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Autistics appear different, but also are different, and this should be valued

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2019

Michelle Dawson Open the ORCID record for Michelle Dawson [Opens in a new window]  and
Tyler Cowen
Michelle Dawson
Affiliation:
University of Montreal and Riviere-des-Prairies Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H1E 1A4. [email protected]://sites.google.com/site/autismcrisis/
Tyler Cowen
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030. [email protected]://publicchoice.gmu.edu/tylercowen
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Abstract

We agree that autistics’ unusual overt behaviors don't necessarily mean reduced social motivation. But Jaswal & Akhtar maintain that, while autistics may appear socially uninterested, their social interest is in fact typical and indeed must be to avoid multiple poor outcomes. This problematic idealization of social typicality deflects attention from important differences in autistic cognition and interests, which should be valued.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 42 , 2019 , e85
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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