I asked autistic and ADHD people what challenges they face at work and out of approx 1500 responses (thank you!!), these were the most common challenges, in order.👇🏻
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
I am not surprised that navigating colleague relationships, the sensory environment and unclear instructions/communication took the top three places.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Challenges autistic and ADHD people face at work.
Stay tuned for part two of what people said would help them at work and a blog post summarising all this! ✌🏻
If you liked this thread, my book is available for pre-order now! 🫶 linktr.ee/girlunmasked
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The misdiagnosis of autistic distress in the mental health system. A thread. 🧵
When I am asked why I wrote Girl Unmasked, I say that I was angry. Which is true...
I was angry at finding myself sectioned on a psychiatric unit at the age of 16, at the doctor there telling me I just had high social anxiety not autism, at the fact they described my autistic meltdowns as ‘hysteric attacks when she doesn’t get her own way’.
My anger only grew when I discovered how many other autistic people were struggling like I was with being autistic in a world which doesn’t accept us very much, ending up stuck in a mental health system where our autism wasn’t being recognised or understood.
Research suggests that 80% of autistic people experience mental health problems throughout their life, and around 40% of suicides are estimated to be autistic people.
What are some of the reasons why this is the case? 💭🧵
A highly requested addition to my neurodiversity mindmaps - PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), or alternatively ‘Pervasive Drive for Autonomy’.
As @PDASociety state: ‘recognition of PDA is currently inconsistent…however, a PDA profile can, and should, be taken into consideration when undertaking autism assessments…when assessing and diagnosing, clinicians can add appropriate descriptive terms to an autism diagnosis…
…such as a ‘PDA profile’ or ‘characterised by extreme demand avoidance.’ However, whether this happens is variable between different teams and clinicians.
@PDASociety have useful guidance and letter templates on their website to support families through the diagnostic process.