Unauthorized Education | Human Restoration Project | Benjamin Ludwig
We used to say that we don’t “teach to the test,” but our curriculum purchases, test schedules, and the requirement to post each day’s lesson standards on the wall send a different message. Published by Human Restoration Project, a 501(c)3 organization restoring humanity to education.
Storytelling in Science Film: Narrative Engagement Relates to Greater Knowledge, Interest, and Identification With Science - Emily L. Howell, Shannon L. Behrman, Elliot Kirschner, Sarah S. Goodwin, 2024
To explore narrative engagement’s impacts on science communication, we examine a representative sample of U.S. adults randomly assigned to watch one of the four...
A fresh understanding of OCD is opening routes to new treatments
We're finally pinning down the mechanisms that drive obsessive-compulsive disorder, revealing a complex combination of imbalanced brain networks, the immune system and even gut microbes
Unpacking radicalisation: how Neurodivergent minds are targeted by the far-right — Neurodiverse Connection
Against the backdrop of the wave of racial-hatred and violence that swept the UK in recent weeks, NdC Development Lead Grace Lee examines how Neurodivergent minds can be vulnerable to exploitation and radicalisation by by far-right narratives and deliberate misinformation, and what can be done to
Neurodivergence, Trauma and Recovery (Part 1/3) — Connecting Back to Nature and Cyclical Living — Neurodiverse Connection
In this three-part series of blogs, NdC Development Lead Kay Aldred examines the complex entanglement of Neurodivergence and trauma, and the implications this has for the concept of “recovery”. In this first part, Kay explores how natural rhythms, such as the seasons, can illuminate an understandi
College Admissions Scandals, the New Aristocracy, and the Grading and Ranking of Children
Three reads to go with the college admissions scandal: One of the hazards of life in the 9.9 percent is that our necks get stuck in the upward position. We gaze upon the 0.1 percent with a mixture …
The experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with borderline or emotionally unstable personality disorder: A phenomenological study - Bruce Tamilson, Jessica A Eccles, Sebastian C K Shaw, 2024
An increasing number of studies are investigating the links between autism and borderline personality disorder. Studies report overlapping differences and the c...
Occurrence and predictors of lifetime suicidality and suicidal ideation in autistic adults - J van Bentum, M Sijbrandij, M Huibers, S Begeer, 2024
In the past 40 years, accumulating evidence suggested that autistic individuals are at an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This study examined...
Loneliness is another risk factor in the general population that is consistently associated with suicidal ideation and behavior (McClelland et al., 2020; Shaw et al., 2021; Stickley & Koyanagi, 2016). A common misconception is that autistic individuals prefer social isolation (Mazurek, 2014). On the contrary, they often want to develop relationships but may experience social difficulties resulting in unfulfilled social needs (Bauminger et al., 2003; Ee et al., 2019; Hedley et al., 2018). This has been a topic of interest in recent studies (Hedley et al., 2018; Schiltz et al., 2021), and a recent systematic review reported various factors associated with increased loneliness in autistic adults such as autistic characteristics, negative experiences and learned helplessness, anxiety, and depression and suicidal ideation (Grace et al., 2022). We also expect to find an association between loneliness and increased suicidal behavior in our Dutch cohort. A recent study in this cohort revealed that autistic adults’ loneliness and stress levels remained stable over time but were consistently higher than those of non-autistic adults (Scheeren et al., 2022).
Frontiers | The experiences of autistic doctors: a cross-sectional study
IntroductionMedicine may select for autistic characteristics. As awareness and diagnosis of autism are growing, more medical students and doctors may be disc...
Recently i wrote about alexithymia and it's ramifications for our mental health. Since publishing that post, it has come to my attention that many people feel t
Unmasking The Impact of Alexithymia on Autistic Lives
This article explores the impact of alexithymia on Autistic people, challenging common misconceptions about their empathy and social communication. It delves into how alexithymia affects social interactions, mental health support, and self-image. The article advocates for a shift in societal attitudes towards autism and alexithymia, emphasizing the importance of community and acceptance in mitigating its negative impact.
When planning for meaningful inclusion and participation of our community
Consider an asynchronous or a hybrid option. The pace of most synchronous (real-time) meetings favors people who can speak fluently. That disadvantages us.¹ Asynchronous meetings (e.g., by email or instant messaging) allow us to take as much time as we need to respond, and don’t require us to be ready to communicate at a specific time, among other benefits. If asynchronous communication can achieve the purpose of the meeting, consider offering it as an option or as an alternative.
We Have a Duty to Find, Assess, and Support Twice-Exceptional Students
Summary of Significant Studies on High Suicide Risk for those with Autism/ADHD and the Heightened Risk for Those With Higher Cognitive Abilities
Research has established that there is a heightened risk of suicide in the neurodivergent population. Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that describes people with variation in their brain functioning, and can include conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and tourette’s syndrome. The neurodivergent population is often at risk for a wide range of additional health risks leading to a lower life expectancy, health and mental health issues and overall lower quality of life. These health concerns are often exacerbated by 1) being misunderstood and unaccommodated by our neurotypical society institutions and systems and 2) sensory overwhelm. It is therefore not surprising that recent research has shown that the risk of suicide is significantly higher for autistics and ADHDers overall.
Another mechanism may be found in the relationship between high cognitive ability and "camouflaging"[87], where individuals suppress less socially accepted behavior to fit in. Camouflaging is a universal behavior[88] that has been studied with particular interest in autistic individuals, who engage in this behavior more regularly[89]. In studies of autism, camouflaging has been associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression[90], perhaps due to less support resulting from successful camouflaging, which would tend to delay diagnosis[91]. Consequently, camouflaging in autism is correlated with increased suicidal behavior[92]. Increased cognitive ability may therefore be linked to maladaptive camouflaging that further increases risk for mental health issues in autistic people.[93]
In addition to excessive baseline cortisol (think flight or flight adrenal response) linked to autism, it is likely that demonstration of exceptional cognitive ability raises parent, teacher, and peer expectations[85]. Any inability to meet these elevated standards could result in further activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, potentially explaining the higher rates of suicidal thoughts we observed in 2e children compared to other autistic children[86].
