Click here to download

Insight on the Spiritual Dimension in Autism: Between Hypersensitivity and Reduced Influ-ence of Cognitive Priors
Journal Title: QUADERNI DI GESTALT 
Author/s: Antonio Narzisi 
Year:  2017 Issue: 2 Language: Italian 
Pages:  9 Pg. 57-65 FullText PDF:  164 KB
DOI:  10.3280/GEST2017-002004
(DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation:  clicca qui   and here 


In this paper, the vision of autism is not focused exclusively on relational difficulties. Autism is seen in the light of new etiological perspectives that have highlighted a natural predisposition for hyper-sensory and reduced influence of cognitive patterns. These last characteristics are hypothesized to be forms of a phenomenological a priori and predispose the person with autism to a partial spiritual experience. However, this experience does not reach its peak because of deficient empathy and of the capacity to form abstractions necessary for an actual epoché, in phenomenological terms.
Keywords: Autism, spirituality, sensoriality, cognitive priors, phenomenology.

  1. Acquaviva S.S. (1989). Fine di un’ideologia: la secolarizzazione. Roma: Borla.
  2. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.
  3. Baron-Cohen S., Ashwin E., Ashwin C., Tavassoli T., Chakrabarti B. (2009). Talent in Autism: Hyper-systemizing, Hyper-attention to Detail and Sensory Hypersensitivity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B Biological Sciences, 27; 364, 1522: 1377-1383.
  4. Belmonte M.K., Allen G., Beckel-Mitchener A., Boulanger L.M., Carper R.A., Webb S.J. (2004). Autism and Abnormal Development of Brain Connectivity. Journal of Neuroscience, 24, 42: 9228-9231., DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3340-04.2004
  5. Bennetto L., Kuschner E.S., Hyman S.L. (2007). Olfaction and Taste Processing in Autism. Biological Psychiatry, Nov 1; 62, 9: 1015-1021.
  6. Bertone A., Faubert J. (2003). How Is Complex Second-order Motion Processed? Vision Research, 43, 25: 2591-6201.
  7. Billeci L., Narzisi A., Campatelli G., Crifaci G., Calderoni S., Gagliano A., Calzone C., Colombi C., Pioggia G., Muratori F., and ALERT group (2016). Disentangling the Initiation from the Response in Joint Attention: An Eye-tracking Study in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Translational Pychiatry, May 17; 6: e808.
  8. Billeci L., Narzisi A., Tonacci A., Sbriscia-Fioretti B., Serasini L., Fulceri F., Apicella F., Sicca F., Calderoni S., Muratori F. (2017). An Integrated EEG and Eye-tracking Approach for the Study of Responding and Initiating Joint Attention in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Scientific Reports, Oct 19; 7, 1: 13560.
  9. Blakemore S.J., Tavassoli T., Calò S., Thomas R.M., Catmur C., Frith U., Haggard P. (2006). Tactile Sensitivity in Asperger Syndrome. Brain and Cognition, 61, 1:5-13.
  10. Bogdashina O. (2016). Autismo e Spiritualità. Roma: Giovanni Fioriti Editore.
  11. Bonnel A., Mottron L., Peretz I., Trudel M., Gallun E., Bonnel A.M. (2003). Enhanced Pitch Sensitivity in Individuals with Autism: A Signal Detection Analysis. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Feb 15; 15, 2: 226-35., DOI: 10.1162/089892903321208169
  12. Christensen D.L., Baio J., Van Naarden Braun K., Bilder D., Charles J., Constantino J.N., Daniels J., Durkin M.S., Fitzgerald R.T., Kurzius-Spencer M., Lee L.C., Pettygrove S., Robinson C., Schulz E., Wells C., Wingate M.S., Zahorodny W., Yeargin-Allsopp M.; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016). Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, Apr 1; 65, 3: 1-23.
  13. Crescentini C., Aglioti S.M., Fabbro F., Urgesi C. (2014a). Virtual Lesions of the Inferior Parietal Cortex Induce Fast Changes of Implicit Religiousness/Spirituality. Cortex, 54: 1-15.
  14. Crescentini C., Urgesi C., Campanella F., Eleopra R., Fabbro F. (2014b). Effects of an 8-week Meditation Program on the Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Religious/Spiritual Self-representations. Consciousness and Cognition, 30: 266-280.
  15. Crescentini C., Di Bucchianico M., Fabbro F., Urgesi C. (2015). Excitatory Stimulation of the Right Inferior Parietal Cortex Lessens Implicit Religiousness/Spirituality. Neuropsychologia, Apr; 70: 71-9.
  16. Fabbro F. (2014). Neuroscienze e Spiritualità. Roma: Astrolabio.
  17. Frith U., Happé F. (1994). Autism: Beyond “Theory of Mind”. Cognition, 50, 1-3: 115-132.
  18. Grant S., Colaiaco B., Motala A., Shanman R., Booth M., Sorbero M., Hempel S. (2017). Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 11, 5: 386-396., DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000338
  19. Heaton P., Hudry K., Ludlow A., Hill E. (2008). Superior Discrimination of Speech Pitch and Its Relationship to Verbal Ability in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 25(6): 771-82., DOI: 10.1080/02643290802336277
  20. Heidegger M. (1927). Essere e Tempo. Milano: Longanesi, 2005.
  21. Husserl E. (2002). Idee per una fenomenologia pura e per una filosofia fenomenologica. Torino: Einaudi.
