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Impaired imagination?

This article was inspired by a comment I saw on the girl with the curly hair Facebook page. Somebody had commented on a post of mine, which talked about people with ASD having impaired social imagination. The person said she “had lots of imagination.” This intrigued me. Then I understood that people are often misunderstood… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like…

People with ASD – excellent theory of mind

The connection between theory of mind and ASD has been studied extensively and is strongly suggestive of people with ASD having impaired theory of mind compared to their neurotypical counterparts. One definition of theory of mind is: ‘Being aware that another person may have a different point of view’ Theory of mind is developed during childhood. So, if people with ASD have impaired theory… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article…

Dealing with aggressive behaviour

“How do I deal with ASD and aggression?” One of the hardest things to deal with, for any parent or loved one, is the expression of aggressive behaviour. Whether the person has ASD or not, aggression is never acceptable behaviour, and you should always aim to avoid it when possible. My goal in this blog is… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read th…

New books by Alis Rowe

Just a brief post to announce that there are a few new print copy books available… The 4th Comic Book For AS/NT Couples: Volume 4 (The Girl with the Curly Hair presents The Comic Books) The fourth in the series, this book is aimed at couples in which one partner is on the autistic spectrum. This book beautifully depicts the motivations and desires of the autistic and the non-autistic (‘neurotypical’) partner, who, despite being different, end up finding each other and f…

The three layers of relating to somebody else

Today I have been thinking about how we show that we care about another person. Looking at relationships in the simplest way, I believe there are three layers involved when we relate to another person. They are shown in the image below…. Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receiving access to our exclusive animations, podcasts an…

Celebrating the spectrum – 10 positives about ASD

1. People with ASD are passionate as well as driven A lot of people are either passionate or driven, it’s a lot less common for someone to be both. Passion is a genuine love for your hobby or work. Passion isn’t the goal, it’s the journey. If you want to be good at anything you have to… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along with receivi…

Making up after an argument – how the NT can help

Arguments can happen inside any loving relationship. A NT in a relationship with a person with ASD will experience different sorts of arguments than if he were with another NT. The way in which the make up happens will also be different to a NT/NT relationship. The aim of this blog article is to provide… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, alon…

The Line Theory

Another way of describing rigidity in thinking and behaviour of people with ASD is using the Line Theory. As individuals, we have complete control over our thoughts and behaviour. In a sense, that means we can live our lives how we want to. Have you ever played the computer game, The Sims? This sort of… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to read this article, along…

Perfectionism and ASD – management strategies and solutions

Some people are perfectionists. Through my reading I have discovered that a lot of people with ASD are perfectionists. Since 'perfect' does not exist, continuously striving for it is always going to lead a person to feel they have failed due to overly critical self-evaluations. Being autistic as well as perfectionistic does more harm than good and can cause a lot of anxiety. Perfectionism is painful and limiting to live with. Why are people with ASD prone to being perfectionists? Black and white thinking. Something is either perfect or a failure A love of rules and inability to see exceptions to rules Low self-esteem generally Extreme passion, excitement and focus for things Poor executive functioning abilities

Why is it so important for a person with ASD to have a special interest?

A characteristic of autism spectrum disorders is having ‘special interests’. What differentiates a special interest from a hobby is the quality and intensity of these interests. It is difficult to state easily what the difference is between a person on the spectrum’s ‘special interest’ and a neurotypical person’s ‘hobby.’ Can a neurotypical person have a special interest,… Join The Curly Hair Project Communi…