Many autistic people find eye contact uncomfortable and actively avoid it. I recently received a question from a blog reader asking how I feel when someone makes eye contact with me, and in this post, I’ll answer that, as well as explain why eye contact can be so challenging for many autistic individuals. Eye Contact […]
Tag: Autism
Anna Asks I’m really struggling with logical reasoning tasks, but a recent cognitive assessment with a psychologist still indicated average intelligence. I keep making silly mistakes – the most recent was putting my compression socks on over my regular socks while I was providing care for a client! I took a quick online IQ test […]
Recently, I received a question from an anonymous blog reader wondering how she’ll ever be able to accept herself. She has autism and, like me, struggles with visuospatial tasks – things like wrapping presents, assembling furniture, and following movies. She has a normal IQ but a very uneven cognitive profile and impaired visuospatial ability. The […]
Many autistic people find making friends challenging, but it’s important to remember the reasons behind this can vary greatly. In my work, I’ve heard several common themes from autistic individuals: 1. Shyness and Insecurity Some autistic people experience social insecurity and shyness. If you’re worried about what others think, it can be difficult to initiate […]
Today, a lot of conversation surrounds what autism actually is. Since the 1990s, awareness has grown, and more people understand that autism can present even when someone has spoken language and is intellectually gifted. Many now recognize that difficulties with social interaction, sensory sensitivities, and repetitive interests are often part of the autistic experience. However, […]
It’s well known that people with autism have differences in brain structure, which has long been a subject of research. Scientists at Yale University have investigated whether stimulating specific brain regions influences non-verbal behaviours, specifically eye contact. We, as autistic individuals, are often known for either completely avoiding eye contact or, conversely, having an intense, […]
Today’s post continues my series on personality, and the dimension up for discussion is extroversion (and of course, its opposite introversion)! You can find my previous posts about autistic personality here, here, and here. Many People Are Ambiverts Most people aren’t purely extroverted or introverted; the majority exhibit both traits. Those who fall somewhere in […]
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Are Autistic People Always Conscientious?
What if the idea that autistic people are always meticulous is only a myth? Today, I’m continuing with the blog post series about personality, based on the five-factor model, which is backed by current research. Last week, I wrote a blog post about the personality dimension of openness, and today it’s time for the next […]
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Autism and the Five-Factor Model: Openness
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the five-factor theory suggests that we humans have more or less of five personality traits, including openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. A good mnemonic device is the word OCEAN, which stands for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. As I wrote, not all autistic people are […]
Some individuals with autism have something called hyperlexia, which means they have an aptitude for reading words but struggle to comprehend the content of texts. I am autistic and I strongly suspect I have some form of hyperlexia myself. I learned to read and write at the age of three and quickly learned to spell […]