Autistics make other people uncomfortable, and we do this almost instantly upon meeting. In my communications classes, I teach about the 50 to 500 milliseconds during which most people develop first impressions. These impressions are difficult, nearly impossible, to counteract with evidence and familiarity. Knowing us doesn’t undo the initial…
Tag: research
Earning the MFA in Film and Digital Technology proved a challenge, in many ways. We had medical emergencies (including surgeries for both my wife and me), family emergencies, and the general financial stress of a graduate degree. There were long nights and weekends spent working on projects and papers, trying…
One of the common myths I constantly correct in social media and in online forums is that Comic Sans is somehow the “best” typeface for children and adults with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and other disabilities. A blog post caused a small wave of arguments on social media in February (2017):…
I was in my late 30s when my diagnoses were altered to include autism. I still don’t know if the diagnosis helped. Maybe it helps others. More often, it simply frustrates me to be so tense and anxious all the time. I would like the world to be quieter, calmer,…
I understand that holiday fundraising is a tradition. “Here’s a cute child. You care about children. Send us money.” At the end of every year, I receive dozens of emails from autism advocacy groups. The higher-end email newsletters from Generation Rescue and Autism Speaks offer “hope” for a cure… someday.…
The goal of teaching writing led me to scholarship on technology, design, disability, and economics within composition and rhetoric. Years ago, when I entered graduate school, I imagined helping students and teachers connect via technology. I wanted to study “writing across the curriculum” and online writing labs. These interests led…
As is often the case, I write a blog on a topic I’m not currently exploring in my research only to discover that I’m about to delve into the depths of that exact topic for an academic article or presentation. A few weeks ago, I confessed that I had not…
Since completing my doctorate, I haven’t had a compelling reason to read much about the psychology of autism. When I read scholarly articles in psychology, they tend to be connected to economics or politics. You might imagine that economics and policy, so connected to rhetoric and persuasion, would delve into…
Autism has a genetic foundation; it likely has many genetic forms, each with its own set of mutations. Press Release: Using New Statistical Tools, Carnegie Mellon’s Kathryn Roeder Finds Genetic Risk for Autism Stems Mostly From Common Genes -Carnegie Mellon News – Carnegie Mellon University I’ve written before about spontaneous, de…
The research for my dissertation indicates many individuals with autism disorders and/or savant abilities view language in terms of patterns and rules. This results in the “stilted” usage, the “little professor” forms of writing and speech. I’m wondering how this also challenges basic assumptions of learning and language. I love…