What is autism?

Date

07 nov 2025 15:20 - 16:00

[ ONLINE ]

Online conference by Will Mandy, Professor of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in the Psychology Division at University College London and fellow in one-month writing residency at the Paris IAS for the month of November 2025, as part of the ‘Paris IAS Ideas’ series.

The ‘Paris IAS Ideas’ online conference series offers short, stimulating presentations by researchers from the Paris Institute for Advanced Study, marking the start of their one-month writing residency.

Session exclusively online and in English. Open to the public. Free upon registration.
Registration is required via the form at the bottom of the page to receive the connection link.

Presentation

Autism is undergoing a transformation, at the crossroads of scientific discoveries and social changes. There is no consensus on what it is or who can be considered autistic. This conference will explore two main approaches: the medical model, which sees autism as an observable brain disorder, and the neurodiversity approach, which considers it a social identity. The aim is to show the implications of these visions and examine their possible integration.

By questioning ‘what is autism?’, this project opens the debate on: who can decide that a person is autistic, what is the legitimacy of self-identification, and why diagnoses continue to increase.

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Séances
07 November 2025, 15:20 - 16:00

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