Apr 29
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and others have protested the disproportionate amount of money that is spent on “basic” research (i.e. trying to understand the underlying neurobiology of autism) versus how much is spent on “pragmatic” research (learning how to make effective services available to improve the quality of life for autistic people). In …
Apr 17
It pains me to write these comments, critical of one of my favorite neuroscience writers, but it must be done. V.S. Ramachandran has just published an online article that has taken an enormous amount of flak on Twitter, some of that from me. Also, the very first comment to the article cites a study that …
Mar 28
Yesterday, a formal ceremony in the Massachusetts State House made public a report by the Massachusetts Special Commission Relative to Autism, more commonly known as “The Autism Commission.” The picture here was taken after the event by Dania Jekel, Executive Director of AANE, showing Dave Harmon and me outside the State House. Dave and …
Mar 26
Last night, I attended the public unveiling of a project I’ve been following with great interest for quite some time now. My friends Cheryl and Alex Chan told the story of their years-long journey in finding a path to adulthood for their now-20-year-old Son, Nick. This testament to their love, perseverance, and creativity was an …
Mar 25
After all these years of observing how oddly (by other people’s standards) my body reacts to things, and even after several years of understanding that a lot of that has to do with being autistic, I still hesitate to assert myself. Case in point: I went in to my local clinic the other day to get a …
Mar 24
Here is a wonderful new post that states what for me has long been glaringly obvious. Encouraging Eye Contact May Disturb Autistic Kids’ Thinking Terrific! A concise statement of what I have been thinking for quite some time now. Mother Nature doesn’t make mistakes. There is a reason for our behaviors. True, we can change them …
Mar 22
Receptive and Expressive Language All communication has two aspects: receptive language and expressive language. Receptive language is what we hear and understand. Expressive language is what we say to others. I believe that empathy is also a form of communication; one that is as essential to each of us as is spoken, written, or signed …
Mar 22
Good news! Those of us who are autistic are finally starting to get more recognition as to the important part of the population that we are. This follows closely on recent revelations in the Lancet that there is a close relationship between autism, bipolar, major depression, and schizophrenia. Just as autism is now understood to …
Mar 04
Approximately half of Massachusetts residents will pay less, or the same under Governor Patrick’s proposal to grow jobs and opportunity BOSTON – Monday, March 4, 2013– Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled an online tool that shows the impact of the Patrick-Murray Administration Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) budget proposal on an individual or family’s budget. The …
Mar 02
WEIRD = “Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic” Why is that also “weird” in the sense of being unusual? Because it is. WEIRD people like me represent only a small fraction of the world’s population, yet our “science” often assumes that what is true of our culture is universally true. Researchers had been doing the …