Research studies consistently find heightened risk of suicidal behaviours, ideation, attempts and deaths in those with ASD and ADHD, especially if they are un or misdiagnosed. From the research, the risk of suicidality is higher for those with ASD and higher cognitive abilities, and even higher for those with ASD and other comorbid conditions. The risk of suicidality is higher yet again for those that are twice exceptional, defined as high IQ (>120) combined with another disability, such as ASD[2],[3].
Exploring the positive impact that Autistic Monotropism can have on self-advocating for your Autism and how it could be used to change perspectives on Autism...
Concerning Control | Human Restoration Project | Mal Radagast
Mal reflects on the contradictions of classroom control that often conflict with the purpose of education. Published by Human Restoration Project, a 501(c)3 organization restoring humanity to education.
Anil Dash's keynote video from Oh the Humanity!Anil Dash leads the team behind Glitch, the friendly developer community where coders have collaborated to cre...
AI generates covertly racist decisions about people based on their dialect - Nature
Despite efforts to remove overt racial prejudice, language models using artificial intelligence still show covert racism against speakers of African American English that is triggered by features of the dialect.
Remote Work Dictionary: What Do We Mean When We Say “Remote Work”?
We are still in the first wave of remote work after the pioneering companies like Automattic, GitLab, Buffer, Zapier, Ghost, and more laid the groundwork and proven to the world that remote work is…
Community Member Views on Autism Intervention: Effects of Closeness to Autistic People with Intellectual Disabilities And Nonspeaking Autistic People | Autism in Adulthood
Background: Controversy regarding the neurodiversity movement (NDM), the social and medical models of disability, autism intervention goals, and causal attributions of disability contributes to divides in the autistic and autism communities. The present study investigates the views of autistic and non-autistic autistic and autism community members on these topics. We explored whether these views are shaped by having close relationships to autistic people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and nonspeaking autistic (NSA) people. Methods: A total of 504 autistic and autism community members (278 autistic, 226 non-autistic) completed an online survey about theoretical models and intervention goals. Participants reported whether they had one or more close relationships with NSA people, autistic people with ID, neither, or both. Results: Overall, there was considerable consensus regarding desired intervention goals: normalization goals were generally opposed, while participants generally supported well-being, societal reform, supportive environment, and adaptive skill goals. While autistic participants reported less support for normalization and adaptive skills goals than non-autistic participants, they expressed somewhat more enthusiasm for societal reform and supportive environments than non-autistic people. Autistic people supported the NDM more and the medical model less than non-autistic people. Those close to autistic people with ID gave higher ratings to adaptive skill goals. On average, participants not close to autistic people with ID saw the challenges of those without ID as being slightly more due to environmental/social factors than the challenges of those with ID; there was no such statistical difference among those close to autistic people with ID. Conclusion: Further research investigating community views, with the inclusion of more autistic people with ID and NSA people themselves, is needed, but the results of this study suggest that the broader autistic and autism communities see NDM-consistent intervention goals as appropriate for all autistic people, including NSA people and those with ID. As autism interventions have often pursued unpopular normalization goals, this suggests directions for reform. Community Brief Why is this an important issue? Disagreements about the neurodiversity movement have divided autistic people, their family members, and autism professionals. These include debates about whether the neurodiversity movement includes and represents the interests of autistic people who may have higher support needs, such as nonspeaking individuals and autistic people with intellectual disabilities. They also include debates about what goals autism interventions and supports should focus on. What is the purpose of this study? The purpose of this study is to explore the views of autistic and autism community members (e.g., autistic people, family members, and professionals) on: the neurodiversity movement, the social model of disability (which views society as the source of disability-related challenges), the medical model of disability (which says disabled people’s own characteristics cause disability-related challenges), and different autism intervention goals. We explored whether these views are related to whether participants were autistic and/or had close relationships with autistic people with higher support needs. What did the researchers do? We collected online survey responses from 504 autistic people, family members, and autism professionals. Participants shared whether they were close to nonspeaking autistic people or autistic people with intellectual disabilities. Participants answered questions about various intervention goals and their support for the neurodiversity movement and other models of disability. What were the results of this study? Both autistic and non-autistic participants supported the neurodiversity movement and interventions that aim to change society, create supportive environments for autistic people, and promote well-being. Both autistic and non-autistic participants generally opposed interventions trying to make autistic people more normal, but autistic people were especially unlikely to support the goals of making autistic people normal. Autistic people were less enthusiastic about the goal of teaching “useful” skills and more strongly opposed to the medical model. Autistic people were more likely than non-autistic people to support the neurodiversity movement, reforming society and creating better environments for autistic people, but these differences were not large. Participants close to autistic people with intellectual disabilities supported teaching useful skills slightly more than those not close. What do these findings add to what is already known? These findings further our understanding of the perspectives of autistic and autism community members on neurodiversity, models of disability, and preferred intervention goals. What are the potential weaknesses of this study? The participants in this study were mostly White women from North America and Europe. We obtained few responses from people who more strongly oppose the neurodiversity movement or from autistic individuals who have the highest support needs. This means that our findings do not represent all autistic and autism community members. Different participants may also have understood the idea of a “close relationship” differently. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? These findings may be useful to autistic adults and other members of the autistic and autism communities who want to connect with others and advocate for autism intervention research that fits their shared goals. Results can help professionals to develop interventions that better match the goals of different members of the autistic and autism communities.
