Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Neurodiversity
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People are asking LLMs to write stories like a waking mind does, then declaring their own supremacy as creators when tools structured to work like the dreaming mind spit out what have always been described by the engineers as dreams rather than coherent waking-state narratives.
The extra funny part is people thinking that in an era perhaps most accurately characterized as a collective psychedelic experience, the waking-mind economy is somehow going to maintain its tide wall against this tsunami of unconscious material.
Bad trip recipe, that.
Bad trip recipe, that.
It's like the foolishness of expecting kids to think like adults. These are distinctly different modes of cognition that exist together in an ecology of strategies adapted for different purposes. Exploration-tuned systems are vital complements to exploitation-tuned systems.
One of the things we aren’t taught in a lot of detail in psych training is how things can manifest when there is both autism and ADHD present in adults (evidence suggests this is a significant % of ND people). I’ve learnt much more from AuDHDers who talk / write about it……1/2
even then the experiences of different AuDHDers re: which bits of the autistic and ADHD brain tussle, or how diff situations make one more prominent than other, is all quite fascinating.
I won’t get started on the futility of 3 waiting lists in some places for Assmt of both 2/2
I won’t get started on the futility of 3 waiting lists in some places for Assmt of both 2/2
For Mother's Day here in the United States, I want all you other moms of autistic kids to know that I see you, and that you are not alone.
Thread from:
squidalicious.com/2019/05/dear-o… #autism #Neurodiversity #parenting 1/
Thread from:
squidalicious.com/2019/05/dear-o… #autism #Neurodiversity #parenting 1/
I see your joys, and I see your sorrows.
I see you when you are having a tough day yet still manage to interact with your child with respect and kindness.
2/
I see you when you are having a tough day yet still manage to interact with your child with respect and kindness.
2/
I see you when you keep your voice calm during crises, because you know your autistic child is extra-sensitive to emotions and they need you to help them keep it together, or get it back together. 3/
A 🧵 collated to hopefully help people think about their views before/after watching the upcoming BBC panorama on fake private ADHD diagnosis. I don’t know if I can watch it, so this is the best I can do to contribute to the related discussions #ADHDtwitter #Neurodiversity 1/n
Grateful to ND medics who trusted me to share these experiences anonymously. These highlight the issues even clinicians within the NHS face in accessing timely assessment and treatment for ADHD, so one can imagine the bigger hurdles for a lay person navigating the system 2/n
This account highlights existing issues with accessibility and affordability. We are lucky in the UK to have some amazing services such as @NHSPracHealth tailored for medics, but ADHD assessments/treatments have historically not been funded even in such services 3/n 
If you’re the parent of an autistic child or adult, and also horrified by MAGA-style disinformation, please know you should be just as skeptical about getting autism information from “autism grievance parents.” Thread:
thinkingautismguide.com/2022/11/grieva…
#AutismAcceptanceMonth #autism
1/
thinkingautismguide.com/2022/11/grieva…
#AutismAcceptanceMonth #autism
1/
"Autism grievance parents" brand themselves as autism experts, yet promote reactionary ideas about autism and resentment towards autistic advocates, while encouraging followers to become too upset about having autistic children to question autism misinformation.
2/
2/
Who are these grievance parents? They are generally—like me (@shannonrosa)—parents of autistic children with significant disabilities. Except instead of targeting “the libs,” grievance parents and the forums they run target autistic, disability, and #neurodiversity activists. 3/
Let's be clear: Well-connected autism parent lobbying via media & research outlets for a "profound" autism label is not the same thing as making that label official. Also, creating that label would lead to segregation—not progress. Here's why, at TPGA:
thinkingautismguide.com/2021/12/creati… 1/
thinkingautismguide.com/2021/12/creati… 1/
It’s not surprising that certain parents of high-support autistic people are seeking to segregate their own children via the label “profound autism.” Parents often aren’t given good info on how to support children who have speech or intellectual disabilities along with autism. 2/
Parents may also feel isolated when autistic kids get lumped together, as when your kids' disabilities are obvious, it can be hard to recognize how they share autistic traits like a need for consistency or sensory sensitivities with kids whose support needs are less obvious. 3/
How are you so prepared for COVID?
