Autism and Asperger's

Around 1% of the UK population is autistic - roughly 1 in 50 men, and one in 200 women. Of these, a much small proportion combine their autistic thinking with "high-functioning" abilities, such as an intense eye for detail, or very strong intellectual qualities - and these individuals have traditionally been associated with Asperger's Syndrome. (Hans Asperger, along with Leo Kanner, were the first to write about autism, in the 1940s).

This page aims to gather links and resources about autism. I hope you find it helpful.

Information from the National Autistic Society and the Girl with the curly hair project, who run one-day training events and do much more too. I also really recommend this article, "Spectrum doesn't mean what you think" by CL Lynch, 2019.

Autism - an extreme male brain? Video of keynote speech by leading researcher, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. And there's a playlist of TED talks on autism here.

Nikki Stevenson on autism research and why we don't have to think of it as a disability.

Here's some research on the name question: an autistic person or a person with autism?

For books on autism, try the Book People for discounted books by Professor Uta Frith and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen.

TV programmes about autism include Uta Frith's Horizon episode, the Autistic Gardeners, and many more. There are also some great TED talks and a short video by someone who is autistic and explains it well!

And don't miss the terrific Wheel of Apps for people who are autistic.

I'm now able to offer Autism Awareness Training - click the button on the left to find out more.