So many autistic people aren’t diagnosed because “traditional methods for identifying neurodivergence (not just autism) rely on the individual causing problems for the people around them rather than assessing their individual experience.”

verywellmind.com/signs-of-autis… #neurodiversity

We got a little more than 24 hours left in #Autism AwarenessMonth #Autism AcceptanceMonth . So for the next 28 hours, ask me anything about #Autism or #AcutallyAutistic people. No question is too embarrassing.

'It takes doctors months to find autism but it takes bullies five minutes right?'

Elle McNicoll ✍🏻📚 knew exactly what she was saying with this sneaking its way into AKOS S2.

It's such a universal experience for bullies to find you and suss you out way faster than clinicians.

“When we are assumed to be incapable of understanding language, no effort is then made to provide us access to robust, language-based AAC that would allow us to prove otherwise.” Jordyn Zimmerman on SLPs as communication gatekeepers, at CommunicationFIRST:

communicationfirst.org/slps-as-aac-ga… #autism

Bullshit. I needed specialists letters, diagnosis, to go through appeals and threaten tribunal. Maybe do t extrapolate. It isn't easy and I've never talked to anyone (apparently bar you) that's ever classified it as easy.

'I was like a poster boy for what pros call the Double Empathy Problem. My family, friends, teachers wanted to help. But they didn’t understand what I needed. I wanted to help them… and vice versa.' Johnny Profane Âû on life before a late autism diagnosis:

thinkingautismguide.com/2024/03/the-jo…

You know when people of relative power, with the most superficial and limited knowledge, share the most limited and superficial of things...

This is literally: 'tell me you know nothing about Neurodiversity of the autism narrative without telling me'

Once again: Taking Tylenol during pregnancy does NOT cause autism. Or ADHD. Research says so. Now let’s pivot more of those research dollars away from causation and into figuring out how to improve neurodivergent quality of life FFS.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/… #neurodiversity

I've just read a response from a ' #SEND ' teacher claiming that their job is to teach Autistic children to 'function'

No, that is not your job

Ever

Education needs a seriously reckoning. Teachers need support to be informed & reflective

And the normative bollocks needs binned

Katharine Birbalsingh That’s called weaponised heterogeneity. I wrote about it here:

spectrumnews.org/opinion/viewpo…

Katharine Birbalsingh Not true. Neurodiversity movement recognizes autism as both disability & difference. It includes ppl w/ high support needs & their parents/carers, & fights for their interests including communication access, supported decision-making, community living. See
mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/2…

Katharine Birbalsingh Not only does movement recognize autism's disability & include & advocate for ppl w/ high support needs, but functioning labels are invalid. Autism is not linear & neither is our functioning; it can vary dramatically for same person b/c of various factors: mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/2…

New paper testing AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Measure (which was developed in partnership, not consultation, w/ autistic community partners). Good to see more work on this. We (AASPIRE) haven't published b/c our partners were dissatisfied w/ it and wording of some items.. 1/

Note to non-autistic people:

When an autistic person tells you they're anxious of going to some social event, never ever tell them, “You'll be fine. Just be yourself,” because YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

'If parents get their information about parenting autistic kids from the autistic community, they will find people who think that their kids are awesome, and deserve to be happy, and want their parents to feel the same way.' At TPGA.

tinyurl.com/ProfoundAutism #ProfoundAutism

'To protest antivaxxers, as an autistic person, has always been a statement of pride.' Per ab king, 'the danger of antivax wasn’t just about unvaccinated kids getting measles: it was about the demonization of autistic ppl as toxic & an epidemic.'

childrensrights.substack.com/p/autism-off-l…

'When your kid is autistic, a lot of what is thrown at you is like, ''What are you going to do to normalize your child?' versus 'How can we cultivate beautiful systems of support and love?'' Jen White-Johnson on parenting neurodivergent black & brown children:

19thnews.org/2024/02/jen-wh…

Just heard one of these annoucements on the 135th St 2/3 line station it was SO GREAT.

'Struggling with self-acceptance is a vulnerability we autistics would often prefer to hide. Personally, I used to dismiss any and all compliments. If someone praised me, I would close up emotionally and not express acknowledgment or thanks.' New at TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2024/04/accept…

'It is a fiction that there are these three neat categories into which we [autistic people] can be placed. Apparently, these will apply to everything we are and do, are caused solely by “autism,” and stay the same for life. Really?' Ann Memmott PgC MA 🌈 (She/They), at TPGA:

tinyurl.com/AnnMemmottTPGA