ScienceDaily
Your source for the latest research news
Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
New:
  • Black Death Shaped Evolution of Immunity Genes
  • Methane-Eating 'Borgs' Taking Earth's Microbes
  • Pain Relief Without Side Effects and Addiction
  • Accounting For Dark Energy and Dark Matter
  • Meet the First Neanderthal Family
  • Physicists Confirm Hitch in Proton Structure
  • Five Hours' Sleep a Night: Disease Risk
  • Energetics of Piercing Fangs and Claws
  • Hair Straightening Chemicals and Uterine Cancer
  • Ostriches With Similar Interests Form Groups
advertisement
Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
Science News
from research organizations

1

2

Scholars weigh in on new ideas about autism

Authors of provocative paper about social engagement reply to commentaries

Date:
July 23, 2019
Source:
University of California - Santa Cruz
Summary:
A new paper that challenges widely held ideas about autism has attracted comments from more than 30 scholars across the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience.
Share:
FULL STORY

A new paper that challenges widely held ideas about autism has attracted comments from more than 30 scholars across the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience.

advertisement

The authors maintain that many of the behaviors common to autism -- including low eye contact, repetitive movements, and the verbatim repetition of words and phrases -- are misinterpreted as a lack of interest in social engagement. On the contrary, they say, many people with autism express a deep longing for social connection.

Coauthors Nameera Akhtar, professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Vikram Jaswal, associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, put forth the provocative ideas in their paper, "Being vs. Appearing Socially Uninterested: Challenging Assumptions about Social Motivation in Autism." The article appears in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, which publishes in an innovative format known as "open peer commentary." The journal specializes in "particularly significant and controversial pieces of work," which the editors publish with commentaries on each article from specialists within and across disciplines, as well as the authors' response to the input.

Akhtar and Jaswal welcomed the engagement from scholars, nearly all of whom endorsed their approach, which drew heavily on "testimonies" from people with autism.

"This work began with questions about the widespread assumptions people make about how much -- or how little -- autistic people want to interact with others," said Akhtar. "We explored those questions by turning to what people with autism say about themselves."

According to some autistic people, low eye contact can help them focus their attention, thereby actually enhancing social engagement, said Akhtar. Similarly, repeating phrases -- even though the meaning may not be immediately obvious to others -- may also be a behavior designed to connect with others. Repetitive movements may simply be comforting, she noted.

"When you ask autistic people about these behaviors, their answers shed new light on the range of desire autistics have for social connection, and they express frustration that their behavior is misinterpreted," said Akhtar. "The familiar stereotypes about social aversion do autistic people a great injustice."

The following excerpts are among the published "testimonies" from autistics that Akhtar and Jaswal cited in their paper:

  • "You might have been told that people with autism do not want social or romantic relationships, but this is a myth. While it is true that many of us struggle to create or maintain them, this does not mean that we do not want them." -- from An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis
  • "I can't believe that anyone born as a human being really wants to be left all on their own... The truth is, we'd love to be with other people. But because things never, ever go right, we end up getting used to being alone ... Whenever I overhear someone remark how much I prefer being on my own, it makes me feel desperately lonely." -- from The Reason I Jump
  • "Once I meet people or when I know I will meet people who know me only through my writings, my anxiety level is so high, I can act in very strange ways. I can look very childish and silly and I am very self-conscious about this. I can also seem uninterested, but this is only a self-preservation mask. I find it hard to communicate even if I have a lot of things I want to say." -- from Loud hands: Autistic People, Speaking

Other scholars were generally enthusiastic about Akhtar and Jaswal's approach, and there was widespread agreement that autistic testimony is an essential and surprisingly underused resource to understand social motivation in autism. There was some concern about minimizing important differences in autistic cognition and social motivation, which the authors clarified was not their intention. Many commenters called for a more systematic study of autistic perspectives regarding social engagement, which the authors endorsed.

Akhtar and Jaswal particularly appreciated input from a number of autistic scholars who commented on their work. Leaders of the disability rights movement say, "Nothing about us without us," which Jaswal said makes it particularly gratifying to hear from autistic people at this stage of the research.

"If we want to reduce the social isolation experienced by many autistics, the next step is for both autistic and non-autistic people to learn more about each other's social goals and social signals," said Jaswal. "That's the path to greater understanding and greater inclusion."

make a difference: sponsored opportunity

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - Santa Cruz. Original written by Jennifer McNulty. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Related Multimedia:

  • YouTube video: A new? perspective on autism could change interventions

Journal Reference:

  1. Vikram K. Jaswal, Nameera Akhtar. Being versus appearing socially uninterested: Challenging assumptions about social motivation in autism. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2018; 42 DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X18001826

Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
University of California - Santa Cruz. "Scholars weigh in on new ideas about autism: Authors of provocative paper about social engagement reply to commentaries." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 July 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190723123723.htm>.
University of California - Santa Cruz. (2019, July 23). Scholars weigh in on new ideas about autism: Authors of provocative paper about social engagement reply to commentaries. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 20, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190723123723.htm
University of California - Santa Cruz. "Scholars weigh in on new ideas about autism: Authors of provocative paper about social engagement reply to commentaries." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190723123723.htm (accessed October 20, 2022).

