Autism and Happiness: From Neurodiversity to Neuroharmony
Happiness has received little attention in the field of autism spectrum disorders. Outcome and effect studies, for instance, rarely take emotional well-being as a desired outcome. And when the focus is on well-being, it is often from a negative perspective, namely the lack of well-being and quality of life in autism. It is time to take a U-turn in our approach and change from an exclusive focus on what makes autism so different and from a negative, clinical and medical approach to happiness in people with autism
Dr. Vermeulen has an MSc and Ph.D. in Psychology and Educational Sciences and has worked with people with ASD and their families for more than 30 years. He is the founder of “Autism in Context”, where autism is understood in context and has written more than 15 books and many articles on autism that have been published in several countries around the world. Dr. Vermeulen is also the Senior Lecturer at ‘sterkmakers in autisme’ (The Autism Strengtheners), a training and education center for autism spectrum disorders.