Embrace Autism

In this article, we will explore what pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is—often referred to as Persistent Drive/Desire for Autonomy (PDA) by autistic people—and some reasons PDA may occur.

When I started Embrace Autism, I never imagined that I would have the honor to speak at the United Nations.

Relationships may be hard for autistic people.

New evidence shows that autistic people are more likely to develop substance use disorders.

Here is a selection of our recommended book resources to learn more about what autism entails, and the myriad of ways it can manifest itself—both in women and in general.

I recently learned three important things related to codependency and emotional sobriety, and I would like to share those in case it helps others.

The circadian rhythm refers to our body’s innate ability to follow a 24-hour clock.

The Humans, a book by autistic author Matt Haig, might be particularly relatable for autistic people.

What is codependency?

One thing many autistics frequently do is use a conversation style called cooperative overlap.

Kevin Erickson: Here are things I learned on how to optimize your sensory environment (e.g. your home) to help you feel calm, in control, and productive.

For autistic people, camouflaging is not just about acting confident.

What is the prevalence of autism in men and women?

In this article, Dr.

Eating disorders are prevalent among autistics due to our problems with interoception and anxiety; as a response, some autistic people engage in eating disorders as a way to cope.

Dr.

Executive functions help us solve problems, guide our decision-making, and control our actions.

So you’ve discovered that you’re autistic.

In this article, I will explore various concepts, including mirror–emotion synaesthesia, unmitigated communion, empathic attunement, emotional contagion, and hyper-empathy.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (or Eyes Test for short) has been widely used to measure theory of mind—the ability to recognize and understand another person’s mental state—or social intelligence.

Here is a powerful demonstration of the power of self-perception, and the influence our moods have on it; one moment I look at myself and feel disgust; another moment I look at myself with appreciation and joy.

The bond we develop with our parents can have a profound impact on us later in life—for better or worse.

This article explains what your results from the various autism tests on our website mean, and how they compare with other autistics and neurotypicals.

The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual is a diagnostic manual grounded in psychodynamic clinical models and theories.

Nana: I met with a Swiss psychiatrist who claims autism is a defense mechanism borne from trauma.

The Positives of autism series is a 3-part series on acknowledging our autistic advantages, and adopting a more positive perspective on being autistic.

Positive autistic experiences are not often discussed.

Our negative experiences don’t define who we are or what autism is like.

Finding out I’m autistic not only gave me a framework to understand myself and the world, but it ultimately even empowered me.

Eva: I—like many other autistic people—am puzzled by the realization that people, in general, don’t seem all that concerned with truth.

Gin: Do you suspect you’re autistic but don’t have a formal diagnosis?

Do people with alexithymia suffer?

Besides our new name, you might have noticed a few other updates on our website.

We made some improvements to our website—the most significant of which is a change of name; we are now called Embrace Autism!

In this podcast, we talk with Riah Person, an autism advocate that focuses on topics including sensory processing in autistic people, stimming, and the black autistic experience.

A pseudotypical is someone who may appear to be neurotypical, but is autistic/neurodivergent and cannot acknowledge it.

Unlike most non-autistics, autistic people can switch between local and global processing as needed.

I found another autism cake metaphor to dissect, so are you ready for more delicious insights or frivolous autism-themed cake-talk?

O Waldo, where art thou?

In this post we address the question that even the early pioneers of autism research didn’t dare to address: is autism like a cupcake?

Dr.

For autistic people, it’s challenging to navigate the responses of those trying to understand your autism diagnosis but who just don’t get it.

There are 3 questions that I get asked most commonly after a person receives an autism diagnosis: how do I process being autistic, who should I tell, and how do I address my anxiety and depression?

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) is a self-report screening scale for ADHD in adults, consisting of two parts.

In March 2020, a pandemic unexpectedly granted my wish of fewer social expectations, a lesser need to mask, and less sensory overwhelm.

Are you curious whether you might camouflage your autistic traits?

Fred Day: Reading Greg Burns’ post on what it’s like to be autistic, I was struck by how similar and how individually different we all are.

Dr.

Do first impressions of autistic adults differ between autistic and nonautistic observers?

How can you be your authentic self while avoiding potential rejection and social exclusion?