2009 December | Neurodiversity

Archive for December, 2009

Imagine, just as an exercise, that beyond the one percent of the population diagnosable with autism, there is another four percent whose cognitive style is describable under the less rigorous category of the Broad Autism Phenotype, or BAP—a total of five percent for whom an autistic experience of the world is the norm. Again just as an exercise, imagine the weight that norm would carry if the total autistic population were ten percent (roughly that of gays and lesbians). Imagine it again at twenty percent, and then forty—still a minority, but a sizable one, and one that can begin to rival the remaining sixty percent as “the” defining neurology for the population. Imagine it at fifty, and then sixty—at what point might the diagnosed autistics mysteriously become more “able,” living in a world where the social and environmental standards were increasingly defined by their own phenotype? Imagine the world they’d be living in were their numbers to combine with the B...[Read More]

Mark Stairwalt on 09/3/10 | 2 Comments | Read More

Autism: Canary in the Coal Mine

“Nonright-handedness (NRH) has been attributed to hypoxia-induced brain changes in the fetus and associated pregnancy and birth complications (PBCs). Maternal smoking during pregnancy is known to ...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/30/09 | No Comments | Read More

The Path Home

As a child, I loved to wander through quiet woods and to pick wildflowers in meadows, following paths that I pretended would lead me into fairy tale adventures in a long-ago world. I imagined myse...[Read More]

Gwen McKay on 12/28/09 | No Comments | Read More

Geeks and Nerds: Autism’s Proxy Warriors

[caption id="attachment_956" align="alignleft" width="315" caption="High School Reunion (Satire)"][/caption] Two articles from the New York Times and one from Wired.com this week have been taking...[Read More]

Mark Stairwalt on 12/25/09 | 1 Comment | Read More

Neurodiversity and African Americans

Two biological processes impact the American Black population, resulting in increased learning disabilities, specific medical maladies and challenges not familiar to most other ethnicities and mos...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/23/09 | 1 Comment | Read More

An Increase in Left-handers

A superb 25-year study in the UK by Marian Annett ending in the 1990s seemed to prove that in that part of the UK, left-handedness was not increasing over time. It’s been a difficult issue to pa...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/21/09 | No Comments | Read More

He’s Canadian, You Know

“He’s Canadian, you know,” yields 30,800 hits when entered in a Google search, while about half that many are returned for “She’s Canadian, you know.” The phrase is a sort of running in-...[Read More]

Mark Stairwalt on 12/18/09 | 2 Comments | Read More

10 Myths About Autism

by Jennifer Johnson Autism and its lesser-known relatives in the autism spectrum of disorders has found itself on the receiving end of a generous amount of attention lately. Affecting around 3.4 ou...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/15/09 | 2 Comments | Read More

Neuropsychology and Autism

Marian Annett (Annett & Manning, 1990; Annett & Kilshaw, 1984) has hypothesized a balanced polymorphism in dyslexia that neatly fits with my theory of biological and societal evolution I am ca...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/14/09 | No Comments | Read More

Who We Are

“Start Understanding Your Website Traffic In Ways You Never Imagined” is the pitch offered by VisitorVille, a service which provides website owners with a Sims-like representation of visitors to e...[Read More]

Mark Stairwalt on 12/11/09 | No Comments | Read More

Barriers to Understanding Autism

My work has proposed three primary causes of autism and conditions characterized by maturational delay. All three causes impact fluctuating testosterone levels inside a mother, which determine her...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/9/09 | No Comments | Read More

Ruminations

The work of scientists is not often poetry. But they do reveal patterns that are profound. “A corollary of our hypothesis is that hormonal effects on the brains of offspring may vary with the ...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/7/09 | No Comments | Read More

The Iceberg Speaks

Given the stereotype of the mute, “unreachable” autistic child that comes most easily to many people’s minds whenever autism is discussed, I’m well aware of what a sharp departure from that im...[Read More]

