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Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.

Well in the past decade autism has gotten more attention by the media and the wider culture

and you probably know someone with autism or has a child with autism.

And some of you listening probably have a child with autism.

Yet despite the spotlight autism has gotten in recent years,

several myths and misconceptions about it pervade the popular culture.

But understanding the history of how our conception of autism that we have today

developed can go a long way in shedding light on these myths.

Well my guess today is written was probably the most extensive history of autism research out there.

His name is Steve Silverman in his book as Neurotribe,

the legacy of autism in the future of neurodiversity.

Today on the show Steve and I discuss the forgotten history of autism research

and some of the popular myths that we have about autism out there such as

it being caused by cold refrigerator moms, certain foods, vaccines etc.

Theories as to why autism even exists,

how parents should approach raising a child on the spectrum

and advice on how to connect with your autistic friends and colleagues.

Really fascinating show highlights a lot of things that I didn't know about.

After the show's over make sure you check out the show notes at

aawim.is slash Neurotribe where you can find links to research where you can delve deeper into this topic.

Steve Silverman welcome to the show.

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