THE BLOG

Autism and Friendship at High School

By Prof Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle GarnettLast week we discussed the friendship challenges that autistic children can commonly encounter, and programmes that can help. In our blog this week…

Autism and Friendship at Primary School

By Prof Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle GarnettThe diagnostic criteria for autism include criterion A3, …difficulties in making friends…(APA 2022). We would add from our clinical experience that when friendships…

Being Autistic and having ADHD as a Female*

By Dr Michelle Garnett and Prof Tony AttwoodBoth autism and ADHD are characterised by difficulties with executive function, and they tend to co- occur. Research has shown over several decades…

Autistic Children and Adolescents who have ADHD

By Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle GarnettIn this two-part article we discuss the prevalence of ADHD in autistic children and adolescents, the effect of being autistic and having ADHD,…

Autism and Trauma

By Dr Michelle Garnett and Professor Tony Attwood There is increasing recognition that autism and trauma are associated in significant ways which contribute to our understanding of autism, our awareness of…

The Dating Game and Autistic Adolescents

By Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle GarnettTypical teenagers are usually enthusiastic about going beyond friendship and experiencing the ‘dating game.’ They are exploring their new sexual awareness, who they…

Self-Identity and Autism

By Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle GarnettOne important task of adolescence is to develop a sense of identity, or a concept of self, but as one autistic teenager said,…