Author: Jonathan Mitchell
New MIT lab wants to cure autism
In the occasionally some news is good news department, Gadfly is happy to report that there’s a new kid on the block, a new lab at MIT started with a private donation, that has expressed a desire to find a…
Open letter to Donald Trump on Neurodiversity
NOTE FROM WALLACE: Republished with the permission of the author. January 20, 2017 Dear Mr. President:
Jonathan Mitchell: Reflections Before the Election
NOTE FROM WALLACE: This note was penned by Jonathan Mitchell, prominent autism advocate, before the recent US election result. I think this piece is of good historical interest, as it captures some of the uncertainty and anxiety in the air…
Male/Female Sex Ratios and Neurodiversity Revisited (2/2)
One of the problems with this line of thinking is that similar ratios have been reported in other developmental disorders. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, and stuttering are among those. The social problems of autism do not exist…
Male/Female Sex Ratios and Neurodiversity Revisited (1/2)
One of the hot topics in autism lately has been skepticism over the reported ratio of autism in males versus females. Ever since autism was first described, an approximately 4:1 male:female ratio has been reported. This started with Kanner’s initial…
October Surprise from Autism Speaks: They No Longer Want a Cure? (2/2)
Last time: After the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed piece by Steve Silberman that included the analogy between autism speaks and the NAACP that I wrote about above, Liz Feld, Autism Speaks CEO, responded urging the autism community to…
October Surprise from Autism Speaks: They No Longer Want a Cure? (1/2)
WALLACE’S NOTE: Although the following story is about the ‘October Surprise’ from Autism Speaks, the decision in question may have some long term implications. Autism speaks has published a new mission statement: Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across…
Has Autism Given me the Gift of Prophecy?
Some persons on the autism spectrum have extraordinary talents and abilities. These are known as savant skills.
Autism: Advantage with Women & Aphrodisiac? Autism Can Land You a Hot Girlfriend
Autism diagnoses started to soar in the 1990s and those new cases are now adults in their early twenties. Society and the media have noted the need for employers to hire those on the spectrum. This has lead to major…
Autism and the Single Life: Humorous Quotes to take the Sting out of Celibacy
Celibacy is a real problem for many autistic males. You don’t get to hear about it much because the powers that be only publicizes writings of successful autistics like Stephen Shore who can get married and Temple Grandin, a female…