Atypical: The Podcast

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A short mini-series looking at autistic representation in the media. You know, those quirky math genius types who don't get sarcasm and are always painfully middle class and white. Those autists. 

In Episode one, Simon sets the scene and explains why we got the kind of representation that we did for the next... *check calendar* well for the last 40 years or so. 

Sources used include:
 History and diagnosis - 

• Kanner, L. (1943). Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact. Nervous Child, 2, 217-250. 
• Kanner, L. (1949). Problems of Nosology and Psychodynamics of Early Infantile Autism. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 19(3), 416-426. 
• Silberman, S. (2015). NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. 
• Bettelheim, B. (1967). The Empty Fortress. Free Press. 
• Refrigerator Mothers (2003). Documentary, dir. David E. Simpson, Kartemquin Films. 
• Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute: history of the Johns Hopkins institutions in East Baltimore. 
• Czech, H. (2018). Hans Asperger, National Socialism, and "race hygiene" in Nazi-era Vienna. Molecular Autism, 9, 29. 

The extreme male brain - 

• Baron-Cohen, S. (2005). Testing the extreme male brain (EMB) theory of autism: Let the data speak for themselves. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 10(1), 77-81. 
• Baron-Cohen, S. (2010). Empathizing, systemizing, and the extreme male brain theory of autism. Progress in Brain Research, 186. 
• Greenberg, D.M. et al. (2018). Testing the Empathizing-Systemizing theory of sex differences and the Extreme Male Brain theory of autism in half a million people. PNAS, 115(48). 
• Beking, T. (2020). Amniotic testosterone and psychological sex differences: a systematic review of the extreme male brain theory. 
• Ridley, R. (2019). Some difficulties behind the concept of the "Extreme male brain" in autism research. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 57, 19-27. 
• van Eijk, L. & Zietsch, B.P. (2021). Testing the extreme male brain hypothesis. Autism Research, 14(8). 
• Bejerot, S. et al. (2012). The extreme male brain revisited: gender coherence in adults with autism spectrum disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 201, 116-123. 

The 1980s and 90s - 

• Treffert, D.A. & Christensen, D.D. (2006). Inside the Mind of a Savant. Scientific American Mind, 17(3). 
• Jones, J. (2021). Scripted Realities: Representations of Autism in Hollywood and Their Effect on Public Discourse. Thesis, Trinity College, Hartford.
• Nordahl-Hansen, A., Oien, R.A. & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2018). Pros and Cons of Character Portrayals of Autism on TV and Film. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
• Howlin, P. et al. (2009). Savant skills in autism. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. MMR and the media
• Godlee, F., Smith, J. & Marcovitch, H. (2011). Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent. BMJ, 342, c7452.
• Attrill, A. (2022). Difference and Documentary: Images of Autism in Contemporary British Factual Television. PhD thesis, University of Portsmouth.
• Panorama: MMR, Every Parent's Choice (BBC, 2002); 
• Dispatches: MMR, What They Didn't Tell You (Channel 4, 2004); 
• Horizon: Does the MMR Jab Cause Autism? (BBC, 2005). 

The character sheet - 

• Ressa, T. (2022). Histrionics of Autism in the Media and the Dangers of False Balance and False Identity on Neurotypical Viewers. Journal of Disability Studies in Education, 2, 1-26.
• Jones, S.C., Gordon, C.S. & Mizzi, S. (2023). Representation of autism in fictional media: A systematic review. Autism, 27(8), 2205-2217. 
• Baker, A.D. (2008). Recognizing Jake: Contending with Formulaic and Spectacularized Representations of Autism in Film. In M. Osteen (ed.), Autism and Representation. Routledge. 
• Black, R.S. & Pretes, M. (2007). Victims and Victors: Representation of Physical Disability on the Silver Screen. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 32(1). 

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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So, does taking ADHD amfetamines make you an addict?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: still no, but here is the evidence

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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Ever had one of those messages that just doesn't seem quite right? A piece of writing that feels almost human? 

