Our senior editor @shannonrosa talks with autistic podcaster @autismshawns about what we do at TPGA: Our passions for debunking autism misinfo, boosting #neurodiversity advocacy, and fighting for disability rights. With captioned video & transcript:

1/thinkingautismguide.com/2024/02/unhear… We started TPGA in 2010 to combat autism misinfo. For context, this was before the 2015 measles outbreak at Disneyland, which was the watershed event that swung the pendulum back into people realizing that, oh, we DO need vaccines for public health reasons. And #VaccinesWork. 2/

We'll be spending most of today and tomorrow reporting from the CARES Conference!

https://twitter.com/therapist_ndc/status/1644119187869007873

Currently: Listening to PCORI rep talk about investing in, and a long-term commitment, research on patient-centered outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This isn't just a nice idea; this is a law in the US.

A refresher: If you are horrified by MAGA-style disinformation, please know you should be just as skeptical about autism info pumped out by a bitter, wealthy, anti-autistic, DARVO-steeped contingent we call "autism grievance parents."

1/ #neurodiversitythinkingautismguide.com/2022/11/grieva… These are parents who 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/

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/ "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/

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/ 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/

Hearing story after story re: non-speaking patients presenting w/significant behavior changes and urgent symptoms, and being dismissed or told they'll get eventual care. After advocacy resulting in faster care, turns out they had bad cavities, kidney stones, etc.

#SafeInitiative Too many high-support and nonspeaking disabled patients have their basic rights ignored, and are essentially incarcerated in hospital beds because informed and accommodating care is not available/training has not happened.

#SafeInitiative

Autistic PT Iris @warchall had SO much great advice about supporting autistic people with EDS chronic pain, injuries, dysautonomia, pelvic health issues, & other neurologic issues etc. that we're putting the highlights in a thread. Full interview here:
thinkingautismguide.com/2022/08/autist… 1/ @warchall "Each individual PT or OT has their own specialized area of practice and specific skill set. If you need support for a particular issue, it’s best to seek out a PT or OT who specializes in providing that particular support." 2/

Hey, parents of autistic kids! Here are five BIG, avoidable mistakes. A thread, at TPGA:

thinkingautismguide.com/2017/04/hey-pa… #autism #autistic #parenting #Neurodiversity #autismAcceptance #AutismAwareness 1/ Parents of autistic children (and adults) get advice thrown at their heads from every angle, all day long. If you’re one of these parents, you may be all done with advice. ALL DONE. And I hear you, because I am you. However... 2/

The JRC says that they need to use [electric shocks] on the people who live there because they struggle with aggression
and self-injury. But the JRC is the only place in the U.S. that uses electric shocks to punish people with disabilities.

#ABAIBoston #ABAI2022 #StopTheShock 1/ In 2013, @UN put out a report calling the use of the GED “torture”. The @US_FDA (which decides what kinds of medical
treatments can be used on people) put out a report 5 yrs ago that said the GED should be
banned. It still hasn’t happened. This is wrong.

#ABAIBoston #ABAI2022 2/

@swirlee @randallb Here’s a thread on resources for parents whose kids have been recently diagnosed as autistic! Hope it helps.

First, here are some parent-penned guidelines for first steps after that diagnosis (tl;dr: Learn from my mistakes so you can avoid them):

thinkingautismguide.com/2017/03/after-… 1/ @swirlee @randallb Here also are Eleven Ways You Can Make Your Autistic Child's Life Easier:

thinkingautismguide.com/2017/04/eleven…:

and How listening to autistic adults helped me understand and support my son:

washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019…

#Neurodiversity 2/

Now: We are at the live #INSAR2021 press conference. And since it’s online, maybe you can be there, too:

facebook.com/autismINSAR/vi… 8 different studies are being presented at the #INSAR2021 press conference, draw from the 1000s of presentations being featured at the conference.

Unless I’m mistaken, there isn’t supplementary text or captioning so I’m having a hard time parsing what’s going on.

Why do good people fall for bad autism charities & related efforts like #ColorTheSpectrum? A thread.

