Anthony John Attwood (born 9 February 1952) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

notable for his work on

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

. He resides in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where he is an Associate Professor at

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian s ...

Education

He received an honours degree in psychology from the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

, an M.A. in clinical psychology from the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...

and a Ph.D. from

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

supervised by

Uta Frith Dame Uta Frith (''née'' Aurnhammer; born 25 May 1941) is a German-British developmental psychologist at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. She has pioneered much of the current research into autism and dysl ...

Research and career

His books include ''Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals'', which has been translated into 20 languages and provides information on diagnosis, problems of social relations, sensory issues, motor control and other typical issues which face people with Asperger's and their support networks. His other books include ''The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome, Exploring Feelings for Young Children with High-Functioning Autism or Aspergers Disorder'', and ''From Like to Love for Young People with Aspergers Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder): Learning How to Express and Enjoy Affection with Family and Friends''. Attwood has a clinical practice at his diagnostic and treatment clinic for children and adults with Asperger's Syndrome, in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, begun in 1992. Attwood expressed support for

facilitated communication Facilitated communication (FC), or supported typing, is a scientifically discredited technique that attempts to aid communication by people with autism or other communication disabilities who are non-verbal. The facilitator guides the disabled ...

in ''Lucy's Story: Autism and Other Adventures''. It took Attwood thirty years to notice that his own son, Will Attwood, was autistic. Will became addicted to drugs in the meantime and ended up in jail. He later wrote a book on his experience, ''Asperger’s Syndrome and Jail''.

Books

* * * * * * * Attwood, Tony. "Exploring Feelings DVD Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Manage Anxiety, Sadness, and Anger" * *

Selected papers

* Sofronoff K, Attwood T, Hinton S, Levin I. "A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Anger Management in Children Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome." ''Autism Dev Disord''. 2006 Nov 3. * Sofronoff K, Attwood T, Hinton S. "A randomised controlled trial of a CBT intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger syndrome. ''J Child Psychol Psychiatry.'' 2005 Nov;46(11):1152-60. * Attwood T. "Frameworks for behavioral interventions." ''Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am.'' 2003 Jan;12(1):65-86. ''(A review article)'' * Foreword and Afterword for Lucy Blackman's autobiographic account ''Lucy's Story: Autism and Other Adventures'' (2001) * Foreword fo
''Robin and the White Rabbit''
by Åse Brunnström and Emma Lindström .

Other works

Some of Attwood's books are mentioned in the game ''

To the Moon ''To the Moon'' is a psychological drama adventure game developed and published by Freebird Games. It was originally released for Windows in November 2011, with ports later being released for Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switc ...

''.

Controversy

In 2019, Karla Fisher, another autism advocate, said many of Attwood's jokes about autism were a mockery of autistic people. Other autism advocates also claimed that many of Attwood's descriptions of autistic people in his lectures are based on false stereotypes and claimed he makes sweeping generalisations that are not based on evidence. In May 2019, there was a protest in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

which was critical of his views. Further, he continually refers to "the Aspie" despite this being discouraged by the National Autistic Society due to the Nazi links with

Hans Asperger Johann Friedrich Karl Asperger (, ; 18 February 1906 – 21 October 1980) was an Austrian psychiatrist. He is remembered for his pioneering studies of autism, specifically in children. His name was given to Asperger syndrome, a form of autism ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attwood, Tony 1952 births Alumni of the University of Hull Alumni of the University of Surrey Alumni of the University of London Autism researchers English medical writers English psychologists Living people People from Birmingham, West Midlands People from Queensland Australian psychologists