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Whether you are new to the theory or interested in digging deeper, there are many possible places to start.

The animation below is an accessible 4-minute introduction to the key ideas.

This animation written and narrated by Kieran Rose and animated by Josh Knowles Animation; was commissioned by Health Education England and produced by AT Autism and Anna Freud National Centre, originally as part of training Tier 4 mental health practitioners (#Tier4AFC) led by Dr Pavlopoulou and Dr Moyse. If you would like to find out more about the training please email the team on ascld_training@annafreud.org

These comic strips by SALT for my Squid explain some ideas very simply:

You might also enjoy this 2-minute video from NeuroPride Ireland or this 11½-minute video from Autistamatic; Damian Milton talking about monotropism and flow states (9 minutes); or Dinah and Fergus Murray on the Different Minds podcast (34 minutes). If you prefer a slideshow type of presentation, try this from Autienelle or this en español; or this comic from Neuro Divers.

The 2005 paper Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism (pdf, epub, journal) by Dinah Murray, Wenn Lawson and Mike Lesser is the key academic text, with Wenn’s book The Passionate Mind going into a good deal more depth and his 2013 paper for OA Autism looking at it from more of a neuroscience angle. Dinah and Mike were interviewed for The Observer in 2005: ‘Say it loud, autistic and proud‘. Dinah also wrote the Monotropism entry for the Volkmar Encyclopedia of Autism; her chapter Dimensions of Difference for The Neurodiversity Reader is an update on her thinking.

The article Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism by Dinah’s youngest, Fergus Murray, is relatively accessible, and shouldn’t take most readers more than 15 minutes to read. It has also been translated into Spanish (español) and Hungarian (magyar nyelv). This conference talk by the same author is about as long.

More About Autism

‘So what exactly is autism?’ (pdf) (Damian Milton 2012) provides a good overview of autism theory (as of 2012) and makes a strong case for Monotropism.

A Critical Realist Approach on Autism (Marianthi Kourti 2021) argues that the Double Empathy Problem and Monotropism both ‘provide a theory of autism that is deeper than the neurotypical counterparts they are responding to’ by bringing in the insights of autistic people.

Understanding and Working with the Spectrum of Autism (book, Wenn Lawson 2001) was well ahead of its time, presenting an autistic view of what it means to be autistic, together with detailed insights on how to work with autistic people.

‘Keeping it all inside‘ (pdf) (Cathy Wassell & Emily Burke 2022) is a very informative ‘white paper on an internal presentation of autism and why it’s often missed’ – focusing on what autism is more likely to look like in girls, while being clear that it can present much the same way in people of any gender.

‘Atypical resource allocation may contribute to many aspects of autism‘
(Emily J. Goldknopf 2013) looks at neurological evidence that fits with the hypothesis that autistic processing resources tend to be more concentrated.

Roundabout Hypothesis (Chris Memmott 2018) is a metaphor or model for autistic thinking, which is closely related to monotropism. Another one is Splines Theory: A Spoons Metaphor for Autism (Luna Corbden 2013).

‘An Updated Monotropism theory: A Developmental Model & Pathological Demand-Avoidance‘ (video, Richard Woods 2019, revised 2022) explores the relationship between monotropism, anxiety and demand avoidance.

Theories and Practice in Autism (Fergus Murray 2018) introduces six starting points for understanding autism (español) in terms of monotropism:

1. Coping with multiple channels is hard
This can be sensory channels or other information streams.

2. Filtering is tricky and error-prone
Sometimes I can’t tune things out, other times I filter them out completely.

3. Changing tracks is destabilising
Task-switching is hard, and new plans take work.

4. I often experience things intensely
Usually things that relate to my concerns and interests.

5. I keep looping back to my interests and concerns
It’s hard to let things drop.

6. Other things that drop out of my awareness tend to stay dropped
I may need reminders.

See also Monotropism In Practice.

A still by Josh Knowles from the animation above

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Whether you are new to the theory or interested in digging deeper, there are many possible places to start. The animation below is an accessible 4-minute introduction to the key ideas. These comic strips by SALT for my Squid explain some ideas very simply: You might also enjoy this 2-minute video fr…

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Visual Support in an Inclusive Learning Environment

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Visual Support in an Inclusive Learning Environment

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Autism Good Practice Guidance - Indicators of Effective Practice

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Autism Good Practice Guidance - Indicators of Effective Practice

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The Irish primary education system aims to provide a holistic education to enable children to live their lives to the full and to realise their potential as unique individuals.

