Liao L, Fombonne E. Autism Overdiagnosis and Its Harmful Effects. JAMA Pediatr. Published online April 13, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.0400
e.g. self-fulfilling prophecy; resource depletion; loss of precision and trivialising autism.
Attenuated selective attention during visual perspective taking in autism: A combined behavior, ERP, and pupillometry study by Polzer et al.
"... altered top-down recruitment during VPT and increased cognitive effort during perspective ratings."
acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
So interesting.
Nice! An advance in our knowledge of social cognitive development. 4-yr-olds intuitively understand information flows in social networks
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Young children understand how social connections affect what people know about each other
By Chuey, Jara-Ettinger & Gweon
Want to know more about Hans Asperger and his syndrome? You can listen to Ken Barrett's Brainland podcasts with me
shows.acast.com/brainland/ep...
and with Alice Jolly, author of "The Matchbox Girl"
shows.acast.com/brainland/ep...
Chris Frith in conversation about his life and work.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otgz...
6/6 Clinical precision is not ignoring suffering—it strives for the right support to reach the right people through rigorous, evidence-based models.
5/6 We must protect the most vulnerable. By grouping everyone together, we risk overlooking those with significant intellectual disabilities as the public discourse shifts entirely toward "different ways of thinking."
4/6 On "masking": Science requires objective, unbiased observation. Concepts rooted primarily in subjective self-report lack the precision needed for a stable medical category and can lead to circular reasoning.
3/6 Diagnosis must have differential value. Labeling all social struggle or hypersensitivity as "autism" risks missing underlying causes that require entirely different clinical interventions.
2/6 The "spectrum" has expanded to the point of collapse. If a single label covers both profound impairment and those with no intellectual or communicative deficits, it ceases to predict specific biological or medical needs.
1/6 Engaging with critiques of my @TES interview.
While I value the lived experience shared, we must distinguish between sociopolitical identity and clinical diagnostic utility. #Autism #Neurodiversity
Excited to see the world's greatest living pianist (IMHO) in May at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Here he is playing Schubert's 'Hungarian Melody' www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjFc...
‘We need to sort this problem out’: Liz Kendall tells MPs on STFC cuts
Science secretary assures House of Commons “we strongly back curiosity-led research”, despite impending cuts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
This makes me feel optimistic for what can be done for children in special education.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Has Broadening the Autism Spectrum Led to Overdiagnosis? | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
An amazing discovery
Western Calligraphy - interestingly different from Eastern Calligraphy
A joy to watch this video of an exceptional Victorian scientist presented by two exceptional modern scientists.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahLt...
I am pleased if the TES article made people think! We clearly need to have a discussion.
A thoughtful response from @dermotcasey.bsky.social to an interview with @utafrith.bsky.social about the expansion of the diagnostic category of "autism"
The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, with important implications for provision in overstreched classrooms. But, as @utafrith.bsky.social points out: "We’re all neurodiverse"...
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
I take very seriously anything that @utafrith.bsky.social says.
I'd love to know what @rosisexton.bsky.social thinks about this piece.
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Let’s replace the notion of a ‘spectrum’ with clearer groupings of
autism, Asbergers and hypersensitivity says @utafrith.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/article/a83d...
Autism-ness Does Not Exist, but Autism Does. Part 1: A Critic of the “Spectrum” Position Used to Describe, Diagnose, and Research Autism, and Its Alternative
By Mottron et al.
doi: 10.1177/23969415251404764
Some inconvenient truths about the dimensional (vs categorical) concept of autism.
Super-interesting.
Idyllic
A step towards biomarkers for ADHD.
doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2026.0001
Mapping ADHD Heterogeneity and Biotypes by Topological Deviations in Morphometric Similarity Networks
...Results of this case-control study reveal ... 3 distinct ADHD biotypes with unique clinical-neural profiles.
