Episode 411: Diametric Cognition—Refusing the Autism-Psychosis Axis

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Recorded09 Nov 2025

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Today’s episode argues against the persistence of the diametric cognition model in autism and psychosis research, which positions the two conditions as cognitive opposites. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, traces how this “Cambridge axis” originated with papers like Crespi and Badcock (2008), noting that it continues to permeate contemporary studies, often through subtle citation and unexamined repetition, even in new analyses like Ganai’s 2025 network study. Dr. Hoerricks asserts that this binary framework, which prioritises “elegance over truth,” fundamentally misrepresents the rich and complex interior lives of autistic people, often reducing their experience to metaphors of “alien minds”. Furthermore, she warns that Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems perpetuate this flawed canon by simply reflecting the citation density and historical authority of these older frameworks, mistaking reputation for truth. Ultimately, she calls for a shift toward autistic-led and community-governed research that refuses the deficit baseline and prioritises lived experience over symmetrical, but damaging, theoretical models.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/axis-worship-and-alien-minds-howLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.