The stereotype of Autistic people as unempathetic obsessive loners is pernicious. Dispelling this myth, long-time autistic activist Jorik Mol discovers how empathy and sensing the emotions of others both reinforce and challenge those stereotypes, exploring the profound depths of the autistic heart.
Unempathetic. Loner. Antisocial.
We've all heard these pernicious stereotypes. Being autistic entails living with a lot of prejudice about what we can and can't do. But we are so much more than the world seems to think...
Obsessive. Oversensitive. Over-emotional.
...Yet in the same breath, we are told to calm down. Our reactions are excessive and inappropriate.
So, which is it? Do we feel too much or too little? The answer is both, often at the same time. The challenge we face is fitting into a society that rigidly defines normality away from our ways of feeling. This act of valuing cultural tropes over our lived reality, Jorik calls neurochauvinism.
Fuelled by up-to-date autistic-led research, community experience and a very autistic relationship, neurodiversity activist Jorik Mol redresses the balance and shows the profound depths of the autistic heart, in a world that never moves at the pace of our emotions.