I buried my lover in 1993 due to HIV AIDS after spending six years helping out with activism, drugs and policy.
So I knew to do a few things in January 2020 to now. 🧵1/6
I buried my lover in 1993 due to HIV AIDS after spending six years helping out with activism, drugs and policy.
So I knew to do a few things in January 2020 to now. 🧵1/6
1. Started wearing masks, because protection from infection is rule one.
2. Started stocking up on food, and medical supplies, because it wouldn't be there (and it wasn't during the early stages)
3. Started informing my friends and family to be safe. 2/6
2. Started stocking up on food, and medical supplies, because it wouldn't be there (and it wasn't during the early stages)
3. Started informing my friends and family to be safe. 2/6
4. Built a system to keep my neighborhood supported with volunteers, skills and supplies.
5. Started researching alternative meds, supplements.
6. Got vaccinated day 1 I was allowed. 3/6
5. Started researching alternative meds, supplements.
6. Got vaccinated day 1 I was allowed. 3/6
⚠ #TRIGGERWARNING #ABA ⚠
I am raising my head above the parapet and posting about something which causes me great concern on many fronts, as a:
🧠#neurodivergent individual
👩🎓#Neurodiversity-advocating Professional
👩👧👦Mother of 2 neurodivergent #children living in Leicestershire
I am raising my head above the parapet and posting about something which causes me great concern on many fronts, as a:
🧠#neurodivergent individual
👩🎓#Neurodiversity-advocating Professional
👩👧👦Mother of 2 neurodivergent #children living in Leicestershire
It seems that, for a number of years, the LA has been at the forefront of an initiative to find: "Cost-effective models for delivering behaviour analysis teaching in UK schools and local authorities"
LINK: lnkd.in/eGbMBCm7
LINK: lnkd.in/eGbMBCm7
Integrating ABA into #maintained & #academy, #mainstream & #SpecialSchool for "affordable" "positive outcomes". It concludes, "School-based models, such as Leicestershire's, provide a sustainable model which can be used with a large number of children for...little extra cost."
🧵Common warning signs of autistic burnout:
Either that it's coming soon, or that you’re in it.
People in burnout may experience some of these, but probably never all of them.
#AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
1/26
Either that it's coming soon, or that you’re in it.
People in burnout may experience some of these, but probably never all of them.
#AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
1/26
Also, all comparisons (more, increased, longer, etc) are using YOUR personal best functional time in life as a baseline. This is not a comparison to others, this is a comparison to you alone.
In no particular order:
2/26
In no particular order:
2/26
Low energy.
Exhaustion.
Sleep disruptions, lack of sleep, or sleeping all the time without feeling rested.
3/26
Exhaustion.
Sleep disruptions, lack of sleep, or sleeping all the time without feeling rested.
3/26
🧵How to get out of #AutisticBurnout when you can't quit responsibilities (parenting/work/etc).
This is meant as a framework, a guide. Please adjust for your own circumstances and needs.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
This is meant as a framework, a guide. Please adjust for your own circumstances and needs.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
Before we get practical:
Recognize that things are going to have to change eventually. You may not be able to quit your kids or your family or even this job, but something is going to have to change.
You can't heal in the environment that made you sick.
Recognize that things are going to have to change eventually. You may not be able to quit your kids or your family or even this job, but something is going to have to change.
You can't heal in the environment that made you sick.
1. You can make a lot of gains for free, with little or no extra time, by picking apart and dissolving the untrue thoughts that are causing you pain.
You can do this even when the kids and loud and you're cleaning up peach juice flung against the wall, or your boss is raging.
