Sports in their most popular form are just another social venue. The minority players are involved in an intricate group activity and the majority spectators are involved in a mass cult of fandom. A ... [Read More]
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A quicky on the internet and ASD; how something rotten led me to something beautiful
Because the awareness and (arguably accordingly) the numbers of autism, are on the rise, and yet it still remains mysterious and misunderstood, “autism” is an easy term to toss around when you wan... [Read More]
Guest on 08/5/11 | No Comments | Read More
Invitation to a Flash Mob - August 6th
When : Saturday August 6th at 11am. Where – Downtown Olympia on the East side of Heritage Park at Capitol Lake Parking : Free Parking is available around the lake. WTHECK? – Try to find us for ou... [Read More]
Faerie Prince Omega on 08/5/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
Part 4: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory - Individualism v Collectivism
Next up for Hofstede’s dichotomies is Individualism v. Collectivism. This measures the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups and how they perceive themselves in that group. Individu... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 08/4/11 | No Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part Fifteen: Ebb Tide
Clumps of seaweed cast up on the rocky beach shriveled and stank under a hot cloudless sky. In the tide pools, small fish darted back and forth while crabs scuttled across the pebbles. Apart from th... [Read More]
Gwen McKay on 08/3/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Hofstede’s Power Distance Index (PDI) measures how we perceive the hierarchical authority in a given situation (family, work, etc.). On one end you have more autocratic and/or authoritative expectat... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 08/2/11 | No Comments | Read More
Reflections on a Changing World
The neurodiversity movement got its start in the early 1990s, when a few autistic people got together on mailing lists and dared to imagine a day when they would be seen as equals in society. Their co... [Read More]
Guest on 08/1/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introvert Survival: Handling Extrovert Interrogations
When a Loud person asks you a question it is best to give a quick, snappy, truthful answer. Directly stonewalling or displaying reluctance to answer personal questions from someone you don’t trust y... [Read More]
Zygmunt on 08/1/11 | No Comments | Read More
Is this guy for real? Baron-Cohen’s latest book is a real urban legend!
The other night the kids and I much enjoyed watching a very corny and over-the-top horror movie. They had seen it before, so there were lots of “this bit coming up is really gross” moments. There ... [Read More]
Lili Marlene on 07/29/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Blog pieces about the work of Baron-Cohen well worth reading
I am very much indebted to Socrates at The New Republic for writing nice things about my blog, and also for spreading awareness about some most interesting writing in blogs about the work of the famou... [Read More]
Lili Marlene on 07/29/11 | No Comments | Read More
Part 2: Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory
Before I jump into Hofstede’s dimensions it is worth taking a look at the concept of people with autism as a culture unto themselves. There certainly has been enough discussion on the concept of tho... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 07/28/11 | No Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part Fourteen: Light
Rain, shadows moving, dim fragments of sight. Not much pain, now. The poppy draught had taken Eldest Grandmother’s pain away. It brought sleep, and tangled thoughts. Hushed voices of women, soft f... [Read More]
Gwen McKay on 07/27/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Introduction to Autism and Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory
This is the introduction to a series of articles I will be producing on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory and how it relates to ASD. Cultural theory is a complex subject and when mixing cultures ... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 07/26/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
A tragedy of the commons is said to occur when a resource available to everyone becomes overused until it becomes available to no one. Everyone loses in the end. A tragedy of the lords is how I refe... [Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/25/11 | No Comments | Read More
The World Needs Autism (redux)
The world needs autism. Of this, I am convinced. The world needs autism now more than ever. Don’t believe me? Look around…look closely and carefully. Contemplate a global awareness. Consider... [Read More]
