The AutSide Podcast

A Sunday Mornings field note on two new GLP papers, Cathy’s absence, Towcester Abbey’s first research brief, and the slow work of moving from recognition to evidence without letting the measure destroy the meaning.
This morning’s recording is a progress report from the middle of the work—not the triumphant end of a research arc, not the clean announcement of something finished, but the quieter, more demanding moment when a pattern begins to take institutional form. I talk through two new papers: What Counts as Evidence for Gestalt Language Processing? and Hidden in the Criteria, both of which ask what happens when autistic language has been observed for decades but interpreted through measures built around analytic expectations of development.
Hoerricks, J. (2026). What Counts as Evidence for Gestalt Language Processing? A Methodological Review of Measurement, Construct Validity, and Epistemic Exclusion in Autism and Language Research. J Clin Neuropsychol Prac 1: 1-12. https://skgpublishers.com/assets/article-pdf/what-counts-as-evidence-for-gestalt-language-processing-a-methodological-review-of-measurement-construct-validity-and-epistemic-exclusion-in-autism-and-language-research.pdf
Hoerricks, J. (2026). Hidden in the criteria: re-reading autism measures for evidence of Gestalt Language Processing. In Towcester Abbey Research Brief / Occasional Paper Series (Version 1.0, pp. 1–3). Towcester Abbey. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21281975
Cathy is absent from this one, and I feel that absence in the room. Sunday Mornings usually has the steadiness of her presence beside the conversation—her questions, her laughter, her way of holding the thread when I move too quickly into the whole of it. Without that anchoring, this episode becomes a more solitary kind of Field Note: one voice trying to keep the shape intact whilst missing the person who usually helps the shape breathe.
The talk moves from Ann Peters, Barry Prizant, and Marge Blanc—the lineage of noticing, describing, and working with gestalt language processors—toward the slower question of validation. I can notice a pattern. Many of us can. But proving a pattern is different. Research has to move carefully from recognition to construct development, from construct development to proxy evidence, from proxy evidence to direct study, and eventually, perhaps, toward a validated way of identifying gestalt processing architecture without flattening it into another deficit score.
I also speak about the next step from the IRB proposal, without giving too much away: a cautious secondary analysis asking whether existing autism measures may already contain GLP-relevant signals hidden under other names. Echolalia, scripting, delayed response, literal interpretation, pragmatic timing, developmental delay—these may have been recorded as isolated impairments when, in constellation, they may point toward a coherent language architecture the field has not yet learned to see.
The recording also marks a shift for Towcester Abbey. With Hidden in the Criteria, the Abbey has taken its first public step as a publisher of record, creating another path for serious autistic-led, practitioner-aware, methodologically careful work that may not fit easily through existing journal gates. This is not a replacement for peer review or scholarly discipline. It is a widening of the archive.
So this episode is about evidence, but also about patience. It is about the distance between knowing and proving, between field recognition and validated measurement, between the pattern that arrives whole and the slow work of giving that pattern enough structure to be studied without being destroyed. Meaning sometimes arrives before the measure is ready. The task now is to build better measures.
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Today’s episode examines the concept of passing, or social masking, as an exhausting form of sensory labor performed by autistic individuals. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, explains that appearing “fine” in public is actually a complex process of hidden arithmetic, where the individual constantly calculates the personal cost of enduring overwhelming environments. Whilst observers often mistake this survival for true access, Dr. Hoerricks argues that these performances lead to a delayed physical and emotional bill paid in private. This trap of competence means that the more successfully an autistic person blends in, the less likely they are to be believed when they eventually need support. Ultimately, she challenges a society that equates quiet endurance with success, advocating for a world where accessibility is proactive rather than a reward for suffering.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-first-autistic-person-the-first-57b
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the complex sensory politics of food, arguing that for autistic individuals, eating is often a matter of safety and access rather than mere preference. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, challenges social labels like “picky” or “fussy,” reframing these behaviours as necessary responses to an overwhelming environment where smell and texture can be physically debilitating. Dr. Hoerricks highlights how ordinary social situations, such as office lunches, can become uninhabitable spaces when the sensory needs of neurodivergent people are ignored or mocked. Ultimately, she advocates for a world where safe food is respected as a basic requirement for participation, allowing individuals to eat without being forced to defend their survival as bad manners. Her perspective shifts the focus from social compliance to the biological reality of how bodies navigate scent and taste.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-first-autistic-person-the-first-57e
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the complex sensory experiences of interoception and proprioception, detailing how many autistic individuals receive internal physical signals delayed or in an overwhelming rush. This lack of reliable biological timing means that fundamental needs like hunger, pain, and exhaustion often remain invisible until they reach a state of urgent crisis. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, highlights the profound shame imposed by a society that equates immediate body awareness with adulthood and responsibility. When the body acts as an unreliable messenger, simple self-care becomes a difficult task of interpretation rather than a natural reflex. Ultimately, Dr. Hoerricks argues that failing to notice these signals is a neurological reality rather than a personal or moral failing. Her perspective challenges a world built for people whose internal maps always arrive on schedule.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-first-autistic-person-the-first-4c0
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode explores the sensory complexities of being autistic, focusing specifically on how clothing and touch impact daily life. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, describes how a seemingly minor issue, like a poorly fitting shirt or a scratchy seam, can act as a “private emergency” that drains an individual’s emotional and social energy. The text highlights a paradox where uninvited or light touch can feel like an invasive threat, whilst firm, intentional pressure often serves as a vital tool for regulation and comfort. By examining the politics of touch, Dr. Hoerricks challenges the social shame associated with sensory needs and argues for a deeper understanding of the body’s relationship with its environment. Ultimately, she frames finding the right garment as an act of essential self-care that allows an autistic person to remain present in the world.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-first-autistic-person-the-first-243
Let me know what you think.
The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe