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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: empathy

September 2022
Noah Sasson, a thin white man, stands in a courtyard with his hands in his pockets.

Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community

by  /  15 September 2022

Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.

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David Mandell sits on the steps of a school.

How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell’s approach to autism research

by  /  6 September 2022

Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions.

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July 2022
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Metacognition, balovaptan bust, pattern recognition

by  /  21 July 2022

This month, we pore over null results from a study of the accuracy of emotion recognition skills in autistic people, clinical trials of a vasopressin drug called balovaptan, and an analysis of ‘systemizing’ abilities in autistic children.

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July 2021
Illustration shows a woman whose mouth is covered by a cloud and whos eyes are covered by a cloud.

Double empathy, explained

by  /  22 July 2021

The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.

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February 2021
Man reaches into cabinet while a woman looks on

Single neurons may power key ‘theory of mind’ skills

by  /  8 February 2021

A subset of brain cells signal when someone tries to infer another person’s thoughts, according to a new study.

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November 2020
Photograph shows young woman and older woman discussing paperwork.

‘Theory of mind’ does not fade with age among autistic adults

by  /  13 November 2020

Autistic people’s ability to understand another person’s thinking does not diminish with age, as it does for non-autistic people.

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hands with a red and blue string puzzle.

Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits

by  /  10 November 2020

Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns.

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July 2020
Portrait of siblings Michelle and Mark Byamugisha

How autism shapes sibling relationships

by  /  22 July 2020

Having an autistic brother or sister can pose challenges, but it can also make children patient, empathetic and resilient.

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June 2019

Book review: ‘The Rosie Result’ crafts foolish caricatures of autism

by  /  18 June 2019

In the final installment of Graeme Simsion’s bestselling Rosie trilogy, the protagonist’s implied autism becomes explicit — and leaves our reviewer cold.

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May 2019
Illustration of a strong man holding up a oversized brain

The extreme male brain, explained

by  /  1 May 2019

The ‘extreme male brain’ theory suggests that autism is an exaggeration of systematic sex differences in ways of thinking.

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