Understanding the Use of the Term "Weaponized Autism" in An Alt-Right Social Media Platform.

BACKGROUND: The term "weaponized autism" is frequently used on extremist platforms. To better understand this, we conducted a discourse analysis of posts on Gab, an alt-right social media platform. METHODS: We analyzed 711 posts spanning 2018-2019 and filtered for variations on the term "weaponized autism". RESULTS: This term is used mainly by non-autistic Gab users. It refers to exploitation of perceived talents and vulnerabilities of "Weaponized autists", described as all-powerful masters-of-technology who are devoid of social skills. CONCLUSIONS: The term "weaponized autism" is simultaneously glorified and derogatory. For some autistic people, the partial acceptance offered within this community may be preferable to lack of acceptance offered in society, which speaks to improving societal acceptance as a prevention effort.

"Unheard minds, again and again": autistic insider perspectives and theory of mind.

PURPOSE: The Theory of Mind (ToM) deficit hypothesis is a dominant construct used to explain the social and communication difficulties observed in autistic individuals. This hypothesis was based on an interpretation of autistic individuals' observable behavior, not based on insider accounts. Insider perspectives still remain mostly absent in research on ToM. We aimed to gain an understanding of the relevance and applicability of ToM by examining writings of autistic bloggers. METHODS: As part of a series of studies examining insider autistic perspectives, we used a descriptive qualitative approach and conducted a thematic analysis of content scraped from 40 blogs written by autistic authors. RESULTS: The blogs offered important perspectives on the applicability of ToM to autistic individuals. The primary themes reflected empirical contradictions to ToM, explicit critiques of ToM, and pointed to ToM as a source of harm. CONCLUSION: The insider perspectives call into question the ways clinicians, researchers, and society use ToM to understand autistic individuals and point to the harmful effects of ToM on autistic lived experience. These findings emphasize the importance of attending to autistic people in building a body of knowledge that better reflects autistic experiences and promotes more effective and ethical clinical practices.Implications for RehabilitationOur paper indicates the need for a timely and thorough re-evaluation of the ToM deficit hypothesis of autism.Autistic insider perspectives not only empirically demonstrate and explicitly critique the ToM deficit hypothesis, but reveal the hypothesis as harmful to autistic experience by reinforcing negative stereotypes, prompting acts of discrimination, and perpetuating autistic insider's exclusion from the research concerning them.Given the varied experiences of autistic people and the harmful impacts of the ToM deficit hypothesis, it is safer for clinicians and researchers to presume a presence of ToM and empathy, before they presume a deficit in autistic individuals.Autistic insiders are able, eager, and deserve to be included in the research and practices that concern them.

What I Wish You Knew: Insights on Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown, and Shutdown From Autistic Youth.

Introduction: Burnout, inertia, meltdown, and shutdown (BIMS) have been identified as important parts of some autistic people's lives. This study builds on our previous work that offered early academic descriptions of these phenomena, based on the perspectives of autistic adults. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the unique knowledge and insights of eight autistic children and youth to extend and refine our earlier description of burnout, inertia, and meltdown, with additional exploration of shutdown. We also aimed to explore how these youth cope with these phenomena and what others around them do that make things better or worse, with a hope to glean knowledge to design better supports. Methods: One-to-one interviews were conducted with eight children and youth, who shared their experience with BIMS. To match individual communication strengths of children and youth, we took a flexible approach to interviews, allowing for augmentative communication systems and use of visual images to support verbal interviews, as needed. We conducted a reflexive, inductive thematic analysis, using an iterative process of coding, collating, reviewing, and mapping themes. Findings: Our analysis has identified that these youth describe BIMS as a multi-faceted experience involving emotional, cognitive and physical components. Moreover, these multifaceted experiences are often misunderstood by neurotypical adults, which contributes to inadequate support in managing BIMS. Of the four experiences, these youth identified meltdowns as most common. Conclusion: By gaining first-hand perspectives, we have identified novel insights into BIMS and developed a more holistic understanding of these phenomena. These youths' descriptions of supportive strategies for BIMS stress the importance of compassion and collaboration from trusted adults. This new knowledge will provide a foundation for how to better support autistic children and youth. Further research is required to develop an understanding of BIMS, especially with respect to how it is experienced by children and youth. Future research should leverage the insights and experiential knowledge of autistic children and youth to co-design support tool(s) for BIMS.