William Stillman on 07/25/11 | No Comments | Read More
Neo-Typicals of the Divergent Spectrum: A Communiqué (part two: the long)
Neo-Typicals of the Divergent Spectrum: A Communiqué by Anonymous Leadership Functionaries of the Cortical Executive Index of Contents - the short - the long The Long – Hey You. Drop ev... [Read More]
Faerie Prince Omega on 07/22/11 | No Comments | Read More
Neo-Typicals of the Divergent Spectrum: A Communiqué (part one: the short)
Neo-Typicals of the Divergent Spectrum: A Communiqué by Anonymous Leadership Functionaries of the Cortical Executive Index of Contents - the short - the long The Short – So let it be: a... [Read More]
Faerie Prince Omega on 07/22/11 | No Comments | Read More
Soon: An Urgent Communiqué of Vital Import …
A Wild Communiqué Appears! Floating in over the transom this morning came an inspired, rambling, two-part missive, part neurodiversity manifesto, part invitation to a flash mob, part lulzsensical cal... [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 07/21/11 | No Comments | Read More
Snapshots: Mutual Reciprocity and Empathy Erosion
Two sometime Shift contributors reflecting on current events and recent publication in the autism world, and giving hard looks at under-examined assumptions about social behavior and empathy: Lili Mar... [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 07/21/11 | No Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part Thirteen: Pilgrim
Awiyan had picked dandelion greens all morning in the foothills of the mountain, just above the fog line where the rainforest ended. The gentle slopes, sunlight, and colorful spring flowers almost ma... [Read More]
Gwen McKay on 07/20/11 | 8 Comments | Read More
Autism Research, Prenatal Testing, and “The Autistic Genocide Clock”
As originally posted, this page was a response to an article published on MSNBC.com on Feb. 23, 2005, in which Dr. Joseph Buxbaum, a prominent research scientist, predicted that genetic research on au... [Read More]
Unity Does Not Mean Uniformity
Society and social interaction are helpful tools for the introvert. Society does not just happen for its own sake in our point of view. It requires justification, for from proper justification comes... [Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/18/11 | No Comments | Read More
Snapshots: Power and Surrender
Three items that caught my eye as they’ve floated by this month, presented here without comment. Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, as interviewed in the New York Times Magazine: NYT... [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 07/15/11 | No Comments | Read More
This poem was written for Sam Drezner, the son of filmmaker Todd Drezner who has released a new documentary, Loving Lampposts. Todd and his wife Erika discovered that Sam was autistic shortly before ... [Read More]
Nicole Nicholson on 07/14/11 | 1 Comment | Read More
Update: Psychopaths, Sociopaths, ASPD and ASD/Aspergers: Recap and Resources
A few years ago there was a rage among psychologists and sociologists looking at the prevalence of sociopaths/psychopaths in the workplace. I got caught up in that and did a ton of research; at one p... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 07/14/11 | No Comments | Read More
Narcissism, ASPD and ASD/Aspergers
Narcissistic people and Sociopaths/Psychopaths are very similar in their effects on the ASD population in that dealing with either is stressful and can damage our self-esteem and career. However they... [Read More]
Scott Shea on 07/14/11 | No Comments | Read More
The Eternal Song, Part Twelve: Priestess
As if welcoming a guest to her home, Riadne had swept the cave’s floor and had brought pine branches inside. The fragrant branches both decorated the altar and covered the uneven granite; it was st... [Read More]
Gwen McKay on 07/13/11 | 104 Comments | Read More
(Yet Another) Top Ten Myths About Introverts
The overlap in the way both the social and physical worlds are experienced by autistics and introverts is one I continue to find fascinating. The question of whether the two conditions ought to be equ... [Read More]
Mark Stairwalt on 07/12/11 | No Comments | Read More
Extrovert Malfunction in Foreign Societies
Extroverts are extremely specialized and well adapted to the standards of their society. They are so attached to their ways that encountering other customs and world views is extremely uncomfortable ... [Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/11/11 | No Comments | Read More
I’m always very interested in the observations of parents regarding the literal nature of their autistic children’s thinking. I’ve read many tales of children who take idiomatic expressions lit... [Read More]
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on 07/8/11 | 13 Comments | Read More
