Autism Lexicon: Social Capital
Social capital is the value derived from social networks, relationships, and community trust that enable cooperation and support. In autism, building social capital can be challenging due to differences in communication and social interactions, but it is crucial for fostering inclusion and improving quality of life... Read More....
Autism Lexicon: Autistic Inertia
Autistic inertia refers to the difficulty some autistic individuals experience in initiating or terminating tasks, linked to neurobiological factors affecting cognitive flexibility, task switching, and motor planning.
PlainSpeak: Autistic inertia describes the challenges that autistic people may face in starting or stopping activities, often needing extra effort or support due to differences in brain function
Autism Lexicon: Blindsight
Blindsight refers to the residual visual capabilities in individuals with damage to the primary visual cortex, allowing them to respond to visual stimuli without conscious perception. Its relevance to autism lies in investigating the potential for similar dissociations between conscious and subconscious sensory processing in autistic individuals.[Read More: Academic/Scientific Audience ]
PlainSpeak: Blindsight is a phenomenon where people with certain types of brain damage can respond to visual stimuli without consciously seeing them. Its connection to autism involves exploring how sensory information might be processed differently in both conditions, sometimes without conscious awareness. [Read more: PlainSpeak Plain Language for Lay Audience]
Autism Lexicon: Hostile Attribution Bias
Hostile attribution bias is a cognitive tendency to interpret ambiguous behaviors of others as having hostile intent or leading to hostile outcomes. In autism, this bias is linked to social communication challenges and a heightened sensitivity to perceived social threats.
PlainSpeak: Hostile attribution bias is when someone thinks others are being mean on purpose, even if it's not clear. In autism, this happens more often because autistic people can struggle with understanding social cues and might feel more easily threatened.
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Read more on Hostile Attribution Bias: [Version for Scientific/Academic Audience], [PlainSpeak for the Lay Reader], [A Simple Definition]
Related Posts on [Neuroception], [Negative Attribution Bias]
Autism Lexicon: Negative Attribution Bias
Negative attribution bias in autism is the tendency to interpret ambiguous social cues as having negative intentions or untrustworthy, often stemming from past trauma or lifelong experiences of discrimination and ableism.
PlainSpeak: Negative attribution bias in autism means seeing others' actions as negative due to a lack of trust, often caused by past bad experiences or ongoing unfair treatment
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Read more on Negative Attribution Bias: [Version for Scientific/Academic Audience], [PlainSpeak for the Lay Reader], [A Simple Definition]
Related Posts: [Hostile Attribution Bias], [Neuroception]
The E-I Imbalance hypothesis posits that an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory signaling in the brain contributes to the sensory, cognitive, and behavioral features of autism.
PlainSpeak: This idea says that a mix-up between signals that excite and calm the brain can cause the sensory, thinking, and behavior issues in autism.
Predictive coding is a theoretical framework in which the brain is modeled as a hierarchical system that generates predictions about incoming sensory data, constantly updating its internal models to minimize prediction errors. Autism, in the context of predictive coding, is hypothesized to involve atypicalities in how the brain generates, updates, and weights predictions and prediction errors, contributing to sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviors, and social difficulties.[Read in more detail]
Read in More Detail about Predictive Coding Theory of Autism
For the Scientific/Academic Audience
PlainSpeak Plain Language for Lay Reader
The Parvalbumin (PV) hypothesis of autism suggests that dysfunction in PV-expressing interneurons leads to an imbalance in excitation and inhibition, contributing to core features of autism such as sensory hypersensitivity and seizures. [Read in more detail For the Science/Academic Reader]
Layspeak: The PV hypothesis of autism proposes that problems with specific brain cells called PV neurons cause an imbalance in brain signals, leading to common autism traits like sensitivity to sensory inputs and a higher chance of seizures. [Read in more Detail PlainSpeak for the Lay Reader]
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For the Science/Academic Reader
Mental Time Travel (MTT) refers to the cognitive ability to mentally project oneself backward in time to recall past events or forward in time to anticipate future scenarios. In relation to autism, MTT research explores how individuals with autism may experience differences in episodic memory and future-oriented thinking, potentially leading to challenges in recalling specific personal events or imagining detailed future scenarios. [ Read in more detail on MTT]
PlainSpeak: Mental Time Travel (MTT) is our brain’s way of thinking back to past memories or imagining what might happen in the future. For people with autism, MTT might work differently, sometimes making it harder to remember personal events or imagine future plans. [Read in more detail, a PlainSpeak Version]
Related Posts: [Autism Theories], [Sensorimotor], [Neuroscience of Autism]
Special interests in autism are intense and highly focused areas of interest that individuals may pursue with great enthusiasm and expertise, often serving as a source of comfort and a means of coping with sensory and social challenges.
PlainSpeak: Special interests are topics or activities that autistic people are extremely passionate about and know a lot about, which can be both a hobby and a way to feel comfortable.
Read more about Special Interests
Monotropism in autism refers to a cognitive tendency toward deep focus on specific interests or tasks, often leading to intense concentration and reduced awareness of broader contexts or multiple stimuli.
PlainSpeak: Monotropism is when someone, often an autistic person, focuses deeply on one thing, making it hard to pay attention to other things around them.
Read more about Monotropism
Autism Lexicon: Diagnostic Overshadowing
Diagnostic overshadowing in autism occurs when the symptoms and behaviors associated with autism obscure or overshadow the presence of other mental or physical health conditions. This can lead to misdiagnosis, underdiagnosis, or delayed diagnosis of other conditions, ultimately impacting the individual's overall care and treatment outcomes.
PlainSpeak: Diagnostic overshadowing in autism is when doctors focus too much on autism and miss other health problems because they think it must be all because of autism.
The cocktail party effect refers to the brain's ability to focus on a specific auditory stimulus, such as a single conversation, in a noisy environment. In autism, difficulties with this selective auditory attention may contribute to sensory overload and challenges in social communication.
PlainSpeak: The cocktail party effect is the ability to tune into one conversation in a noisy room. Many autistic individuals may find this difficult, leading to sensory overload and making social situations challenging.
Read more on the Cocktail Party Effect:
Autism Lexicon: Weak Central Coherence (WCC) Theory
The WCC Theory is a cognitive theory of autism (cognitive theories try to explain how autistics think).
It suggests that autistics focus on noticing details but might struggle with seeing the bigger picture. This affects how they see and understand the world around them. This unique way of thinking brings both strengths and challenges, affecting everyday tasks, social interactions, and work or hobbies.
Spoon Theory: Spoon theory is a conceptual framework that uses "spoons" as units to represent finite daily energy reserves in individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses. In autism, it underscores the significant energy demands associated with sensory processing challenges and social interactions, which can lead to rapid energy depletion.[Read on at..
PlainSpeak: Spoon theory is a way to explain the limited energy people with disabilities or chronic illnesses have, using "spoons" as a metaphor for energy. For autistic people, it highlights how everyday activities and sensory experiences can quickly deplete their energy, helping others understand the need for empathy and support.