Can Autism be confused with schizophrenia? The term autism was first used by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1919 to describe a withdrawal from reality with a pathological predominance of inner life. The term autism was included within his description of dementia praecox, the original term for schizophrenia. In Read more…
Autism over the age of 50 As clinicians, we have seen an increasing number of adults, and especially women, over the age of 50 seeking confirmation of autism in their developmental history and current profile of abilities. This has provided an opportunity to explore the ageing process associated with autism Read more…
Autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Researchers and clinicians in the autism area have known about the association between hypermobility and autism for a long time, and hypermobility is one common symptom of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). In this week’s blog, we discuss what EDS is, the association between autism and EDS, and Read more…
Signs of Autism When First Meeting a Client This blog is for clinicians, therapists, and counsellors to help identify the characteristics of autism in a client who has not previously been considered as autistic. We describe the signature characteristics of autism that may be apparent when first meeting a client Read more…
Relationships for Autistic women Foundations for relationship skills The foundations for relationship skills are created from friendship experiences throughout childhood. The skills include trust, loyalty, compromise, and emotional support. Autistic women may have had fewer but more intense friendships than non-autistic women during childhood and adolescence (Sedgewick et al., 2019). Read more…
Recognising and Understanding Autistic Girls* at School Most children referred for a diagnostic assessment for autism are males, and autistic males with fluent speech will likely be diagnosed, on average, by the time they are 8 years old. Autistic girls, by contrast, ‘fly under the radar’ and tend to be Read more…
Recent Research on Autism and Making Friends The diagnostic criteria for autism include criterion A3, …l difficulties in making friends…(APA 2022). From our clinical experience, we would add that when friendships are made, an autistic child or adolescent may also have difficulty maintaining friendships. Non-autistic children can intuitively know how Read more…
PDA in Autistic Adults The term PDA (pathological demand avoidance) was first used by Professor Elizabeth Newson in the 1980s. It is a behavioural profile associated with avoidance of complying with requests and extreme agitation if demands are escalated. PDA was first recognised in autistic children, and further research identified Read more…
Autistic Women* and Health Communication Autistic individuals generally experience more health issues than non-autistic individuals (Weir, Allison & Baron-Cohen, 2022). Autistic women face a range of health concerns that can be both physical and mental. Some of the common health concerns faced by autistic women are: Mental Health: Autistic women Read more…
Autism in Couple Relationships Part of the early appeal of dating an autistic person for a person who is not autistic can be a sense that they are different that they have a mind that can grasp astonishing complexity, they are wonderfully attentive, have deep compassion, are fair-minded, are very Read more…