Simon Baron-Cohen (@sbaroncohen) / X

Simon Baron-Cohen

1,945 posts

Simon Baron-Cohen

@sbaroncohen

cognitive neuroscientist; author 'Zero Degrees of Empathy', 'The Essential Difference', 'Mindblindness' and 'The Pattern Seekers'. Tweets are my opinions

Cambridge

autismresearchcentre.com

Joined May 2011

Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Sep 2, 2018
In 1923, 2 scientist at University of Toronto (U of T) got the Nobel Prize for discovering insulin. The patent was sold to U of T` for $1 so insulin would be widely available. Today, a single vial of insulin is > $250 and most patients use 2-4 vials per month and can't afford it
Steve Silberman
@stevesilberman
Sep 2, 2018
The soaring cost of insulin, which is killing diabetics, should be a front-page scandal. #insulin4all npr.org/sections/healt…
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Apr 28, 2018
I confess reading this letter made me cry. Written by a wife to her husband, minutes before being taken to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, to say goodbye to him and her children. The letter reached her husband, delivered by a German guard with compassion
'Into eternity': She did not survive the Holocaust, but her words did
From indystar.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Mar 13, 2020
Last night I advised those in my lab to work from home. This blog is the best data I've seen & the argument for immediate social distancing is convincing. Please read & forward it on to your employers & networks as working from home has to happen at scale
Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now
From tomaspueyo.medium.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Aug 11, 2018
I am disgusted by the #EndAutismNow campaign. This is hate speech and eugenics. How is this different to the Nazi EndJewsNow (1939-45) & the KKK white supremacist EndBlacksNow campaigns (1860-2018)? Treat symptoms in autistic people that cause suffering, but don't prevent autism
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Dec 9, 2018
What would you do if you fell through the ice? This 2 minute movie is interesting because it's counter-intuitive (relax, stay calm, breathe, take your time, plan, & don't try to pull yourself up), & a great metaphor for how to cope when bad & unexpected things happen in your life
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jan 24, 2018
Myth 9: autistic people lack empathy: untrue, most struggle with 'cognitive empathy' (imagining other's state of mind) but not 'affective empathy' (feeling an appropriate emotion triggered by another's state of mind) (if they hear someone is upset, it upsets them)
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jun 14, 2019
Scientists and other academics should follow this excellent example & refuse to speak on all male panels in conferences/scholarly meetings. This includes as keynote speakers or in round table discussions. A change in gender diversity has to happen quickly
NIH director will no longer speak on all-male science panels
From washingtonpost.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jul 22, 2018
Why did it take 70 years, from 1943 (when autism was discovered) to 2013 (DSM-5 was published) to acknowledge that sensory hyper-sensitivity and sensory overload are so central to autistic people's experience? Autistic adults share their tips on what helps themighty.com/2018/07/sensor…
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jul 8, 2018
If an autistic child can't talk but is showing high levels of self-injury, he/she may have painful gut problems. Asking a gastroenterologist (not a psychiatrist) to examine him/her might lead to a different treatment, and an end to the pain and self-injury
theatlantic.com
In Autism, the Importance of the Gut
Behavior problems may be explained by serotonin and bacteria in the bowels.
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Oct 20, 2020
How is it acceptable for a child to wait for a diagnosis for up to 3 years? In any other area of medicine this would be considered unethical, yet this has become normalised in the area of autism. & it’s not just children. Adults too often wait equally long
Children waiting up to three years for autism diagnosis, poll reveals
From theguardian.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jul 13, 2019
Do you know why an algorithms called an algorithm? The word is an adaptation of the name of a cool Persian mathematician called Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, born around AD780. Check out this 3 minute video to learn more about his contributions to human knowledge
How algorithms got their name
From bbc.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Apr 5, 2018
"Autistic people are not failed versions of 'normal'. They're different, not less"
Autistic people are not failed versions of “normal.” They’re different, not less
From ideas.ted.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jan 3, 2020
If you’re an employer you could change one autistic person’s life, by hiring them & moving them from the social exclusion of unemployment to the dignity of employment. For some, & with the right support, that act might be more effective than any treatments
Why you should hire an autistic person right now
From wired.com
Simon Baron-Cohen
@sbaroncohen
Jul 28, 2019
Are our schools failing 'neurodiverse' children, who feel their needs are not being met, drop out of school with depression and anxiety, and become isolated at home? Neurodiversity may be 15% of kids and includes autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, and dyslexia, etc
The children with special needs who stay at home
From bbc.co.uk