Editor’s Note: this article may be misleading due to implicit bias and not having all the information at the time it was written. Please see this follow-up for additional context. Thank you, and… I’m sorry.
Trigger warning: sexual assault
Harry Jack Thompson, the “naughty autie taking the neurotypical world by storm” known for his advocacy work in awareness for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and [former] director of Neurodivergent Education Support and Training (NEST), a common profile among autistics and other atypical neurotypes, has recently been accused of harmful and manipulative behaviors including grooming and rape, resulting in his disappearance from the digital space.
His accusers claimed that Harry used his neurotype as an excuse to hurt people. PDA does not cause you to manipulate others, just as autism doesn’t cause racism nor does narcissistic personality disorder cause you to abuse others. Are we more prone to behave in manipulative, racist, and abusive ways due to the rigidity in our cognitive flexibilities, resistance to change, insistence on having things a certain way, and general ignorance of social cues and our social impact on others? Yes.
But that does not make it impossible for us to become aware of these risks, identify the challenges in our own lives, and acknowledging the pain we’ve caused in the past or continue to cause in the present. It does not make it impossible for us to take responsibility for how we’ve hurt people, whether accidental or intentional. And it certainly does not make it impossible for us to be held accountable. Whether you like it or not, we are humans capable of learning, not robots or a disease to be cured.
The three (3) embedded Facebook posts featuring testimonies from two (2) people have all been removed from social media.
You are Believed
The community was quick to believe the allegations and come out with love and support. If you have ever been a victim of sexual assault, please know that you did not deserve it. You are worthy of love and respect just as you are. You are enough.
Digital Spaces run by Harry Thompson:
- HarryJackThompson.com shows an expiration notice from Squarespace at the time of this article, but can be viewed on the Wayback Machine.
- Facebook: @HarryThompsonPDAExtraordinaire
- Instagram: @HarryThompsonPDAExtraOrdinaire
- YouTube: @HarryThompsonPDAExtraordinaire
- TikTok: @HarryThompsonPDA
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on . Updated to include the link to the new article. Previously updated on February 28, 2024, to clarify that these are accusations as new information became available. Previously updated on March 7th, 2023, so that the tone of the article focuses on supporting women and not as an attack on Harry’s character. The goal is to help these people heal and to teach the world that this behavior is abusive and not tolerated. My hope is that Harry learns from this and changes for the better.
