Ethics in autism journalism: an open letter to Spectrum
On 22nd December 2017,Spectrum published an article with the headline: "Partnerships with people on the spectrum yield rich research insights. " We had agreed to be interviewed for this article. We felt it was an opportunity to inform Spectrum ' s readers about the scope and importance of the roles autistic people may play in autism research. Instead, to our disappointment, the two named autistic people in the article were subject to misrepresentation and a systematic exclusion of their voices. Unlike all others named and featured in the article, neitherKabie Brook norMichelle Dawson was interviewed, n...
Source: The Autism Crisis - March 5, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
What history tells us about autism research, redux
In 2015Autistica invited me to write a short blog post on lessons from history for autism research. Then they took down their entire blog (was it something I said?). What I wrote remains relevant and then some, so here it is again. There are two minor wording changes. The original (archivedhere) had no links; I ' ve added a token few of the countless possible.History tells us about the great importance of standards in human research —standards of science, standards of ethics. History also tells us that segregation harms human beings. The costs and injustices of segregated schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods are w...
Source: The Autism Crisis - November 10, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
What history tells us about autism research, redux
In 2015Autistica invited me to write a short blog post on lessons from history for autism research. Then they took down their entire blog (was it something I said?). What I wrote remains relevant and then some, so here it is again. There are two minor wording changes. The original (archivedhere) had no links; I ' ve added a token few of the countless possible.History tells us about the great importance of standards in human research —standards of science, standards of ethics. History also tells us that segregation harms human beings. The costs and injustices of segregated schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods are w...
Source: The Autism Crisis - November 10, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Notes on autism and assisted dying
In theCarter decision, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the existing prohibition against physician-assisted dying, and gave the Canadian government until February 2016 to craft a legislative response. In response, an expert panel was created; see more information about the panel,Carter, and assisted dying here. Very late in the panel ' s consultations, I was asked to provide comments about assisted dying and autism. My very brief submission, possibly too late to be considered, is below, along with a few further notes. My purpose is not to take any position on the issue of physician-assisted dying, but...
Source: The Autism Crisis - December 2, 2015 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Notes on autism and assisted dying
In the Carter decision, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the existing prohibition against physician-assisted dying, and gave the Canadian government until February 2016 to craft a legislative response. In response, an expert panel was created; see more information about the panel, Carter, and assisted dying here. Very late in the panel's consultations, I was asked to provide comments about assisted dying and autism. My very brief submission, possibly too late to be considered, is below, along with a few further notes. My purpose is not to take any position on the issue of physician-assisted dying, bu...
Source: The Autism Crisis - December 2, 2015 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Autistic in the UK
Before I forget how to blog again, some excerpts from alive Q& A I did in the UK recently, while at theCentre for Research in Autism and Education in London. I ' ve corrected one typo. It was very hard to do but the questions were excellent.Darren Sharif:Was research something you always felt you had been quite good at, statistics, numbers etc? And what support network did you have to start this job?Michelle Dawson:No, I ran into research by accident--as I was trying to sort out legal issues. Then suddenly I had information I could really work with. Before that I had been totally discouraged from even looking at research--...
Source: The Autism Crisis - April 12, 2012 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
The idiot savant story
In acommentary epublished in March, about savant syndrome in autism, Patricia Howlin wrote:In 1887 Langdon Down was the first to coin the term ‘idiot savant’Howlin and several co-authors, including Sir Michael Rutter, wrote in a2009 paper:Down (1887) was the first to coin the term ‘idiot savant’Here are Pam Heaton and Gregory Wallace froma major 2004 review:The term ‘idiot-savant’ was first used by Down (1887)From1999, Pam Heaton again, as well as Linda Pring, Beate Hermelin, and others:The term " Idiot-Savants " was first used by Langdon Down in 1887Darold Treffert, often described as the authority on savants,...
Source: The Autism Crisis - April 9, 2012 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Are autistic people lost in space?
