The neurodiversity paradigm is a social justice concept that reframes neurologically based conditions including autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, as beneficial forms of diversity. A question arising from this framework is the degree to which people forge neurodiversity identities based in self-acceptance. Little is known about identity…

Reduced cognitive empathy may put autistic people at risk for bullying. We compared interpretations of bullying provided by 22 autistic and 15 non-autistic college students. Autistic (and non-autistic) students reported less severe bullying in college relative to earlier in development. Chronic bullying was associated with improvements in…

Using discourse analytic methodology, this study examines video data collected during a social group intervention designed to promote engagement between teens with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and their peers. The analysis focuses on the interactive means by which the participants construct the identity of the group member with an ASD,…

This article explores how visual impairment might impact on early social and emotional development including self-awareness and communication with others. Some children show a "developmental setback" and other worrying developmental trajectories in the early years, including autistic related behaviours and autistic spectrum disorders.…

The phenomenon of neonatal imitation, and the use of mutual imitation by mother and baby in the service of attunement, are considered in relation to psychoanalytic theories of mirroring, imitation and identification. Material from infant observation and from the treatment of two children on the autistic spectrum is discussed in terms of the…

A review of the development of self and empathy in infancy in general is followed by discussion of atypical development, noting that autistic children have a general deficit in development of empathic capacity and physical and representational sense of self. Specific interventions to enhance the development of both sense of self and empathic…

This research report includes articles on students, leadership, and technology related to the Georgia Psychoeducational Network (GPN), which serves students with severe emotional disturbances or behavior disorders. "The Relationship of Locus of Control of Reinforcement to Indicators of Student Growth in Academic, Behavioral, and Social…