Key Resources

The essential reading. Prioritized by impact.

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The 2005 Paper

Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). "Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism." Autism, 9(2), 139-156.

The foundational academic paper. Everything else builds on this.

→ Read on SAGE Journals

Me and Monotropism (2019)

Murray, F. (2019). "Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism." The Psychologist.

The most accessible introduction. Personal, clear, comprehensive. Most-read article in The Psychologist that year.

→ Read on BPS

Monotropism.org

The official site. History, resources, research round-ups.

→ monotropism.org

Books

Autism and Being Monotropic (2025)

Lawson, W.B. Autism and Being Monotropic: What Medical and Other Practitioners Need to Know. Springer.

The comprehensive practitioner guide. 141 pages. Covers interoception, gender, LGBTQIA+, and practical applications.

→ Springer → Amazon

The Passionate Mind (2011)

Lawson, W. The Passionate Mind: How People with Autism Learn.

Based on Lawson's PhD research (SAACA). How monotropism shapes learning.

Research (2024-2025)

Trans-diagnostic Investigation

Dwyer, P., Williams, Z. J., Lawson, W. B., & Rivera, S. M. (2024). "A trans-diagnostic investigation of attention, hyper-focus, and monotropism..."

N=492 adults. Key finding: hyper-focus and inattention are positively correlated — both elevated in neurodivergent groups.

→ SAGE Journals

Autistic Flow Theory

Heasman, B., et al. (2024). "Towards autistic flow theory: A non-pathologising conceptual approach."

Strength-based understanding of how monotropism enables flow.

Verbal Fluency Reframed

Grissom et al. (2024). "Verbal fluency and autism: Reframing current data through the lens of monotropism."

Reinterprets existing data through the monotropism lens.

→ Wiley

Related Theory

Double Empathy Problem

Milton, D. (2012). "On the ontological status of autism: The 'double empathy problem.'" Disability & Society, 27(6), 883-887.

The companion theory. Cites monotropism. Together, they reframe autism completely.

→ PDF (Kent)

Accessible Overviews

National Autistic Society

"What is monotropism? Understanding a neuroaffirming theory of autism."

→ NAS

Embrace Autism

Clear overview with practical implications.

→ Embrace Autism

Reframing Autism

"Monotropism: Understanding Autistic Ways of Being Through the Lens of Attention."

→ Reframing Autism

Tools

Monotropism Questionnaire

Research-validated self-assessment.

→ MQ on monotropism.org

Video

YouTube searches:

• "monotropism autism" — various explainers
• "Dinah Murray monotropism" — original source
• "Wenn Lawson autism" — practitioner perspective

For Researchers

PubMed

→ Search "monotropism"

Springer Chapters

Lawson (2025) book chapters available individually:

• Chapter 2: Monotropism Theory
• Chapter 4: Cognitive Flow Effects
• Chapter 6: Interoception
• Chapter 7: Strength-Based Perspective

My Contribution

This site isn't duplicating the academic literature. It's adding:

• 30 months of timestamped quotes before discovering the theory
• The lived documentation of recognizing monotropism in real-time
• A practical prosthetic system built in response

→ The Discovery Arc → The Prosthetic

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