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Thoughts on Visual Thinking and Empathy

A comment left on one of my posts a few weeks back got me wondering about the connection between visual thinking and empathic response. About the idiom “It’s raining cats and dogs,” Lauren wrote... [Read More]

on 09/15/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

The Vividness of Memory

On September 16, my daughter will fly to California to begin life at UC Santa Cruz. These days, I find myself reliving much of her childhood in my memory: The rainy winter night we brought her home fr... [Read More]

on 09/15/11 | No Comments | Read More

Cats, Dogs, and Asperger’s Syndrome

Imagine for a moment a person who has grown up in a family where they only ever had pet dogs. Their friends and neighbours had pet dogs – all different breeds, colours and temperaments, but still, ... [Read More]

on 09/13/11 | No Comments | Read More

Introverts: Denizens of a Social Ghetto

When we say the word ghetto, we generally think of rap, thugs, and crime. What we usually think of is a modern economic ghetto, a neighborhood where all the poorest people live and can’t afford t... [Read More]

on 09/12/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

The Empathy Issue Is a Human Rights Issue

Empathy. For most people, the word is synonymous with humanity. The American Psychological Association calls empathy “the trait that makes us human.” 1 According to author D.H. Pink, empathy is �... [Read More]

on 09/9/11 | 3 Comments | Read More

Inside and Outside Safety

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” -Zora Neale Hurston I think sometimes when we talk about “passing” versus visibility we forget what that... [Read More]

on 09/7/11 | 3 Comments | Read More

Aliens Invade Psychiatric Conference

Autistics Blamed, As Usual: Confusion in Satire City Earlier today, a small group of extraterrestrial visitors landed their flying saucer in the courtyard of a convention center just as an American Ps... [Read More]

on 09/6/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

Introverts, Social Loyalty, and Social Immunity

A Subtle person often grows up an outsider and never really bonds with their birth society. Not only do we lack commonality with the whole, we might very well also have feelings of resentment after ... [Read More]

on 09/5/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

Introvert Survival: Reducing Your Profile

If you’ve ever seen an oil painting or engraving of two men with dueling pistols, you might have noticed that they have both turned their bodies sideways with their arms tucked behind them so that t... [Read More]

on 09/5/11 | No Comments | Read More

A Critique of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) Test: Conclusion

When I first began writing this critique, I tried to take the EQ test, and I found myself so stymied by it that I gave up. As a person who arrives at the “big picture” by putting together all the ... [Read More]

on 09/2/11 | No Comments | Read More

A Critique of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) Test: Part 3

In Part 1 of this series, I outlined the basics of the EQ test, introduced the definition of cognitive empathy assumed by the authors of the test, and critiqued the statements on the EQ test that spea... [Read More]

on 09/1/11 | No Comments | Read More

A Critique of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) Test: Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I outlined the basics of the EQ test, introduced the definition of cognitive empathy assumed by the authors of the test, and critiqued the statements on the EQ that speak to ... [Read More]

on 08/31/11 | No Comments | Read More

A Critique of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) Test: Introduction and Part 1

Introduction The Empathy Quotient (EQ) test was designed by Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright, and is included in their 2004 paper The Empathy Quotient: An Investigation of Adults with Asperger�... [Read More]

on 08/30/11 | No Comments | Read More

Extrovert Critic: “You’ll Never Get Laid If You ____”

How many times has any male introvert nerd been told “If you like (DandD, klingons, magic cards, x…) you’ll never get any girls”? The aim of this criticism is to point out the superiority of t... [Read More]

on 08/29/11 | 4 Comments | Read More

How Extensive Is Autism’s Penumbra?

