Matthew Belmonte

Matthew Belmonte is a professor of 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]

Matthew Belmonte
Born
Matthew Belmonte
NationalityAmerican
Known forThe Com DEALL Trust
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsNottingham Trent University
WebsiteOfficial website
Autism rights movement
Criticism

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, stating that it is a "dangerous distraction" that could interfere with parents' search for help.[11]

References
  1. "Matthew Belmonte Nottingham Trent University". www.ntu.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. Gold, Lauren. "Belmonte uses video games to explore facets of autism | Cornell Chronicle". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  3. Kernis, Jay. "Intriguing people for January 29, 2010 - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. Jacobs, Barbara (2003). Loving Mr. Spock : understanding an aloof lover. Arlington, Tex.: Future Horizons. ISBN 9781932565201.
  5. Quayson, Ato (2007). Aesthetic nervousness disability and the crisis of representation. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 156. ISBN 0231511175.
  6. Wexler, Alice. Autism in a Decentered World. Psychology Press. p. 37. ISBN 9781317594338. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  7. Osteen, Mark. Autism and Representation. Routledge. ISBN 9781135911485. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  8. Cowen, Tyler (2010). The age of the infovore succeeding in the information economy. New York: Plume. ISBN 1101432993. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  9. Cumberland, edited by Debra; Mills, Bruce (2010). Siblings and Autism Stories Spanning Generations and Cultures. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 9780857002952. Retrieved 10 November 2016.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  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. Quart, Alissa (2013). Republic of outsiders the power of amateurs, dreamers, and rebels. New York: New Press, The. ISBN 1595588949. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
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