Today’s episode critiques the prevailing narrative of autism as a deficit, particularly the concept of “context blindness.” It argues that this label reflects neurotypical reliance on vague and indirect communication rather than an inherent autistic failing. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, asserts that autistic directness and a preference for clarity are often misinterpreted as a lack of understanding. Dr. Hoerricks further challenges the historical and methodological biases in autism research, highlighting how studies often create a deficit by measuring autistic individuals against neurotypical social norms. Ultimately, she advocates for a reassessment of autistic communication as a distinct and valid form of interaction, rather than something needing “correction” through interventions like ABA.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/autism-and-context-blindness-maybe
Let me know what you think.
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