I’ve just recently finished a graduate level communications class for which we had to present two 5-minute presentations. My first talk was about differences between the U.S. culture and other cultures in “smiling rates” and the understanding of when smiling is appropriate. I’ve decided to make my second speech about autism. The big stumbling block [...]
Nonverbal autistic teenagers “speak outâ€
Amanda Baggs (see the entry “Non-verbal Autism and Intelligence – some myths debunked”) is not the only nonverbal autistic person who communicates through a computer. More than a year ago, in March 2007, PBS Boston station, WBUR broadcast a program about about Portia Iverson, an Emmy-winning Hollywood art director and the author of Strange Son: [...]
Non-verbal Autism and Intelligence – some myths debunked
The idea that non-verbal autistics have low IQ in general and are unaware of their surroundings is a myth that has to be debunked. Consider Amanda Baggs, featured in the article “The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know†by David Wolman in the March 2008 issue of Wired Magazine. The 27-year-old [...]