Some of the links for this episode include

• The Caelen Conrad video about the Florida University shooting
• ChatGPT is Bullshit from the University of Glasgow
• The Uncanny Valley - MIT Thesis
• Eroding the Uncanny Valley - BPS
• The uncanny valley effect in embodied conversational agents 
• Object personification in autism: This paper will be very sad if you don't read it 
• LegalEagle - Lawyer who used ChatGPT

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Well it's that time of year again. Time to talk awareness and acceptance - and some history because someone left me alone with a microphone. 

I'd recommend reading Herwig Czech on Asperger, Steve Silberman on Kanner and Brian Deer on Wakefield. 

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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Ok. So. ADHD is a thing and this episode got delayed, but it is before the New Year. The Lunar New Year but anyway. Gong xi fa cai and enjoy this episode from late 2025.

Please check out Georgia's "Age of Diagnosis" video, it is very good.

You can find us all on Bluesky: Simon, Alexander, Georgia & Filip

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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Content warning: There is a discussion of suicide and self-harm during this episode. It is important and contextualised but this is a content warning nonetheless. 

If you are struggling, there is help available. In the UK, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123, You can also email [email protected]. If phone calls aren't accessible for you, text SHOUT to 85258.

In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They also have a web chat. And there's the Crisis Text Line - text HELLO to 741741.

Elsewhere, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has a directory of crisis centres worldwide www.iasp.info 

Papers used in preparation of this episode include:

• Link to Roper et al. 2025 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13229-025-00693-x 
• Link to Chikaura et al. 2025 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.70137 
• Link to 2023 meta-analysis: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13229-023-00544-7
• Link to DBT RCT: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/effectiveness-and-safety-of-dialectical-behavior-therapy-for-suicidal-ideation-and-behavior-in-autistic-adults-a-pragmatic-randomized-controlled-trial/4464CA3C0D3DDEF5F3A4BD45415B9B50
• Link to AASP download: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/neurodisability/leafletsandmeasures/autismadaptedsafetyplans/
• Link to UK Suicide Prevention Strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-strategy-for-england-2023-to-2028
• Link to JAMA paper on autism/TGNC intersection: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2824667
• Autistic identity systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38334318/
• Interpersonal Theory in autism: https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-022-00495-5
• Camouflaging and suicide: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31820344/
• 988 autism resources: https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/if-youre-neurodivergent/
• Autistica suicide page: https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/suicide-and-autism
• Trevor Project autism brief: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/mental-health-among-autistic-lgbtq-youth-apr-2022/
• Warning signs resource (988): https://988lifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Warning-Signs-Resource-Sept-2021-2.pdf

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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Sigh. Ok, paracetamol DOES NOT cause autism. Here is why it's dangerous to say so.

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38592388/
• https://pharmasource.global/content/policy-briefing/trump-administration-draws-autism-acetaminophen-link-despite-scientific-skepticism/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx20d4lr67lo
• https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-expected-link-autism-with-tylenol-experts-say-more-research-needed-2025-09-22/
• https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r2004
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2025/09/24/the-tylenol-paracetamol-autism-scare-poses-a-grave-challenge-for-science-communicators/
• https://abcnews.go.com/Health/sick-stomach-trump-distorts-facts-autism-tylenol-vaccines/story?id=125852331
• https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/researcher-behind-trump-tylenol-autism-expert-testimony-tossed/
• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02876-1
• 
  

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Simon got annoyed and took to the mic to talk about IQ testing. Health warning, it's not a great subject. IQ testing has been used to justify racism, classism and genocide. But we need to face up to this stuff to make sure it is left in the dustbin of history. 

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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What happens when a psychologist tries to do philosophy? Usually nothing good. Happily, we have a philosopher on hand to explain why this is not a good idea. Join Simon as Alexander dives in Simon Baron-Cohen's book "Zero Degrees of Empathy" and explains that, actually, autistic people can be empathetic. 

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website. 

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Simon has been reading again, this time a paper on autistic and non-autistic rapport: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13623613251320444  

Simon also makes reference to another paper https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613241252320 Do check them both out. 

More episodes soon and with more than just Simon rambling into a microphone in some sort of avant-garde expressionist *a single shot rings out*

As ever we thank you, our loyal listeners for sticking with us. We would love to hear from you so look for our contact details in your podcast app or via our website.