Imitation as a Social Tool in Autism Though the broken mirror hypothesis predicts that autistic individuals should show severe impairments in understanding and imitating actions, so far the research evidence is inconclusive and some research studies have found no such impairments (e.g., Beelen et al . 2018). In fact, many autistic individuals are excellent mimics, able to take another person’s way of speaking, moving, etc. (Tantam 2009). We can see ‘echolalic behaviours’ in

The Diagnostic Difficulties Chronic pain is quite common in autism , yet it is often unrecognised (and undiagnosed). The diagnosis of chronic pain in autistic individuals poses unique and intricate challenges due to various factors. Overlap of autism symptoms with pain signs The overlap between autism symptoms and pain indicators can lead to the misinterpretation of pain signals. Careful consideration and comprehensive assessments are necessary to differentiate pain-related b

The Invisible Burden The study of pain sensation in autistic individuals has seen significant growth in research over the past few decades. Previous studies have primarily focused on pain sensitivity, indicating either a decreased sensitivity (hyposensitivity) or increased sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to pain in individuals with ASD. Alley (2013) conducted a review of research papers to investigate the prevalent belief that autistic children and adults are insensitive to pa

‘Autistic people don’t do metaphors’ Because of their literal interpretation, autistic children do experience difficulties in understanding figurative language. However, figurative language is a wide concept which means the use of words or phrases that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. It includes, for example: - s imile (a figure of speech that a simile compares two similar things using ‘like’ or ‘as’): many autistic ch

After examining sensory perception in autism in the first book , the newly released second instalment focuses on communication and language in autism. Communication is a two-way process, and it takes two people to mess up a conversation. Not all the problems are caused by autistic children. Non-autistic people have a lot to learn about the ways autistic individuals use verbal and non-verbal language to communicate. Autistic children do not lack the desire to talk to others bu

Peter Myers "Autism" Cerebral hemispheric organization The fact that the human brain is asymmetrical is well known. Each hemisphere has its own way of perceiving and interpreting information: the left one, verbally, and the right one, non-verbally. In typical development the dominance of the left hemisphere is established when language develops, and from this point it determines the intellectual processes of abstract thinking and logical reasoning. This hemispheric lateralisa

More Subtypes in the Narcissism Spectrum The Narcissism Spectrum model successfully integrates the most renowned forms of narcissism...

Hypersensitive Narcissism and Hypersensitivity in ASD

Prevalence and comorbidity ASDs are known to exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity in both clinical presentation and outcomes. Differences in personality profiles, as well as the presence of comorbidities with Personality Disorders (PDs), can significantly impact various aspects of life for autistic individuals. These include social adaptability, quality of life, internalising symptoms, and employment rates (Schwartzman et al. 2016; Rodgers et al. 2018; Lodi-Smith et al. 2