Replying to Uta Frith's views, one by one.
With thanks to all the members of the autistic community who've informed me & inspired me to write this thread.
For those lucky not to know about her article in The Times, and various other related statements, links at the end.
CW: it's upsetting š
A thread š§µ
#UtaFrith #Research #Autism #Autistic #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent
Her view: Autism in women has gone too far.
Reply: Interesting. Has freedom in women gone too far, too?
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Her view: We must categorise autism into smaller subgroups.
Reply: Interesting also - a bit like how Hans Asperger did in Nazi Germany? I think, in this case, the purpose is to exclude a lot of people from the category "autism" and to divide the autistic community.
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Her view: We can't have this many autistic people because itāll overload the system.
Reply: This makes it plain that it's the people who serve the system, and not the other way around. Maybe society should be structured so that all people's needs are met, instead?
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It almost seems she's been rolled out as part of the Old Guard, to try to turn the tide.
It saddens me that this article, and campaign in general, will do a lot of harm to many autistic people, in making sure they aren't taken seriously and won't get the support they need.
An excellent commentary from the author of Embrace Autism: https://resiliencymentalhealth.com/2026/03/10/the-autism-spectrum/
(Thanks to @adelinej for sharing this with me)
Links below.
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The Times article: https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/uta-frith-interview-autism-not-spectrum
Her podcast with Naomi Fisher: https://substack.com/@naomicfisher/note/p-189989936?r=ql236
@KatyElphinstone I'm a little late to reply but just wanted to say thank you for your thread. The interview is quite puzzling and frustrating. What is she trying to accomplish with this? Other than getting herself back into the spotlight. :/
And she doesn't really talk about systemic issues. Just mentions the long waiting lists as if they're normal and expected?
Interestingly, I saw that there's even some pushback from Tony Attwood:
https://www.attwoodandgarnettevents.com/blogs/news/prof-uta-frith-s-interview-what-do-we-think
Prof Uta Frith was interviewed on Wednesday, 4th March (here is the link if you missed it: https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/uta-frith-interview-autism-not-spectrum) about her current views on the international definitions of autism, including the idea of autism being a spectrum disorder. Who is Pr
I'm sending this to those I thought might be interested, you among them, I hope that's alright!
I've just been guest on the podcast that hosted Uta Frith.
Here's my podcast episode:
On substack (but I think anyone can listen to it):
https://neurosense.substack.com/p/why-we-need-to-reframe-autism-with
On Apple podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lets-talk-neurosense-the-psychology-of-neurodiversity/id1883007944
On Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/19fSshl0XkXqiKPCp3uyzO?si=gDBCV9koQHKqvEMHqrZJnw&t=2249
Pass it on if you like it.
Comments can be made on the Substack version, & very welcome! āŗļø
In the fourth episode of Letās Talk Neurosense, we talked to Katy Elphinstone, autistic advocate, researcher and author of How to Raise Happy Neurofabulous Children: A Parentās Guide.
K.J. Elphinstone
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