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NCSE Setting Up and Organising Special  Classes

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NCSE Setting Up and Organising Special  Classes

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An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society

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An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society

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An introduction to the Double Empathy problem

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Flo explains the challenges of unmasking for her mum

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Murray explores his life as a non-speaking autistic person

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Ethan’s Film, Inside Our Autistic Minds - BBC Two

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The short film made by Ethan in Episode 2 of Inside Our Autistic Minds.

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Inside Our Autistic Minds

The short film made by Anton in Episode 2 of Inside Our Autistic Minds.

Inside Our Autistic Minds

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Facebook pages that are allowed to edit FB preview titles and descriptions */ ?> Inside Our Autistic Minds The short film made by Anton in Episode 2 of Inside Our Autistic Minds. Inside Our Autistic Minds

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Reframing "Severe"  Autism, by Damon Kirsebom

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Inclusion – Belonging in School – a school-level resource for developing inclusive policies

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Belonging in School - a school-level resource for developing inclusive policies

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The SCERTS ® Model is a research-based educational approach and multidisciplinary framework that directly addresses the core challenges faced by children and persons with ASD and related disabilities, and their families. SCERTS ® focuses on building competence in Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support as the highest priorities that must be addressed in any program, and is applicable for individuals with a wide range of abilities and ages across home, school and community settings.

This website offers comprehensive information about the SCERTS ® Model and its collaborators, and resources that are available to assist professionals and parents in developing and implementing educational programs based on the SCERTS ® Model.

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A research-based educational approach and multidisciplinary framework that directly addresses the core challenges faced by children and persons with ASD and related disabilities, and their families.

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www.5pointscale.com was developed to share information about the use of the 5-point scale and other systems to teach social and emotional concepts to children and adults who could use some extra…

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Teach Kids to Manage Big Feelings Through Effective Social Emotional Learning

Over 80% of U.S. public schools reported in 2022 on the negative impact of the pandemic on child well-being and self-regulation. Kids are:

Struggling to manage their feelings and mental health

More disruptive in the classroom

Needing additional social, emotional, and behavioral support

(source: National Center for Education Statistics)

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The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.

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Courses and resources to help you teach children on the autism spectrum and make a difference in their lives and those who support them.

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2023 will no doubt provide us with a variety of challenges on all different levels. Irrespective of the year challenges remain for all members of the Autism Community our advocates and supporters as we strive to ensure that all autistic people get the SAME CHANCE in life!

So, for 2023 Take on the 20 for 23 Challenge this year for AsIAm.

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Welcome to AsIAm. We are Ireland's National Autism Charity. How can we help you? Lets get you to the right place

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Training

Middletown Centre provides a range of training opportunities for parents, carers and educational professionals in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Centre has a full training calendar of face to face and online sessions, which can be managed using the Centre's app The Centre, in partnership with Mary Immaculate College Limerick provides a Graduate Certificate, Diploma and MA in Autism Studies Individual schools can apply for whole school training and these are provided in partnership with the EA in Northern Ireland and The NCSE in Ireland. Further information on applying for a whole school training is available by contacting us using the email training@middletownautism.com

Here is a list of all our main current events happening within Middletown Centre for Autism

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Bulletins

Research Bulletin no. 42 - Strength-based approaches

Our latest Research Bulletin is focused on Strength-based Approaches. It highlights papers that show how taking a strength-based approach can create an empowering environment for autistic young people and allow them to define what they value..
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Research Bulletin 41 - Well-being

Our latest Research Bulletin focuses on well-being for all. By better understanding the experiences & strengths of the entire autism community, we can better support each other to thrive.
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Middletown Centre for Autism - Middletown Centre For Autism

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Middletown Centre provides a range of training opportunities for parents, carers and educational professionals in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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Since 2016, this group of young people, ages 15-25, have shared their voices and lived experiences to steer, influence and advise the work we do. As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, Panel members speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.

Find out how this group of young people are supporting, co-producing and advising the AET.

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Helping you support autistic children and young people since 2007