My fascination with autism from the start has had to do with what might be termed autism’s penumbra. In Autism & Oughtism’s post on avoiding the confusions engendered by this concept she expl... [Read More]

on 08/26/11 | 4 Comments | Read More

The Eternal Song, Part Eighteen: Coda

The hiking trail was well maintained, wide and smoothly graded, where it led inland from the beachfront hotel. Elaine Dalton looked up from her brightly colored map of tourist attractions, noticed th... [Read More]

on 08/24/11 | 3 Comments | Read More

Round-up: Autism & Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory

In response to some discussions I have seen on Wrong Planet and other ASD forums I decided to delve into the concept of an autistic culture. Having been familiar with Hofstede’s dimensions I decided... [Read More]

on 08/23/11 | No Comments | Read More

Unity Without Uniformity: The Implications of Wikis

The internet has resulted in forms of collective human association without any individual being crushed by the collective. One form of such an association has come to be called a ‘wiki.’ In the im... [Read More]

on 08/22/11 | No Comments | Read More

Autism In The Mirror

Comedian Glen Wool, musing on the sacking of the middle classes and treasuries of the United States and other nations by the looting class, has suggested that newspapers be divided into just two secti... [Read More]

on 08/19/11 | No Comments | Read More

Part 8: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory - Indulgence v Restraint

The last of Hofstede’s dichotomies, Indulgence v Restraint (IVR) was introduced via a study performed by Michael Minkov in 2010. It is the least studied of the dimensions and I only include it here ... [Read More]

on 08/18/11 | No Comments | Read More

The Eternal Song, Part Seventeen: Nightfall

Awiyan counted the stars in the clear sky above the foothills. The familiar patterns of the constellations gave her comfort in a world where so much was changing. She could sense the uncertainty fro... [Read More]

on 08/17/11 | No Comments | Read More

Part 7: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory - Long Term Orientation

After Hofstede’s initial research various researchers explored his findings and looked for areas that might have been overlooked. In 1985 a group of primarily Chinese educators administered a test t... [Read More]

on 08/16/11 | No Comments | Read More

Response to A&O’s reply re: “Cornering Slim Shady in the Round Barn” and the definition of Neurodiversity

Thank you for the kind words, A&O, and the thorough, thoughtful, and gracious reply. It’s a pleasure disagreeing with you. My view is that neurodiversity is polycentered. This is not the sam... [Read More]

on 08/15/11 | 2 Comments | Read More

Reply to “Cornering Slim Shady in the Round Barn” re the definition of Neurodiversity

I wrote a post a week ago about the problems with defining “Neurodiversity.” The questions I posed in that piece remain un-answered (and perhaps that is because there are no answers; I will discu... [Read More]

on 08/15/11 | No Comments | Read More

Why Introverted Nerds Like Fantasy and Sci Fi

It’s perfectly Ok and respectable to have seen some trek and wars. However, you’re crossing way over the line if you know who Salacious Crumb is or know just how Shaka felt when the walls fell. Th... [Read More]

on 08/15/11 | No Comments | Read More

Cornering Slim Shady in the Round Barn: On “Pinning Down” Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity. In contrast to the proprietor of Autism & Oughtisms [A&O] who reports first hearing the word less than a year ago, it’s been a little over a decade for me. It merited one ... [Read More]

on 08/12/11 | 2 Comments | Read More

Acceptance of Diversity within Neurodiversity (?)

Neurodiversity. The better part of a year since I first heard the word, and I still can’t tell you what it means. It’s not for lack of trying: I’ve been reading posts by people who label them... [Read More]

on 08/12/11 | 4 Comments | Read More

Part 6: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory - Masculinity v Femininity

The dichotomy I will be addressing in this post is bit problematic because the naming of it is challenging in its sexist titles. Hofstede decided that countries that show competitiveness, assertivenes... [Read More]

on 08/11/11 | No Comments | Read More

The Eternal Song, Part Sixteen: Unicorn

As Riadne descended the mountain, the bare rock beneath her sandals gave way to hard-packed earth dotted with small shrubs and thin, dry tufts of grass. The afternoon sun had been warm enough, at the... [Read More]

on 08/10/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

Part 5: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory - Uncertainty Avoidance Index

The Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) from Hofstede measures how a culture handles ambiguity, uncertainty and change. Those groups that measure high on the UAI tend to experience high anxiety regardin... [Read More]

on 08/9/11 | 1 Comment | Read More

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