  • RELATED TOPICS
    • Health & Medicine
      • Elder Care
      • Staying Healthy
      • Psychology Research
    • Mind & Brain
      • Autism
      • Learning Disorders
      • Psychology
    • Science & Society
      • STEM Education
      • Social Issues
      • Surveillance
advertisement

  • RELATED TERMS
    • Cognitive neuroscience
    • Neuropsychology
    • Cognitive science
    • Memory
    • Psychology
    • Autism
    • Computational neuroscience
    • Sociobiology
advertisement

  Print   Email   Share

advertisement

1

2

3

4

5
Most Popular
this week

HEALTH & MEDICINE
Eating Late Increases Hunger, Decreases Calories Burned, and Changes Fat Tissue
Clusters of Genes Help Mice Live Longer
Study of Over 5 Million People's DNA Reveals Genetic Links to Height
MIND & BRAIN
Dogs Can Smell When We're Stressed, Study Suggests
Human Brain Cells in a Dish Learn to Play Pong in Real Time
Healthy Aging Requires an Understanding of Personality Types
LIVING & WELL
Did the Pandemic Change Our Personalities?
Watching TV With Your Child Can Help Their Cognitive Development, Study Suggests
Coffee Drinking Is Associated With Increased Longevity
advertisement

Strange & Offbeat
 

HEALTH & MEDICINE
RNA Origami Enables Applications in Synthetic Biology
Unlocking the Power of Our Emotional Memory
Robotic Drug Capsule Can Deliver Drugs to Gut
MIND & BRAIN
Our Brains Use Quantum Computation
Human Brain Cells in a Dish Learn to Play Pong in Real Time
Dogs Can Smell When We're Stressed, Study Suggests
LIVING & WELL
Researchers Develop Painless Tattoos That Can Be Self-Administered
Washing Dishes With Superheated Steam More Effective, Earth-Friendly
News Addiction Linked to Not Only Poor Mental Wellbeing but Physical Health Too, New Study Shows
Explore More
from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES

Strategies Revealed for Effective Delivery of K-12 Online Education
Aug. 11, 2022 — A new analysis by education researchers reveals best practices and challenges for online K-12 ...
Three Ways to Improve Scholarly Writing to Get More Citations
May 2, 2021 — To make a greater impact, scholars need to overcome the curse of knowledge so they can package their ideas with concrete, technical, and active ...
Abnormal Hyperactivation in the Brain May Be an Early Sign of Alzheimer's
Jan. 21, 2021 — A psychology and neuroscience professor has just targeted an early biomarker of the ...
Minorities Widely Underrepresented in Autism Diagnoses
May 4, 2018 — Researchers have found in an analysis that minorities were widely underrepreseted in autism identifications in 2014. The levels vary by state, but run counter to the claim that minorities are ...
advertisement


SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Alternative Medicine
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer
      • Diabetes
      • Diseases
      • Heart Disease
      • HIV and AIDS
      • Obesity
      • Stem Cells
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Addiction
      • Alzheimer's
      • Autism
      • Depression
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • Relationships
      • Schizophrenia
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Pregnancy
      • Sexual Health
      • Skin Care
      • Men's Health
      • Women's Health
      • Nutrition
      • Diet and Weight Loss
      • Fitness
      • Healthy Aging
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
      or browse the topics below:
      Matter & Energy
      • Aviation
      • Chemistry
      • Electronics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Quantum Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • Technology
      • Wind Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Astronomy
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Mars
      • Moon
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • Stars
      • Sun
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Communications
      • Computer Science
      • Hacking
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Software
      • Video Games
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Animals
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Endangered Animals
      • Extinction
      • Genetically Modified
      • Microbes and More
      • New Species
      • Zoology
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Hurricanes
      • Ozone Holes
      • Pollution
      • Weather
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Ancient Civilizations
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Early Humans
      • Early Mammals
      • Evolution
      • Lost Treasures
      • Origin of Life
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
      or browse the topics below:
      Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Consumerism
      • Economics
      • Political Science
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Racial Disparity
      • Religion
      • Sports
      • World Development
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Animal Learning & Intelligence
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Educational Technology
      • Infant & Preschool Learning
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Free Subscriptions

Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
Follow Us

Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Have Feedback?

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

  • Leave Feedback
  • Contact Us
About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
Copyright 1995-2022 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
— CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — GDPR: Privacy Settings —