Aspiedent's Blog

The term 'double empathy' was coined back in 2012 by Damian Milton and, on the surface, describes what was already a well known issue: autistic people find communicating with non-autistic people hard. The same can be said for non-autistic people, regarding communication with autistic people. In this article, we look at why the 'Double Empathy Problem' is not about empathy and how the (false) assumptions behind Milton's argument amount to the denial of the reality of autism.

Imagine having lots to contribute but not being able to say it. This is a major problem for some autistic people. Somehow converting thoughts to words, whether than is written or spoken, is a real struggle and can be extremely frustrating. In this article, we look at why this is a challenge and what might help.

How should we refer to autism - as a 'difference', or a 'deficit'? Or perhaps neither are ideal and we should try a different approach. The Medical and Social Models of Disability are both extreme models and neither work well. In this article, we look at the problems associated with each model. Could it be, in fact, that both approaches demonstrate a lack of understanding of what autism really is and there is a better approach that will foster more understanding of autism?

Some autistic people experience just sensory issues, but no processing issues; while others have significant processing issues, but no discernable sensory issues. However, a combination of sensory and processing issues is common in autism. However sensory issues do not cause processing issues. The two types of issues are independent of each other. This article focuses on sensory issues and processing issues and how they give rise to different difficulties for the autistic individual.

The Autism diagnostic criteria (DSM 5) set out three, behaviour-based levels of the condition. Autism, though, is generally believed to be cognitive based. In this article, we propose three levels of autism that are based on cognition. These cognitive issues explain the autistic behaviour at that level. We believe that this is a more helpful and accurate way of looking at autism.

Problem solving is a key business activity, but are employers maximising the problem solving capabilities for their teams by really accessing the diversity available to them? Building diverse teams is so much more than considering protected characteristics. Explore how an understanding of Cognitive Diversity can enable team leaders to find strengths and opportunities within their teams that do not seem apparent on the surface. Discover why communication often breaks down within diverse teams and how this can be overcome by better understanding the Cognitive Diversity within your team.

Lucy Blackman is an autistic adult with no functional speech. She learned to communicate via 'facilitated communication' when she was 14 and published a book describing her childhood until she started university: 'Lucy's Story: Autism and Other Adventures'. Lucy's autism is primarily about sensory issues. In this article, we explore Lucy's autism and the impact of her sensory issues. When Lucy was 14, she learnt to type via facilitated communication and when she was 19, she went for Berard Auditory Integration Training. The impact of these interventions is also explored.

There have been many attempts to explain autism and few have held up to scrutiny, but is it possible that leading brain plasticity researcher Dr. Michael Merzenich has come up with an explanation that does hold up to scrutiny. This theory of autism is that autism occurs when critical periods of development, when the brain absorbs and organises information are cut short. After this time, learning is more effortful. In this article, we discuss both how it is consistent with Olga Bogdashina's sensory framework. We also consider aspects of autism it may fail to explain as well as some of the pitfalls of applying this theory without a full understanding of autism.

Social interaction is a key part of everyday life. Issues relating to an individual's ability to engage in it form a fundamental part of the diagnostic criteria for autism. This article begins to explore why these difficulties occur through first identifying what is required to make social interaction easy for a person and what is involved when people interact with one another socially.

Theory of mind is essential for social interaction. A few autistic people develop a high level of theory of mind, but are not able to demonstrate this in conversation because of various factors to do with their autism. Others develop theory of mind to a lesser degree. However, theory of mind can be taught. Theory of mind should therefore not be thought of as a key barrier for learning social skills in autism.