Mark welcomes back the phenomenal Heidi Mavir, who is an  author, a neurodivergent advocate, activist, public speaker and Mum of a neurodifferent son (20, diagnosed autistic with a tic disorder, as well as suspected dyslexia and  Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). They pick up on a topic they very briefly touched on in the previous episode they recorded, which is whether there's any truth to the commonly-held belief that autistics don't feel empathy (spoiler alert - that view is abject nonsense).

They dissect the very concept of empathy to try and understand why it's viewed as so important to neurotypicals, what "the double empathy problem" is and why our kids' way of displaying and responding to empathy is so varied.

This is a genuinely insightful episode that gives a lot of food for thought when considering whether our own kids are able to feel empathy.

Heidi Mavir EOTAS Matters website - https://www.heidimavir.com/

"Your Child Is Not Broken" by Heidi Mavir - https://amzn.eu/d/8di4y0X

"Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?" by Pierre Novellie - https://amzn.eu/d/fd51tDR

"How To Win Friends and Influence People" - https://amzn.eu/d/fd51tDR

The Double Empathy Problem - https://reframingautism.org.au/miltons-double-empathy-problem-a-summary-for-non-academics/

"I Didn't See You There" by Charlotte Gail - https://amzn.to/3PUk4n1

Sesame Street Introduce Autistic Character - https://youtu.be/dKCdV20zLMs

Muppet Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/JXaVI60BFJM

Heidi Mavir on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@heidimavir

CONTACT US

If you have any feedback about the show, ideas for topics, suggestions for neurodiversity champions or any "What the flip?" moments you'd like to share, you can email: [email protected]

Instagram: www.instagram.com/neuroshambles

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@neuroshamblespod

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Neuroshambles

Threads: www.threads.net/@neuroshambles

The Neuroshambles theme tune was created by Skilsel on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/