Mark Stairwalt on 12/4/09 | 2 Comments | Read More

Down Syndrome Riddle

Before the conventions, Sarah Palin caused a stir among the parents of children with Down Syndrome. My Leftist buddy Martin has a kid with Downs. Martin was moved by this Alaskan elected offic...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/3/09 | No Comments | Read More

Mildly Paradoxical

At some point, we’re going to start monkeying with our own evolution. I mean consciously. Clearly we’ve been playing with our evolution, unconsciously, from the start. One premise of my...[Read More]

Andrew Lehman on 12/2/09 | No Comments | Read More

About Shift Journal

Autism has been here all along.

Considered as an evolutionary condition with far-reaching social implications, its full presence and impact remain hidden in plain sight, unrecognized and uncredited.

Part neurological mystery, part social construct, and part secret society unbeknownst even to its own members, autism does not lend itself to explanation by those who hold it apart from society, from themselves, or from consciousness itself. Definitions are revised, overhauled, and abandoned all while efforts to explore and examine this condition on its own terms are only now gaining momentum.

Shift Journal aims to showcase and encourage such efforts. Entertaining the notion of autistic as a legitimate way to be in the world, from the crossroads of theory, society, and personal experience, Shift welcomes relevant contributions from all comers.

Mark Stairwalt

Editor and Publisher

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New or established writers wishing to contribute original or previously published posts may use the submissions page or contact us directly.

Autism Speaking

Who Speaks For Who?
“There is a lot of talk in the autism “communities” about who has the right to speak for autistic people. What this usually means is something more like who has the right to speak up for autistic people.” ~ Bev … Continue reading → […]

The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism

Autism, An Equal Opportunity Disorder
Frances Vega-Costaswww.viviendoenotradimension.comdimensionautismo.blogspot.comAutism is a very complicated disorder and not only affects each individual differently, it strikes anywhere in the world. Never in my life would I imagine that I would be a special education advocate nor that would I use the “A” word almost on a daily basis. Almost ten years ago t […]

Journeys with Autism

Left Brain / Right Brain

Damages awarded in the Poling case?
A document has recently been posted the Court of Federal Claims website, describing an award in a vaccine injury case. The document is redacted, but the following paragraph indicates to me that this involves the case of Hannah Poling: Respondent has conceded that petitioners are entitled to compensation due to the significant aggravation of Child’s [...] […]

Countering…

Neurodiversity – The Book

Review of Neurodiversity in Publisher's Weekly
The following review of my book Neurodiversity appeared in the April 26, 2010 edition of Publisher's Weekly: Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain Differences Thomas Armstrong. Da Capo, $26 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7382-1354-5 "Armstrong (7 Kinds of Smart), an educational consultant turned author, a […]

Neurodiversity.com

OSR: Off The Market [11]
The following message attributed to Boyd Haley, addressed to wholesale distributors of OSR, and posted to several autism discussion lists, reveals that Prof. Haley has elected not to challenge FDA’s June 17, 2010 determination that OSR is a drug subject to the same regulations for premarket approval as any other drug sold in the United States, and that CTI S […]

Incorrect Pleasures

Edward Heath and Asperger syndrome
Below is the text of an entry for my enormous list of famous autistic or possibly autistic people that I am going to add some time, whenever I find the time. What do you think? Any errors?Sir Edward “Ted” Heath KG MBE (1916-2005) former Conservative Prime Minister of the UK from 1970 to 1974, leader of the Conservative Party from 1965-1975, Deputy Chief Whip […]

Action for Autism

MMR Settlement - too little, too late
Justice delayed is justice denied and for Robert Fletcher justice was denied for over seventeen years. He was 13 months old when he received his MMR vaccination. Ten days later he had a severe convulsion and went on to develop epilepsy and severe developmental delay. His mother, Jackie Fletcher told the Daily Mail, ‘Robert is [...] […]

Neurodiversity