Inone short paper, Elizabeth Pellicano and colleagues claim to demolish Simon Baron Cohen ' ssystemizing account of autism. They also conclude that autistics ' strong visual search andprobabilisticlearningabilities fail in large-scale space, ergo in the real world.Thepress release starts by declaring that autistic children " lack visual skills required for independence " and does not exaggerate the claims in the paper, which merit a lot of scrutiny. So bear with me, this is not going to be short. First what they did (and didn ' t do), then what they found, then what it means.1. What did they do? And what didn ' t they do?P...
Source: The Autism Crisis - January 4, 2011 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Questions about higher education in the era of autism politics
Strange way to start the year. And maybe this recent search from theUniversity of Southampton is actually unrelated to the university. On the other hand, in the current era of autism politics, it seems plausible to wonder whether this is part of someone ' s assignment or coursework or whatever.And if it is, is the question being asked about all autism researchers, or only autistic ones? (Source: The Autism Crisis)
Source: The Autism Crisis - January 3, 2011 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Are autistic people natural born criminals?
Associations between autism and notorious violent crimes are easy to find--they seem almost automatic.Here is one example,and another, andone more. There seems to be anentire book on this theme, though I haven ' t read it.In the scientific literature, you can find powerful deficit models of autism at work in predictions that autistics should disproportionately be violent and prone to criminal behavior. For decades now, examples and claims (just a fewhere,here,here,here) fitting this prediction have been highlighted, while the few dissenting views (e.g.here andhere) have had little effect.Then there ' s political expedience...
Source: The Autism Crisis - October 11, 2010 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Are you high or low functioning? Examples from autism research
This study features two measures of intelligence, one verbal (British Picture Vocabulary Scale, a verbal IQ equivalent) and one non-verbal (a subtest from the British Ability Scales).One result is that you can have a verbal IQ of 62 and be classified as high-functioning, and a verbal IQ of 111 and be classified as low-functioning.The non-verbal measure is reported in age-equivalents only, but the two autistic groups are remarkably well-matched on age. And the mean non-verbal age equivalents are both (1) the same for the two autistic groups, and (2) very nearly the same as mean chronological age, again for the two autistic ...
Source: The Autism Crisis - August 31, 2010 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Making autism research history: The Preschool Autism Communication Trial
This study furthers the field by setting a new bar for the minimum standards of rigorous methodology needed in trials that have potentially far-reaching service and policy implications.References:Green, J., Charman, T., McConachie, H., Aldred, C., Slonims, V., Howlin, P., Le Couteur, A., Leadbitter, K., Hudry, K.,& Byford, S. (2010). Parent-mediated communication-focused treatment in children with autism (PACT): a randomised controlled trialThe Lancet, 375 (9732), 2152-2160 DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60587-9Spence, S.,& Thurm, A. (2010). Testing autism interventions: trials and tribulationsThe Lancet, 375 (9732), 2124-2125 ...
Source: The Autism Crisis - August 19, 2010 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
The circadian prison
I had no idea my sleep-wake cycle was pathological until I saw a presentation a few years ago by the geneticist Thomas Bourgeron. One of his interests is clock genes in autism. In fact only by speaking with him did it dawn on me that I lack a circadian rhythm.As it turns out, autistics are considered to havecircadian clocks " gone bad. " Two reviews (Bourgeron, 2007; Glickman, 2010) cover the evidence with respect to autism and circadian rhythms, most of it in the direction of comprehensive atypicalities. Glickman (2010) summarizes the problem:Disturbed sleep-wake patterns and abnormal hormone profiles in children with aut...
Source: The Autism Crisis - May 17, 2010 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
Oxytocin versus autism: A cure for altruism
The widespread message arising fromAndari et al. (in press) is that the hormone oxytocin "may be a powerful weapon in fighting autism" or words to that effect.The heart of this study is a computer game version of catch which appears to involve four human players. When a player is thrown the ball, he must then throw it to another player of his choice. Every time a player receives the ball, he receives a bit of money.In Andari et al. (in press), small groups of autistic and nonautistic adults ( " P " ) individually play this game with three strangers ( " A " " B " " C " ). Much is done to persuade the autistic and nonautisti...
Source: The Autism Crisis - February 17, 2010 Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs
