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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 5d

Full link here: www.autistica.org.uk/blog/trump-c...

The Trump administration's latest autism claims: what does the research say? | Autistica

We've created this blog to help you understand why the recent Trump administration claims about autism are not correct.

www.autistica.org.uk

Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 5d

I just read this post by @autistica.org.uk helping people make sense of the Trump administration's claims regarding the link between #Tylenol / #paracetamol and #autism:
shorturl.at/LYe6Q
It's a great, easy-to-follow, and accurate summary of the claims vis-a-vis evidence. Definitely recommended!

The Trump administration's latest autism claims: what does the research say? | Autistica

We've created this blog to help you understand why the recent Trump administration claims about autism are not correct.

www.autistica.org.uk

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

You can view the (free) author accepted manuscript here: lenamatyjek.com/publications/

Publications and manuscripts

Matyjek, M., Dziobek, I., Hamilton, A., Whetley, T. (2025), Social Interaction Style in Autism: A narrative review of social behaviours and outcomes in autistic and neurotypical interactions. Autis…

lenamatyjek.com

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

That’s why we also stress including autistic voices in research. Who better to define what a meaningful social interaction looks like than those who experience them? Let's build more inclusive and accurate science. #Autism #Neurodiversity #DoubleEmpathyProblem

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

A crucial insight from our work is that understanding social interactions requires shifting perspective. Moving beyond individual “deficits” (especially in behaviours unrelated to outcomes) and focusing on relational dynamics gives a fuller, fairer picture of social experience.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

Our takeaway: **different doesn’t mean deficient**. For example: while neurotypicals more eye contact may mean more connections with the other person, some autistic people may avoid eye contact but still form positive, meaningful connections with their interaction partners.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

Crucially - not many studies related the behaviours to the interaction outcomes! Just because autistic people do something differently, it does not necessarily mean that it leads to less successful interactions, at least with other autistic individuals.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

On the other hand, studies looking into behavioural differences show mixed results: we found both similarities (e.g., general turn-taking) and differences (e.g., reduced mutual gaze and backchanneling in autistic interactions) in social behaviours between the neurotypes.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

Most support for the DEP (autistic individuals preferring interactions with other autistic rather than neurotypical peers) comes from studies that examine subjective ratings — for example, perceived rapport, sense of connection, or willingness to meet again.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

We reviewed 25 studies looking into interaction between autistic, non-autistic, or mix-neurotype dyads and we systematically mapped social behaviours (like turn-taking or mutual gaze) and interaction outcomes (like established rapport).

A model of social interaction combining social ability, social behaviours, and social interaction outcomes.

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

Historically, social challenges in #autism have often been framed as “deficits” in autistic individuals. But what if (at least) some difficulties arise from differences in communication styles between neurotypes (autism vs neurotypical)? You may know this idea as the Double Empathy Problem (DEP).

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · 21d

I'm so excited to finally share work that’s been a couple of years in the making!
See our new paper on *social interactions in #autism*, co-authored with Isabel Dziobek, @antoniahamilton.bsky.social & @thaliawheatley.bsky.social in @autisminadulthood.bsky.social 🎉
www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Social Interaction Style in Autism: A Narrative Review of Social Behaviors and Outcomes in Autistic and Neurotypical Interactions | Autism in Adulthood

Social interaction difficulties are a defining feature of autism. Historically, research has concentrated on comparing the social behaviors of autistic and neurotypical individuals in cross-neurotype ...

www.liebertpub.com

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Reposted by Dr Lena Matyjek

SINe Lab @sinelabdtu.bsky.social · Apr 29

We're hiring a Postdoc!
Join us for 13 months of research on computational modelling of social dynamics!

We're looking for a candidate with a background in complex systems.

Please spread the word or get in touch if interested!
efzu.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Postdoc in Social Dynamics and Complex Systems - DTU Compute

Are you interested in uncovering the mechanisms underlying human social dynamics between dyads, groups, and social networks, during real-time social interaction? We invite applications for an appointm...

efzu.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com

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Reposted by Dr Lena Matyjek

Bhisma Chakrabarti @bhisma.bsky.social · Jun 26

It's finally here! Looking forward to two days of immersion in facial expressions research from around the world at Reading Emotions 2025 sites.google.com/site/reading...
#ReadEmo25

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 27

We're looking for a PhD candidate for a project investigating neural synchrony in #autism at @upf.edu ! 🎓

📍 Location: Barcelona, Spain
📅 Duration: 3–4 years, starting Winter term 2025/26
🔍 About the project & application: See attachment 👇

Please share with anyone interested!

@mrgbcn.bsky.social

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 21

I'm excited to be joining Reading Emotions in a month! I hope to see many of you there :)

Carien van Reekum @carien.bsky.social · Mar 1

Register now for the 14th annual Reading Emotions on 26-27 June with a stellar interdisciplinary line-up of speakers to discuss “Facial expressions of emotion”. Submit abstracts for short talks and apply for travel grants sites.google.com/site/reading.... We look forward to seeing you at #ReadEmo25

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Reposted by Dr Lena Matyjek

Carien van Reekum @carien.bsky.social · Mar 1

Register now for the 14th annual Reading Emotions on 26-27 June with a stellar interdisciplinary line-up of speakers to discuss “Facial expressions of emotion”. Submit abstracts for short talks and apply for travel grants sites.google.com/site/reading.... We look forward to seeing you at #ReadEmo25

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 10

Yes! My next bigger idea is to help create a Catalonia-based participatory autism group, so that the community can co-create knowledge rather than just participate in it locally. Atm, I’m looking for funding, options, and interested representatives… let me know if you have ideas to share! :)

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 10

Thats exactly the thing! :)

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 10

That’s a good point. I’m a researcher, so for us knowing more is always better- it makes the knowledge we generate more accurate and potentially more impactful. But you’re right- the world is more complex and we are not free of stigma and even discrimination. Thanks for the reminder!

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 9

Absolutely right. In some talks I get a push against neuroaffirmative language, in others even when I explicitly call for inclusive and non-ableist language I still get a criticism even for saying „atypicality”, and in some… no one cares 😅 But I keep pushing - respect and inclusion are crucial!

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 9

Yeah, that’s a big topic. It’s amazing we’re understanding more and more about neurodiversity, but we don’t have good models for this complexity and overlaps. There’s a lot of promise in the RDOC approach, but it’s yet to show some breakthroughs…

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 8

Ah, got it! Makes sense. I never thought of the word „spectrum” as something necessarily linear, but now that I think of it, I can’t come up with any example that doesn’t have this connotation (light, electromagnetic, etc). Thanks for that! :)

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 8

Don’t get me wrong - I’d always go for „autistic” over any expression with „spectrum”. It’s just for phrases where it’s actually useful to emphasise how heterogeneous autism is and that it IS a spectrum (with n dimensions, as we all agree).
[I think I replied before to the thread, sorry!]

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Dr Lena Matyjek @lmatyjek.bsky.social · May 8

Absolutely agreed. That’s why I’m looking for alternative options to the „traditional” ones. We should always try to capture the true richness of the experience, abilities and difficulties. But we also have to be pragmatic - sometimes we just can’t use a full description and need a shorter phrase…

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