You can do this even when the kids and loud and you're cleaning up peach juice flung against the wall, or your boss is raging.
Living with ADHD, a personal recount written by my 14-year-old daughter. I post it here with her permission:
ADHD is one of the very peculiar neurodevelopmental disorders. It stands for ‘attention deficit hyperactivity disorder’. It is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders to develop or have. And it may be caused by these: genetic inheritance, brain injury, exposure to
environmental risks, alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, premature delivery, and low-birth weight.
As a teenager with ADHD, I have to take pills just as I did as a kid in order to control the disorder. I prefer not to refer ADHD as a disorder, b
As a teenager with ADHD, I have to take pills just as I did as a kid in order to control the disorder. I prefer not to refer ADHD as a disorder, b
I just learned about pathological demand avoidance, recognized mostly in U.K last week and it is life-changing for me. It pretty much summarizes my life🧵:
Find many things demanding including friendships
Question social norms and arbitrary hierarchies
Can meltdown from demands
Find many things demanding including friendships
Question social norms and arbitrary hierarchies
Can meltdown from demands
Often have an interest in people, society, social systems, and ethics
Have high anxiety but may not know they have anxiety
Question social norms and arbitrary hierarchies
#neurodiversity #Autism #ADHDOften have an interest in people, society, social systems, and ethics
Have high anxiety but may not know they have anxiety
Question social norms and arbitrary hierarchies
#neurodiversity #Autism #ADHDOften have an interest in people, society, social systems, and ethics
1/ Interesting #antisocial on @BBCRadio4 w/ @adamfleming, @mocost, Rachel Winder, others on #neurodiversity (bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…). It relates to our recent work on ‘perceptual diversity’, and our attempt to measure it with #ThePerceptionCensus perceptioncensus.dreamachine.world
2/ Why use a different term ‘perceptual diversity’? The original definition of neurodiversity from @singer_judy, rightly emphasised that *everyone* is different and that differences are not deficits. So there is no single ‘neurotypical’ ‘textbook’ brain (as @mocost said). But:
3/ The term neurodiversity has tended to become associated with neurodivergent conditions, such as autism and ADHD – as evidenced by the focus on these conditions in @adamfleming’s programme.
Ich will heute mal eine Lanze brechen und den Begriff, den ich neulich in einem Beitrag verwendet habe, etwas erklären.
Was bedeutet eigentlich #neurodiversity und wie spüre ich das im Alltag?
Also kurz runtergebrochen heisst es, dass mein Gehirn anders funktioniert als das
Was bedeutet eigentlich #neurodiversity und wie spüre ich das im Alltag?
Also kurz runtergebrochen heisst es, dass mein Gehirn anders funktioniert als das
von Neurotypischen Menschen. Bei allen funktioniert es anders, deshalb rede ich hier nur von meinen Auswirkungen.
ZB finde ich viele Sachen witzig, die andere nicht mal verstehen. Und wenn ich nervös bin (wie zu 99% in sozialen Interaktionen), mache ich Witze. Die kommen aber
ZB finde ich viele Sachen witzig, die andere nicht mal verstehen. Und wenn ich nervös bin (wie zu 99% in sozialen Interaktionen), mache ich Witze. Die kommen aber
oft nicht gut an und/oder werden falsch verstanden.
