In my novels The Birdcatcher and Skol, and in The Shyness Guide, I’ve said that I think shyness and autism are both usually natural. I've also suggested that, in some people, they may be connected. This perception of them isn’t supported by any research as far as I know. But when I was a boy … Continue reading Autism and Shyness | Are they related?
Autism | film review | Oops, Wrong Planet!
This 2010 film - subtitled "Understanding Asperger's Syndrome" - looks at first sight to be just another autism film, with a tour of autistic patients, much talk about symptoms and therapies, etc. But there is much more in the 55 minutes of this documentary. After suggesting that famous people like Einstein, Beethoven, Mozart, Van Gogh … Continue reading Autism | film review | Oops, Wrong Planet!
Shyness and Wolves | A new way of seeing ourselves?
In my book The Shyness Guide, I discuss The Pipestone Wolves, a book by animal behaviorist Gunter Bloch about a family of wolves that lived in Canada's Banff National Park. Bloch writes about the shyness that is common in wolves, and most wild animals. But he has a concept of shyness that is different. After … Continue reading Shyness and Wolves | A new way of seeing ourselves?
Autism | Could it be simple after all?
Long before I learned about autism, I was thinking about it. From the beginning I was a loner – when I entered school at 5 yrs old, I didn't keep to myself by choice, I did it by instinct. I was completely unable to have friends. As Chris Stone says in my novel The Birdcatcher, … Continue reading Autism | Could it be simple after all?
Rescuing Shyness | Resist the hostility of the social world
Nothing about shyness bothers non-shy people more than the reluctance of shy people to talk. "What's the matter with you? Speak up! Be assertive! Stop hiding from us!" - that's their common refrain in workplaces, at school, etc. Why are social people like that? I think it starts with their instinctual need for communication. Never … Continue reading Rescuing Shyness | Resist the hostility of the social world
Rescuing Reality | the Debate | The boy in the sandbox trying to save the world
Since the whole world seems to be talking about the so-called debate last night between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I've got to say something too. It is a bit of a relief to see that even the American media are calling it a disaster. One 'man in the street' said it was like watching … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | the Debate | The boy in the sandbox trying to save the world
Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 vs Humanity vs Everything Else
This week I saw a new statistic from the World Wildlife Fund – on average, species across the world have declined 68% in the past 40 years.Meanwhile, in the same time, that is since Ronald Reagan was elected in the USA in 1980, ushering in the great new age of Money First, we have gone … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 vs Humanity vs Everything Else
Paranormal World | Children who speak of past lives | Birthmarks
Had I heard about this anywhere else I would have quickly passed it by. It sounds too improbable. Even impossible. But psychiatrist Ian Stevenson was such a careful investigator that coming from him this stopped me in my tracks. Among the people who pay attention to the children who talk of past lives, are the … Continue reading Paranormal World | Children who speak of past lives | Birthmarks
Autism and Words
Words are not the same thing for those of us on the spectrum as they are for other people. From the time I entered elementary school as a small boy, I was very conscious of this. I couldn't put my thoughts into words then, but fifty or so years later I managed to do it … Continue reading Autism and Words
