The Latest Research on Camouflaging
By Professor Tony Attwood Children who have autism will know at quite a young age that they are different to their peers with regard to the ability to read facial…
Mindfulness: Why is it So Important?
By Dr David Zimmerman, Clinical Psychologist Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or…
Encouraging the Positive in Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
By Sarah Ormond, Psychologist Pathological (extreme) demand avoidance (PDA) is a term applied to patterns of complex behaviours that may be seen in some children on the autism spectrum, who…
How Can We Support Gifted Children on the Spectrum?
By Dr Wesley Turner, Clinical Psychologist Often, ASD individuals who are also Gifted present with a combination of cognitive abilities and executive function difficulties that result in a ‘perfect storm’…
The Three Adaptations to Social Situations
By Professor Tony Attwood One of the central characteristics of autism in DSM 5 is a deficit in social communication and social interaction. The social and interpersonal aspects of life…
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Autism
A research article review by Dr Michelle Garnett Since their separation as independent conditions, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) can be misconceptualised as mutually exclusive disorders. …
Parent and Teacher Agreement of Behaviour Problems
By Lizaan Schwartz, Provisional Psychologist Behavioural and emotional difficulties, including anxiety, depression, aggression, oppositional, and attention difficulties are highly prevalent in children on the autism spectrum (Kanne et al., 2009;…
What “I’m Bored” Really Means for Autistic Kids
By Professor Tony Attwood The comment “I’m bored” is often said by teenagers at high school, but those students who have autism may use this phrase to express a range…
Self-Injurious Behaviours in Adolescents on the Spectrum
By Lizaan Schwartz, Provisional Psychologist As a professional working with adolescents on the autism spectrum at the clinic, I have observed an increased number of Self-Injurious behaviours being reported by…
How Much Screen Time is Too Much?
By Dr David Zimmerman, Clinical Psychologist Research suggests that children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) spend more time on video games and computers than their peers (Mazurek et…