UK Autism Research

Watch your language when talking about autism

Liz Pellicano

'Words matter. The way we use them to communicate with or about others can have a huge impact on people's lives. This is especially the case when it comes to disability. Handicapped. Retarded. Mad. Activists have campaigned hard to eradicate such terms, which are offensive and perpetuate a negative view of disabled people- one as passive, unable to take control over their own lives.' Read more here.

How it feels to be diagnosed with autism in later life

Michael Richards

“He is wired differently to you and me, this child of mine. He doesn’t like loud noises, or dark spaces, or strangers touching his head”. These are the first lines from a poem a mother penned about her son 11-year-old son who has Asperger’s syndrome. Sophie Billington goes on to explain how her son Tristan’s brain works differently.' Read more here.

They Don't Do This in School. A personal and professional accounts of parent carer blame

David Crisp

'The social worker informed the conference that the Referral Team had received a letter from Carers UK in respect of our children which had mentioned a reference to possible autism. Without having met either of the children personally, she concluded that our parenting was "impacting on their physical, emotional, social and educational development". Read more of this article by our fantastic Advisory Board member!

Transgender and gender diverse people up to six times more likely to be autistic

Varun Warrier & Simon Baron-Cohen

'There is some evidence to suggest that transgender and gender-diverse people are more likely to be autistic than cisgender people.' Read more here. 

How autism can be hidden from society using psychological strategies

Lucy Livingston, Francesca Happe, & Punit Shah

'A later diagnosis can be challenging because many intellectually able adults have developed “compensatory” psychological strategies for coping with their autistic difficulties. These can hide their symptoms from doctors, employers, and even family members.' Read more here.

Not all autistic people are good at maths and science - despite the stereotypes

James McGrath

Despite increased awareness of autism and the impact it can have on people’s lives, many autistic people continue to struggle against misleading stereotypes.

Being autistic, for example, doesn’t automatically make you a "human calculator" or a  "living Google" – despite what some people may think. Read more here.