Neurocognitive Variety in Neurotypical Environments: The Source of “Deficit” in Autism

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Legault, M., Bourdon, J. N., & Poirier, P. (2019). Neurocognitive Variety in Neurotypical Environments: The Source of “Deficit” in Autism. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, 09(06), 246-272. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbbs.2019.96019

Publication date: 1 Jan 2019 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Mylène Legault *
  2. Jean-Nicolas Bourdon
  3. Pierre Poirier

Abstract

As recent developments in autism research offer alternative explanations to the mainstream options, it can now be argued that the so-called cognitive deficits in the social domain associated with autism have been mischaracterized or, at least, oversimplified. We will use predictive models within a 4E (i.e., embodied, embedded, enactive and extended) conception of cognition to address the question of cognitive impairment in psychiatrics and autism. Such models force us to reassess what “cognitive deficit” means by integrating the environment not only in its usual sense (evo-developmental), but by understanding all cognitive performances as embedded in environments (or fields of affordances) that shape and sustain them. By adopting a predictive 4E perspective, we aim to show that the “cognitive deficits” associated with autism are in fact mismatches between environmental resources and the particular form of neurological functioning of autistic people (neurodiversity), brought about by the fact that the cultural niches that set up the relevant fields of affordances are structured by and for neurotypicals. This mismatch leads to epistemic injustices, both testimonial and hermeneutic, that feed back into research on autism and clinical approaches, thereby making the “deficits” appear based on individual shortcomings. In this context, autism interventions should partly focus on the development of social policies aimed at modifying those aspects of cultural niches that make environments unsuitable for the full development of all individuals.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 07:51.

Cited references
73
With a DOI
61
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
9
3 / 73 (4.1%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
13 / 73 (17.8%)
References with detected author names
60 / 73 (82.2%)
Without detected author names
13
Without a structured title
9
Without a stable identifier
9
References with raw author names still to review
9
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
131
From DOI or external metadata
131
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
10
35 / 131 (26.7%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 96 / 131 (73.3%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
3 / 131 (2.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 3 / 35 (8.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 3 / 117 (2.6%).
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