistic children and reduce parenting stress

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the journal Autism Research suggests that cannabidiol oil might help improve certain social behaviors and reduce anxiety in autistic children. While the treatment did not significantly alter the primary measure of broad social communication, the findings provide evidence that it could ease specific daily challenges and lower the stress levels of parents. Currently, there are no approved medical treatments specifically designed to help with the social difficulties associated with autism. When doctors prescribe medications to manage related behavioral challenges, those drugs often come with unwanted side effects. Because of this lack of safe options, parents and medical professionals have started looking into other possibilities. Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is a compound found in the cannabis plant that does not produce the high associated with marijuana. It has gained attention for its potential to help with various neurological and psychiatric conditions. The human body contains a complex network of chemical signals called the endocannabinoid system. This biological system plays a role in regulating mood, sleep, and social behavior in everyday …

Suicide risk in older adults with autistic traits is linked to depression and isolation more than autism itself

Suicide risk in older adults with autistic traits is linked to depression and isolation more than autism itself

Published by José Betancourt

New research published in Nature Mental Health suggests that higher rates of suicidal thoughts and self-harm among older adults with autistic traits are not directly caused by the traits themselves. Instead, this increased risk appears to be driven by accompanying challenges, such as depression, trauma, and social isolation. These findings provide evidence that targeted mental health support and fostering social connections could help protect this vulnerable population. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the free and confidential Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat live at 988lifeline.org. Much of autism research has focused heavily on children and young adults. This focus leaves a scarcity of information about how the condition affects people in midlife and older age. Older autistic adults have been found to have worse outcomes in terms of reduced life expectancy. They also face a disproportionate risk of mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, compared to non-autistic adults. Epidemiological data suggests that up to …

Standard mental health therapies often fall short for autistic adults, study suggests

Standard mental health therapies often fall short for autistic adults, study suggests

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Nature Mental Health suggests that autistic adults experience varying results when receiving standard psychological therapy for depression and anxiety. Some individuals showed improvement, while others saw their symptoms remain stable or worsen. The findings indicate that factors like ethnicity and difficulties with daily living tasks play a role in how well these therapies work, highlighting a need for more tailored mental health care. Autistic individuals are more likely to experience mental health conditions like depression and anxiety compared to non-autistic people. They also tend to report negative experiences when seeking professional support for these issues. Evidence-based psychological therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, are generally recommended as standard treatments. Standard therapeutic approaches often fail to meet the specific needs of autistic patients. Mental health interventions usually require environmental adjustments, visual communication aids, and a focus on affirming the patient’s neurological differences. Neurodiversity-affirming care means that therapists prioritize the lived experience of autistic people and accept their natural ways of being, rather than treating their autistic traits as symptoms to be …

Autistic people seem to feel joy differently – here’s what it can tell us about neurodivergence

Autistic people seem to feel joy differently – here’s what it can tell us about neurodivergence

Published by skeptic

When people talk about autism, they often think about a child who is different and may be distressed by their surroundings. Or if the conversation moves beyond childhood, the focus might be about an autistic adult with analytical superpowers, such as The Good Doctor or Patience, who still has difficulty with their surroundings and fitting in with colleagues. People rarely mention autistic joy. However, a 2024 study found that most autistic people often experience joy, with one participant in that study noting: “Lining things up is fun because it’s pleasurable. It’s odd that [non-autistic people] don’t understand it. Sorting/organising is one of the deepest pleasures in life, as intense/as sought after as delicious food.” Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference. Autistic people are often, incorrectly, viewed as lacking in empathy. This may be because autistic people often have more muted facial expressions. Autistic people like myself may also struggle to recognise our own emotions, a concept known as alexithymia. However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t feel intense joy. It is often claimed that autistic people …

Schools aren’t designed for autistic children – these are the sensory challenges they face

Schools aren’t designed for autistic children – these are the sensory challenges they face

Published by skeptic

In the academic year so far, the proportion of children who are “persistently absent” from schools in England – missing at least 10% of school sessions – stands at 19.5%. This is up from last year – and significantly higher than the 10.5% who were persistently absent before the pandemic. The UK government’s “back to school” call in 2025 proposed a crackdown on “bad behaviour” to address this issue and get children back into classrooms. But a focus on bad behaviour may be missing the mark. Research suggests that in the majority of cases, school absence is underpinned by severe school distress and anxiety. Even more alarming is that many of these children are autistic. Our schools and education system have not been designed for autistic children, who have neurological or thinking styles that diverge from what society sees as typical. Up to 94% of autistic people have divergent sensory processing. This means that sensory information, such as loud sounds, bright lights and strong scents, can be distressing and overwhelming. In busy classrooms, dining halls …

Eye contact discomfort does not explain slower emotion recognition in autistic individuals

Eye contact discomfort does not explain slower emotion recognition in autistic individuals

Published by José Betancourt

Recent findings published in the journal Emotion suggest that the discomfort associated with making eye contact is not exclusive to individuals with a clinical autism diagnosis but scales with autistic traits found in the general population. The research team discovered that while this social unease is common among those with higher levels of autistic traits, it does not appear to be the direct cause of difficulties in recognizing facial expressions. The concept of autism has evolved significantly in recent years. Mental health professionals and researchers increasingly view the condition not as a binary category but as a spectrum of traits that exist throughout the general public. This perspective implies that the distinction between a person with an autism diagnosis and a neurotypical person is often a matter of degree rather than a difference in kind. Features associated with autism, such as sensory sensitivities or preferences for repetitive behaviors, can be present in anyone to varying extents. One of the most recognizable features associated with autism is a reduction in mutual gaze during social interactions. Autistic …