  22. Kanner L. (1943). Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact. Journal Nervous Child, 2: 217-50.
  23. Kern J.K., Trivedi M.H., Garver C.R., Grannemann B.D., Andrews A.A., Savla J.S., Johnson D.G., Mehta J.A., Schroeder J.L. (2006). The Pattern of Sensory Processing Abnormalities in Autism. Autism, 10(5): 480-94., DOI: 10.1177/1362361306066564
  24. Leekam S.R, Moore C. (2001). The Development of Attention and Joint Attention in Children with Autism. In: Burack J.A., Charman T., Yirmiya N., Zelazo P.R., eds., The Development of Autism: Perspectives from Theory and Research. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 105-129.
  25. Mottron L., Belleville S., Ménard E. (1999). Local Bias in Autistic Subjects as Evidenced by Graphic Tasks: Perceptual Hierarchization or Working Memory Deficit? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 5: 743-755., DOI: 10.1111/1469-7610.00490
  26. Mottron L., Burack J. (2001). Enhanced Perceptual Functioning in the Development of Autism. In: Burack J., Charman T., Yirmiya N., Zelazo P.R., eds., The Development of Autism: Perspectives from Theory and Research. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 131-148.
  27. Muratori F. (2016). Postfazione all’edizione italiana. In: Bogdashina O., Autismo e Spiritualità. Roma: Giovanni Fioriti Editore.
  28. Narzisi A., Calderoni S., D’Angelo R., Conti E., Apicella F., Igliozzi R., Cosenza A., Tancredi R., Muratori F. (2011). Profili Sensoriali nell’Autismo: un’indagine esplorativa con il Sensory Profile. Giornale di Neuropsichiatria dell’Età Evolutiva, 31, 3: 23-30.
  29. Narzisi A., Muratori F. (2012). Empatia e Teoria della Mente nei Disturbi Pervasivi dello Sviluppo: le persone con autismo possono riconoscere le emozioni? Quaderni di Gestalt, XXIV,2: 101-112., DOI: 10.3280/GEST2011-002011
  30. Narzisi A., Muratori F. (2013). Autismo: diversità percettiva e riconoscimento delle emozioni al confine di contatto tra organismo e ambiente. In: Cavaleri P.A., a cura di, Psicoterapia della Gestalt e neuroscienze. Dall’isomorfismo alla simulazione incarnata. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  31. Narzisi A., Muratori F., Calderoni S., Fabbro F., Urgesi C. (2013). Neuropsychological Profile in High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 8: 1895-1909.
  32. Narzisi A. (2014). Psicoterapia della Gestalt nella prospettiva evolutiva: linee teoriche e proposta applicativa di un paradigma sperimentale per la valutazione dell’esperienza di contatto Organismo-Ambiente. Idee in Psicoterapia, 6, 13: 93-101.
  33. Narzisi A., Muccio R. (2015). Autismo e psicoterapia della Gestalt: un ponte dialogico possibile. Quaderni di Gestalt, XXVIII, 1: 49-61., DOI: 10.3280/GEST2015-001004
  34. Narzisi A., Muratori F., Urgesi C. (2015). High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: Focus on Neuropsychological Profiling. In: Riva D., ed., Developmental Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. London-Paris: John Libbey Ltd.
  35. Narzisi A. (2016). Autism as a Qualitative Diversity of the Encounter Between Organism and Environment at the Contact Boundary. In: Spagnuolo Lobb M., Levi N., Williams A., eds., Gestalt Therapy with Children. From Epistemology to Clinical Practice. Siracusa: Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy Publ.Co.
  36. Pellicano E., Burr D. (2012). When the World Becomes “Too Real”: a Bayesian Explanation of Autistic Perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 10: 504-510.
  37. Shah A., Frith U. (1983). An Islet of Ability in Autistic Children: A Research Note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 4: 613-620.
  38. Tomchek S.D., Dunn W. (2007). Sensory Processing in Children with and Without Autism: A Comparative Study Using the Short Sensory Profile. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 2: 190-200.
  39. Tonacci A., Muratori F., Billeci L., Catalucci T., Igliozzi R., Calderoni S., Narzisi A. (2017). Olfactory Processing in Male Children with Autism: Atypical Odor Threshold and Identification. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 10: 3243-3251.
  40. Tran N.Q.V., Miyake K. (2017). Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Environmental Toxicants: Epigenetics as an Underlying Mechanism. International Journal of Genomics, 2017: 7526592., DOI: 10.1155/2017/7526592
  41. Urgesi C., Aglioti S.M., Skrap M., Fabbro F. (2010). The Spiritual Brain: Selective Cortical Lesions Modulate Human Self-transcendence. Neuron, Feb 11; 65, 3: 309-319.
  42. Vivanti G. (2010). La mente autistica. Torino: Omega Edizioni.

Antonio Narzisi, Insight on the Spiritual Dimension in Autism: Between Hypersensitivity and Reduced Influ-ence of Cognitive Priors in "QUADERNI DI GESTALT" 2/2017, pp. 57-65, DOI:10.3280/GEST2017-002004

   

FrancoAngeli is a member of Publishers International Linking Association a not for profit orgasnization wich runs the CrossRef service, enabing links to and from online scholarly content