Oder mein Gehirn kann kaum Reize filtern. Ich höre grundsätzlich immer alles, rieche alles, sehe alles und es wird nicht in wichtig und unwichtig unterschieden, so wie bei anderen Menschen, sondern es ist alles wichtig. Das
Oder mein Gehirn kann kaum Reize filtern. Ich höre grundsätzlich immer alles, rieche alles, sehe alles und es wird nicht in wichtig und unwichtig unterschieden, so wie bei anderen Menschen, sondern es ist alles wichtig. Das
Exactly this. Disgusted by @Spectrum’s irresponsible tabloid-style journalism. Intentionally misrepresenting #neurodiversity to fuel this toxic manufactured autism “war” that helps NO ONE, especially those who would be considered to have #profoundautism. /1
Is the #autism “community” in a delusional time warp? Because the value of non-stigmatizing language & participatory #research is well documented in many fields. It’s not some new phenomenon conjured up by random #ActuallyAutistic ppl. Seriously? /2
Last I checked, the #DenverPrinciples came out in the early 80s. A rallying cry from the #HIV community for respectful terminology & meaningful community inclusion. And guess what? The field of research wasn’t DERAILED ONE BIT by adopting these critical changes. /3
Considering that modern humans, due to the Neanderthal assimilation (we carry their DNA), are entirely different from the misnamed extinct pre-contact Homo sapiens, it might be time to rename the latter in order to distinguish them from us, maybe as Homo socialis.
1/N
1/N
Since the Neanderthal assimilation most Homo sapiens have retained their predominantly social nature & therefore tend to ostracise those of a predominantly individual nature who, beginning in the 1940s, are being pathologised with the label of #autism
2/N
2/N
“modern human-specific alleles that could correlate with a shift towards prosociality in modern-humans, we highlight one allele in AVPR1A (rs11174811), found at high frequency and linked to prosocial phenotypes in modern humans,…”
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
3/N
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
3/N
This is part of the same process where I take time to COLOR code and BOLD emails to people.
Folks seem SO overwhelmed with information I swear I spend 50% of my time, just making it clear.
A lot of this also helps me with my neurodiversity because I SEE information this way.
Folks seem SO overwhelmed with information I swear I spend 50% of my time, just making it clear.
A lot of this also helps me with my neurodiversity because I SEE information this way.
My brain races to TIMES, DAYS, ACTIONS.
It breaks down sentences into "INFO", "FILLER", "ACTION".
It's so hard for me to just read through emails that are all over the place without a clear CALL TO ACTION.
So when I create documents/emails they are Organized like my mind.
It breaks down sentences into "INFO", "FILLER", "ACTION".
It's so hard for me to just read through emails that are all over the place without a clear CALL TO ACTION.
So when I create documents/emails they are Organized like my mind.
My entire 2018 book was in a guide before I wrote a single word.
My mind sees entire projects at once.
It's really hard and it makes it difficult for me to stay in sync with groups of people.
My mind sees entire projects at once.
It's really hard and it makes it difficult for me to stay in sync with groups of people.
Like many #ActuallyAutistic comrades, I was subjected to ABA as a child. The damage it inflicted on me, my sense of self, and my day-to-day behavior is still very much felt today. ABA instilled in me that I was bad, that I was small, that I was a burden, not good enough🧵🧶
Of course one doesn't need to go thru formal ABA to have these feelings. Those who became self aware or dx later in life have also gone thru behavioral modification, simply via a different process and using different tools. The methods different, the results the same.
Today we are afraid to take up space, afraid to be ourselves, afraid to take our hands out of our pockets, afraid to sing whenever it damn well pleases us. It takes years to undo all of this negative programing and self defeating talk.
#neurodiversity #leadership #Empowerment
🧵1/12 Today was my work business area's conference. I was asked to speak about #ADHD and empowerment and how my boss and I work to create a good environment for me. Below is a little of what I covered.
🧵1/12 Today was my work business area's conference. I was asked to speak about #ADHD and empowerment and how my boss and I work to create a good environment for me. Below is a little of what I covered.
2/12 I realised that usually if I talk about my adhd it's from the perspective of the people I'm addressing, the symptoms they see, and that I'm basically justifying and trying to apologise for my adhd symptoms, like interrupting or being loud.
I didn't do that this time.
I didn't do that this time.
3/12 I talked about how lucky I am to work for an employer who cares about inclusion and removing barriers. About how that wasn't the norm for most ND people. I told them that even in this environment, the behaviours of individuals can undo the good work an organisation might do.
🧵How to recover from autistic burnout.
