Amy S.F. Lutz is a historian of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism and the parent of a profoundly autistic son, Jonah, 24. She has written about profound autism for many platforms, including The Atlantic, Psychology Today, Spectrum and Slate. Her most recent book is “Chasing the Intact Mind: How the Severely Autistic and Intellectually Disabled Were Excluded From the Debates That Affect Them Most” (2023). She is also the author of “We Walk: Life With Severe Autism” (2020) and “Each Day I Like It Better: Autism, ECT, and the Treatment of Our Most Impaired Children” (2014). She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and whichever of her five children happen to be home at the time.
Amy S.F. Lutz
Writer
From this contributor
Building bridges: Collaboration across the autism community
An autistic person and the mother of an autistic child explore partnership in the autism community.
Building bridges: Collaboration across the autism community
Adults with disabilities deserve right to choose where to live
The idea that one residential model is appropriate for the entire spectrum of intellectual and developmental disability is patently absurd.
Adults with disabilities deserve right to choose where to live
Explore more from The Transmitter
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.
Role of maternal factors in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 November.
Role of maternal factors in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 November.
Neurophysiology data-sharing system faces funding cliff
After the primary grant supporting Neurodata Without Borders ends in March 2026, the platform may no longer be maintained or kept up to date.
Neurophysiology data-sharing system faces funding cliff
After the primary grant supporting Neurodata Without Borders ends in March 2026, the platform may no longer be maintained or kept up to date.