Researchers at Rutgers University in Newark are studying how our visual system interprets the intent of subtle physical movements. Today’s PhysOrg quotes the leader of the research, Dr. Maggie Shiffrar, professor of psychology:
Almost all people possess some autistic tendencies, explains Shiffrar, but her research shows that those with the fewest autistic tendencies “are best at detecting the weak signals provided by body movement.” Thus, people with very few autistic tendencies are the best at interpreting emotion from body movement.
Working with test participants under a $750,000 grant from the Simons Foundation, Shiffrar has discovered that people with autistic spectrum disorder …read more

In yesterday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer, journalist Paul Nyhan writes about parents as the “invisible casualties” when a child has autism. 4-year-old Sharky Munat’s mother, Lillie Addams, recalls when the police showed up because Sharky’s screams permeated the thin walls of their apartment. After her son was diagnosed with autism, Addams went through “depression, chest-seizing anxiety attacks, insomnia and incessant guilt that she wasn’t doing enough.” She says:
“It’s this overwhelming sense of powerlessness….I feel blamed by society, by insurance companies. As if it was somehow our fault.”
Sharky is fortunate to have three parents. He lives with Addams and her partner, Stormy Addams; …read more