Resources (Live links to the URLs included in the new ‘Autism from A to Z’ book by Kathy Carter)
This page contains the URLs included within the book ‘Autism from A to Z’ by Kathy Carter; a new, practical guide and information resource collating the most popular articles from this website. It has been created for families and professionals, and...
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The autism chasm – medicalised words versus neurodiversity concepts; and dated paediatric processes. When will we reach a level of understanding?
It’s no surprise there’s some confusion and frustration between the neurodiversity proponents and the parents of autistic children going through assessment. As an autistic adult who supports the neurodiversity concept, and a parent of a neurodivergent child, this...
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Exploring what being ‘authentically autistic’ means
I read the recent psychology article on being 'authentically autistic' with interest. The current climate seems the most accepting to date, in which to be authentic in this way. The current '#bekind' movement, the increasing acceptance of minority groups, and the...
read moreRespecting neurology – helping autistic individuals, especially children, enjoy festive or celebratory periods like birthday and Christmas events
Christmas wasn’t so long ago at the time of writing, and post-holidays, social media sadly included posts from some individuals bemoaning the fact that their autistic child somehow spoiled the festive period because of their ‘overloads or meltdowns’, or general...
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A Thousand Souls – a poem about autism
A Thousand Souls – a poem about autism
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Autism rights and legislation (UK)
This article is extracted from the author's book 'Autism from A-Z', and looks at the legislation concerning autism – for anyone hoping to access support for themselves or their families, it is important to familiarise oneself with it. Please note that the National...
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Why Tom Clements’ Guardian feature on autism draws criticisms from the autistic community
The recent UK newspaper article ‘What is autism? How the term became too broad to have meaning any more’, by Tom Clements, has drawn criticisms from some quarters. Namely that (since the amalgamation of autism diagnoses into the phrase ‘autism’), he seemingly leans...
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What is neurodiversity, in the context of autism?
It is worth exploring what neurodiversity means, in the context of autism. Many adult autists that support the neurodiversity paradigm don't need the concept spelling out, but we here at Spectra.blog, we have many more people that are 'new' to the world of autism...
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Is your learning style also your autistic Achilles heel? Your sensory downfall?
This author has been thinking lately about how we learn (from a sensory perspective), and how autists' sensory challenges affect this. The primary or dominant learning styles of all individuals are said to use the three main sensory receivers: Visual, Auditory, and...
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‘Will the family understand an autism diagnosis?’
A mum we know whose child may be autistic was recently asked whether her parents, the child's grandparents, would understand an autism diagnosis. The mum wasn't sure, and her companion remarked that she doubted the grandparents would understand. The connotations were...
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