Mostly? "Our media conditions its audiences to fear & pity people with disabilities.”

medium.com/the-establishm…

#AutismAcceptanceMonth
#AutismAcceptance
#Neurodiversity

1/ And it’s not just sensationalistic, clickbait media outlets that impugn the rights and basic humanity of autistic people. Respected, progressive publications and writers can be just as reactionary. 2/

Hey Parents of Autistic Kids: Here Are Five Big, Avoidable Mistakes! A thread based on a TPGA post by @shannonrosa, parent of an autistic now-adult:

thinkingautismguide.com/2017/04/hey-pa…

#AutismAcceptanceMonth
#neurodiversity

1/ As I have become increasingly devoted to 'learn from my mistakes, so you don't repeat my mistakes,' here are five bonks I made during the early years of parenting my autistic son, and how you can avoid repeating my fails.

2/

On this joyous inauguration day, we're republishing our Letter to President Biden @POTUS on Disability Policy, with renewed enthusiasm and hope for how the Biden Administration can best serve its autistic and disabled constituents.

thinkingautismguide.com/2020/06/a-lett…

#neurodiversity 1/ Your disability policy makes us hopeful about the future for our autistic children with high-support needs. Thank you for taking the ADA, disability rights, inclusion, and QoL issues seriously, and also for addressing how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the disability community. 2/

We talked with epidemiologist and all-around great guy Dr. Rene Najera @EpiRen about #COVID19 vaccine myths and facts—to both counter misinformation, & also answer community members’ questions. Some of the things we covered (a thread!):

thinkingautismguide.com/2020/12/we-ask…

#VaccinesWork 1/ @EpiRen Dr. Najera’s particulars include (but are not limited to): a doctor of public health degree from Johns Hopkins and a master's in public health, in epidemiology & also in biostatistics. He also works for a large DC-area county health department. So, yes, he knows his stuff. 2/

So what is it that parents of autistic people, especially those of children/adults with higher support needs, want from the @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris administration, in terms of disability policy? Well, we’ve got high hopes! And also concrete goals. A thread.

#Neurodiversity

1/ @JoeBiden’s campaign’s disability policy makes us hopeful for our high-support autistic children. It also takes the ADA, disability rights, inclusion, & quality of life issues seriously, & also addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the disability community. All good! 2/

Why do some parents of autistic people attack #neurodiversity advocates for appearing less disabled than their own kids? Especially when those advocates are fighting to ensure a better future for all autistic people—including those parents’ kids?

An eyebrow-cocked thread. 1/ These outraged parents say "...that those who argue the Neurodiversity position do so out of ignorance," which is not merely offensive but untrue: those who support Neurodiversity tend do so because Neurodiversity is their reality, and the neurodiverse their community. 2/

Autistic Commonality and the Illusion of “Quirky”: A thread from a TPGA article by @epballou!

Some people insist on describing the autistic spectrum as ranging from the non-speaking and very profoundly disabled, to the “just quirky.”

(Ed.: Emily will explain why this is BS.) 1/ @epballou Or, during discussions about the need for acceptance and accommodation, the same people might tell autistic self-advocates, “That may be fine for autistic people like you who are just quirky, but you're not like my child.” 2/

CN: Murder of disabled kids, murder apologia.

Dylan Freeman, an autistic boy, has been murdered by his mother. Instead of emphasizing Dylan’s right to live, the media is going on about the caregiver burden of his mother due to pandemic lockdown.

I'm here to say: Fuck that. 1/ I need you—and judges and “that poor mother” reporters like @allisonpearson everywhere—to understand that, however difficult it may be for families to support their disabled loved ones, murder is NEVER excusable. There are always other options. Always.

Dylan should be alive. 2/

Autistic people deserve the love & respect that come with acceptance, not merely acknowledgment that autism exists. Awareness is passive. Acceptance is a choice.

Here are ten ways you can honor autistic people of all ages. (Hark, a thread!)

#Neurodiversity #autism #autistic
1/ 1) Honor communication. Everyone communicates. If your autistic loved one struggles with spoken language, help them find a communication system that works for them, whether scripted speech, typing, a symbol-to-speech device or app, sign language, or a letter board.

2/

I’ve seen folks getting sad about a certain Hamilton creator supporting a certain not-great autism charity whose initials are "AS.” Truly, this bums me out, too—yet I don’t blame people who are trying to do the right thing for not knowing which autism orgs to trust. A thread: 1/ Our media conditions its audiences to fear and pity people with autism and other disabilities. And it’s not just sensationalistic, clickbait media outlets that impugn the rights and basic humanity of autistic people. 2/