Living in autistic bodies: bloggers discuss movement control and arousal regulation.

AIM: We sought to deepen understanding of embodied experiences of autism by examining how autistic bloggers describe and discuss autism. METHODS: Working within a qualitative description approach, we sampled 40 blogs written by people who identify as autistic. We conducted a directed content analysis, applying a codebook that was generated using themes from a previous study, while remaining open to additional theme generation and elimination. RESULTS: The rich description in the blog posts support our previous finding that autism is a highly embodied experience including challenges with movement control. Additionally, we found arousal regulation (ability to maintain a calm yet alert state) to be an important embodied experience for the bloggers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a conceptualization of autism that sees embodiment, movement and arousal regulation as important elements of autism. Rehabilitation researchers and professionals should note that autistic insider perspectives can and must be accessed for optimal outcomes.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONClinicians should consider movement control (starting and stopping movement at will) difficulties as possible barriers to function for some autistic people.Clinicians should consider arousal regulation (ability to govern physiological and psychological activation level) difficulties as a possible barrier to function for some autistic people.Clinicians should be cautious when interpreting observed behaviours of autistic people and should make every effort to get explanations for behaviour directly from the perspective of individual clients.

Autism inside out: lessons from the memoirs of three minimally verbal youths.

Background: To date, research exploring experiences and perspectives of people who have severe autism and are minimally verbal, has been sparse. Objectives: To build new understanding based on insider perspectives of people who have severe autism and are minimally verbal. We took interest in how these perspectives support, challenge, or augment current depictions of autism in academic literature. Method: Adopting a descriptive qualitative approach, three memoirs written by youths who have severe autism and are minimally verbal were examined using inductive thematic analysis. Analytic methods followed a recursive process of coding, collating, mapping, reviewing, creating clear themes, and then reporting using compelling extracts. Results: Analysis generated an over-arching theme regarding the youths' concern that the way they are perceived from the outside does not match the people they are on the inside. In explaining this mismatch, the youths identify differences in the way their brains work, as well as difficulty controlling their bodies. Conclusions: These youths emphasize concepts of embodiment and physical control as central to their experiences of autism. Findings highlight the need for research exploring insider perspective and the development of innovative methods to gain insight into the understanding and interests of people who are minimally verbal. Implications for rehabilitation The development of a communication system (hi-tech or low tech) should be a top priority for intervention when serving clients who have severe autism and are minimally verbal. When working with clients who have severe autism and are minimally verbal, clinicians should be cautious in applying and interpreting assessments of intelligence and understanding, since difficulties with verbal output and movement control can obscure results. To improve information gathering and therapeutic outcomes, clinicians and educators should use varied assessment and intervention techniques, administered across multiple sessions, and environments. Consideration should be given to difficulties with movement initiation and movement inhibition when guiding and interpreting behaviors.

Applied Behavior Analysis, Autism, and Occupational Therapy: A Search for Understanding.

Occupational therapists strive to be mindful, competent practitioners and continuously look for ways to improve practice. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has strong evidence of effectiveness in helping people with autism achieve goals, yet it does not seem to be implemented in occupational therapy practice. To better understand whether ABA could be an evidence-based option to expand occupational therapy practice, the authors conducted an iterative, multiphase investigation of relevant literature. Findings suggest that occupational therapists apply developmental and sensory approaches to autism treatment. The occupational therapy literature does not reflect any use of ABA despite its strong evidence base. Occupational therapists may currently avoid using ABA principles because of a perception that ABA is not client centered. ABA principles and occupational therapy are compatible, and the two could work synergistically.