Once you've figured out you're in #AutisticBurnout, the natural question becomes, how do you get out of it? How do you recover?
Here's my philosophy, in 5 parts.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD #AutismAcceptance
Once you've figured out you're in #AutisticBurnout, the natural question becomes, how do you get out of it? How do you recover?
Here's my philosophy, in 5 parts.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD #AutismAcceptance
I've recovered from two severe, years-long burnouts, and several weeks-to-months-long ones. I've also been burnout free since 2015!
Over the last few years, I've been helping others create their own versions of this journey.
Over the last few years, I've been helping others create their own versions of this journey.
Everyone is unique, and every recovery journey is unique. Nevertheless, there are some pretty consistent patterns, and my pattern-loving brain has synthesized my own take on what it takes to get out of burnout, and stay out.
🧵 What your senses experience is real. What you feel is what you feel. If you're cold when others are hot, or overwhelmed by noise when others are not, you really are cold, or overwhelmed, etc.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD #SPD #HSP #sensory #autism
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD #SPD #HSP #sensory #autism
Acknowledging sensory experiences is the beginning of acceptance.
Instead of responding like, "You're cold? It's not cold in here. It's hot. Stop complaining. Get over it."
Try responding like, "You're cold? That's interesting, as I'm hot. Would you like a sweater or blanket?"
Instead of responding like, "You're cold? It's not cold in here. It's hot. Stop complaining. Get over it."
Try responding like, "You're cold? That's interesting, as I'm hot. Would you like a sweater or blanket?"
Many of us autistics grew up with people around us ignoring, dismissing, or punishing our sensory experiences. As adults, even a little validation can feel like a huge relief.
1/4 Often Autistic people assigned female birth are missed as Autistic people because for 70+ years research & researchers were only looking for a narrow Autistic presentation.
Lots of women, non-binary people, & men were missed their earlier Autistic identity discovery.
Lots of women, non-binary people, & men were missed their earlier Autistic identity discovery.
2/4 And Black Autistic people & Autistic people of colour are really overlooked, which must change.
My interests, for instance, were not the stereotype of trains. I was dedicated to buying & applying makeup in a meticulous way.
My interests, for instance, were not the stereotype of trains. I was dedicated to buying & applying makeup in a meticulous way.
3/4 I know far more Autistic people interested in snails 🐌 than trains or buses.
We are seeing a shift from non-autistic led theories & understanding of the abstract "autism", to Autistic led theories and discussion about Autistic experience.
We are seeing a shift from non-autistic led theories & understanding of the abstract "autism", to Autistic led theories and discussion about Autistic experience.
A lot of people are tweeting about Jack Black supporting Autism Speaks. Rather than digging at Jack Black for supporting it, I think it's important to explain WHY Autism Speaks has become so prominent and why so many autistic people find it dispiriting.
Given, I've written a book about this and went a bit into Autism Speaks's history, so I kind of know what I'm talking about. It's important to remember that Bob Wright, the former head of NBC Universal, after the his grandson was diagnosed as autistic. 2/
harpercollins.com/products/were-…
harpercollins.com/products/were-…
As @jpitney writes in his book the Politics of Autism, parent lobbying was not that lucrative, even after movies like Rain Man increased autism's presence in the public consciousness. 3/
🧵Common warning signs of autistic burnout:
Either that it is coming soon, or that you’re in it.
Any individual may experience some of these, but probably never all of them.
In no particular order.
#AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
Either that it is coming soon, or that you’re in it.
Any individual may experience some of these, but probably never all of them.
In no particular order.
#AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutisticTwitter #AuDHD
Also, all comparisons (more, increased, longer, etc) are using YOUR personal best functional time in life as a baseline. This is not a comparison to others, this is a comparison to you alone.
Getting sick easily.
Taking longer that usual to recover.
Minor, or major, injuries or accidents.
Taking longer that usual to recover.
Minor, or major, injuries or accidents.
