Matthew_Belmonte

Matthew Belmonte

Matthew Belmonte

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Matthew Belmonte is a reader in psychology at Nottingham Trent University who researches the behavior and neurophysiology of autistic individuals.[1] He has studied the behavioral aspects of autism by providing subjects with videogames that measure several perceptual properties.[2] Belmonte has received a $700,000 National Science Foundation grant to study this aspect, and uses MRI and EEG technology to measure brain activity of autistic and non-autistic individuals. He has an older brother with autism, and both have a fascination with order and regularity.[3] In his essay 'Life Without Order: Literature, Psychology, and Autism', Belmonte stated that he was inspired to pursue a career in science because of his need for a single right answer.[4]

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Belmonte stated that repetitive behaviors of autistic people are usually associated with nonsocial phenomena as a protection against chaos, claiming that weakened neural connectivity interferes with narrative linkage.[5] Specifically, weakened connections are in the areas of perception, attention, and memory.[6][7] He has claimed that being a scientist and being autistic are both "compulsions to order", but the thought processes of a scientist are more abstract than thought processes of an autistic.[8] He has written that the autistic mind is more at ease with an orderly environment, where the expectations are known in advance.[9]

Dr. James T. Todd, a professor of psychology, has criticized Belmonte for believing that Tito Mukhopadhyay, a non-verbal autistic individual, can independently write as Belmonte did not explain why the lack of someone touching Tito while writing guarantees authorship, and that simply using a keyboard at a basic level is not difficult.[10]

Belmonte has criticized the neurodiversity movement; Alissa Quart mentions his concerns when she summarizes the view of many parents that the neurodiversity movement is a "dangerous distraction" that could interfere with parents' search for help.[11]

References

  1. [1]
    "Matthew Belmonte Nottingham Trent University". www.ntu.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. [2]
    Gold, Lauren. "Belmonte uses video games to explore facets of autism | Cornell Chronicle". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  3. [3]
    Kernis, Jay. "Intriguing people for January 29, 2010 - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. [4]
    Jacobs, Barbara (2003). Loving Mr. Spock : understanding an aloof lover. Arlington, Tex.: Future Horizons. ISBN 9781932565201.
  5. [5]
    Quayson, Ato (2007). Aesthetic nervousness disability and the crisis of representation. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-0231511179.
  6. [6]
    Wexler, Alice (29 January 2016). Autism in a Decentered World. Psychology Press. p. 37. ISBN 9781317594338. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  7. [7]
    Osteen, Mark (26 April 2010). Autism and Representation. Routledge. ISBN 9781135911485. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  8. [8]
    Cowen, Tyler (2010). The age of the infovore succeeding in the information economy. New York: Plume. ISBN 978-1101432990. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  9. [9]
    Cumberland, Debra; Mills, Bruce (2010). Siblings and Autism Stories Spanning Generations and Cultures. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 9780857002952. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  10. [10]
    Todd, James T. (2015). Controversial Therapies for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities: Fad, Fashion, and Science in Professional Practice. Routledge. p. 375. ISBN 9781317623830. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. [11]
    Quart, Alissa (2013). Republic of outsiders the power of amateurs, dreamers, and rebels. New York: New Press, The. ISBN 978-1595588944. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
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