We don't actually know that much about hyperlexia, even though it's fairly common. Hyperlexia is a weird cross between learning disability and splinter skill, and it’s found on the autism spectrum quite a lot. Hyperlexia is associated with atypical development, especially developmental disabilities, but it can be found in otherwise typically ( Read more... )

Q: Why do you "bash" autistic people who want to learn to be normal? Why do you encourage them to be autistic?

A: We encourage people to “be autistic” because we’ve tried faking normal ourselves, and it led to a lot of pain. We want to spare them that ( Read more... )

I remember the first time I explicitly used theory of mind ( Read more... )

I'm on the last day of finals week, finishing up a term paper for a fetal behavior class. My paper is on the neurological development of the premature infant, but along the way, I came up with some interesting ideas that can't go in the paper... so they are going here ( Read more... )

NT toddlers flap their hands ( Read more... )

Among the uninformed, autism is often associated with savant syndrome. You know--Rain Man, counting cards. Or calendar calculation, or memorizing books, or drawing something with photographic accuracy after having seen it once. It's always flashy and exotic-seeming, like savant syndrome is so hugely outside everyday experience that autistic people ( Read more... )

We've all heard of the concept of "natural selection", and it's a pretty simple idea. Let's see how it works in... let's say, a group of cats living in a medieval village.

The people in this village have got it into their heads that these cats are tangled up with witches and therefore evil. They start kicking the cats, rounding them up and ( Read more... )

Re-posted from Wrong Planet, in answer to the question: "What helped you most in terms of autism therapy ( Read more... )

Last month, I got an e-mail out of the blue from a man who said he was a radio reporter for NPR, and wanted to interview me. It took me a while to figure out whether the whole thing was legitimate; but eventually I satisfied myself that it was. Last week, two people from NPR flew here to stay for two days. They are working on a series about what it ( Read more... )

Functioning labels are wonderful. They are very convenient. Well, not for autistics; but they're great for anybody who has to "deal with" us. They work great for the typical Autism-Speaks style propaganda--"You can speak; that means you're too mild for what you say to count. You can't speak; therefore we have to speak for you." It takes power out ( Read more... )