Unschooling Every Family
Embracing Neurodivergent and Disabled Learners
Open Society
Alfie Kohn on X: "1/7 Time for my periodic reminder about one of the most important educational research findings of the 20th century: the Eight-Year Study. Back in the 1930s, 30 high schools around the U.S. turned traditional practice on its head, especially for college-bound students..." / X
1/7 Time for my periodic reminder about one of the most important educational research findings of the 20th century: the Eight-Year Study.Back in the 1930s, 30 high schools around the U.S. turned traditional practice on its head, especially for college-bound students...— Alfie Kohn (@alfiekohn) April 17, 2024
Teacher and child; a book for parents and teachers : Ginott, Haim G : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Bibliography: p. 318
Haim Ginott: The Most Influential Child Psychologist You've Never Heard Of
Taking a break from dunking on Silicon Valley to rediscover the charismatic Dr. Haim Ginott, an influential educator & child psychologist whose ideas about p...
Haim Ginott
“A perfect storm”: Autistic experiences of menopause and midlife - Miranda J Brady, Christine A Jenkins, Julie M Gamble-Turner, Rachel L Moseley, Margaret Janse van Rensburg, Rose J Matthews, 2024
Previous research indicates that menopause can be an extremely difficult transition for some autistic people. This study asks how autistic people experience men...
The importance of Autistic-led training and research
The struggle for Autistic trainers is common as non-Autistic individuals often take precedence. Organizations claim to support #AutismAwareness but refuse to pay Autistic individuals for their expe…
NPR Is a Mess. But “Wokeness” Isn’t the Problem.
The real story behind the public broadcaster’s woes.
UT President: "The legislative climate toward higher education is moving"
UT Austin laid off 49 faculty due to Texas' DEI ban; President Hartzell noted shifting legislative climate and aim to mitigate future risks.
What is private equity, and why is it killing everything you love?
Private equity led to the closing of Toys R Us and cost 30,000 workers their jobs — and it’s hardly the only example of a deal gone wrong.
The Belonging of People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities in Research
Research informs policy and practice. Those with a voice in research get to influence provision. Research has been viewed as a set of proceedures, those seek...
Rigour is a Trap
Thoughts from a recent conversation.
Designed to Fail (4): a history of American education | by Ira David Socol | Teachers on Fire Magazine | Feb, 2024 | Medium
Part Four: Revolution and Counter-Revolution: Those with Wealth and Power have No Reason to Help Make Public Education Work.
Designed to Fail (4): a history of American education
Part Four: Revolution and Counter-Revolution: Those with Wealth and Power have No Reason to Help Make Public Education Work.
David's Divergent Discussions: Weird Pride Day Panel- David with Dr. Nick Walker, Fergus and Tanya
In this episode David hosts Dr. Nick Walker, Fergus Murray, and Tanya Adkin to explore Weird Pride in all it's forms!
CommunicationFIRST
Because communication is a human right
Communication is access. Communication is opportunity. Communication is power. Communication is justice.
Skin in the Game
Antisemitism forms the theoretical core of White nationalism. First, it allows us to identify the fuel that White nationalist ideology uses to power its anti-Black racism, its contempt for other people of color, and its xenophobia—as well as the misogyny and other forms of hatred it holds dear. White supremacism—inscribed de jure by the Jim Crow regime and upheld de facto outside the South—had been the law of the land, and a Black-led social movement had toppled the political regime that supported it. How could a race of inferiors have unseated this power structure through organizing alone? Some secret cabal, some mythological power, must be manipulating the social order behind the scenes. And the second reason that White nationalist antisemitism must not be dismissed: at the bedrock of the movement is an explicit claim that Jews are a race of their own, and that their ostensible position as White folks in the U.S. represents the greatest trick the devil ever played.
The Antisemitism Post (tm)
Gotta get the history to know where the tropes live in the discourse today.
Intermittent, unreliable, insufficient, and expensive speech - AssistiveWare
This article explores some of the varied experiences autistic people can have navigating the space between non-speaking and fully speaking.
Skin in the Game
Antisemitism forms the theoretical core of White nationalism. First, it allows us to identify the fuel that White nationalist ideology uses to power its anti-Black racism, its contempt for other people of color, and its xenophobia—as well as the misogyny and other forms of hatred it holds dear. White supremacism—inscribed de jure by the Jim Crow regime and upheld de facto outside the South—had been the law of the land, and a Black-led social movement had toppled the political regime that supported it. How could a race of inferiors have unseated this power structure through organizing alone? Some secret cabal, some mythological power, must be manipulating the social order behind the scenes. And the second reason that White nationalist antisemitism must not be dismissed: at the bedrock of the movement is an explicit claim that Jews are a race of their own, and that their ostensible position as White folks in the U.S. represents the greatest trick the devil ever played.
Is ABA Really “Dog Training for Children”? A Professional Dog Trainer Weighs In. » NeuroClastic
Carol Millman, a professional dog trainer, compares ABA to dog training in this powerful expose.
Dog trainers don’t talk about systematically altering behaviour as if the dog weren’t a thinking, feeling, sentient being.
…I would never treat a dog that way.
The founder of ABA as it exists today, Ivar Lovaas, who is also the father of gay conversion therapy, derived the principles of his therapies from radical behaviourism.
Radical Behaviourism is considered out-of-date by modern psychologists.
B.F. Skinner tried to explain language using behaviourism, but there is a lot in psycholinguistics that frankly cannot be explained through behaviourism.
Some things are larger than reward and punishment. Empathy, for example. Creative language. Storytelling. Music.
So basically, Radical Behaviourism is broadly seen by psychology professionals as a simplistic and restrictive theory which is useful in certain situations but cannot sum up the entirety of the human experience. It doesn’t even satisfactorily answer some questions about behaviours seen in animals.
In any case, very few dog trainers use the radical behaviourism that’s employed in ABA.
So if it isn’t sufficient to properly train a dog, is it sufficient in educating a child?
ABA is focused on shaping an autistic child to behave more like a non-autistic child, even to the point of shaping the child to play more like a non-autistic child.
None of these goals refer to improving the quality of life of the child.
A dog who has been trained not to growl is considered by trainers to be a “time bomb dog.”
Studies show that dogs trained with these sorts of methods actually have an increased rate of aggression, because punishing aggressive behaviour doesn’t deal with the underlying fear and anxiety that caused the aggression in the first place.
Before a dog trainer breaks out the operant conditioning, our first task is to ensure that all of the dog’s fundamental needs are being met.
Before you train a dog you need to accept that it is a dog.
Relieve fear instead of training the dog not to show its fear. Teach your retriever to retrieve and buy a sandbox for your terrier instead of forcing your dog to ignore fundamental instincts.
It’s not only easier – but it’s much kinder.
Yet the vast majority of autistic people when polled (typically 97%) oppose ABA including and especially those who went through it as children.
A good dog trainer doesn’t extinguish behaviours which improve the dog’s mental health and happiness. But an ABA practitioner may not think twice before doing this to a human child.
The emotional needs of children are too often left entirely out of discussions about autism. This should be shocking to anyone who understands children, behaviour, or how emotions and relationships impact us.
Dog trainers understand that dogs need to chew and bark and dig, but ABA therapists don’t understand that autistic children need to repeat words and sentences, flap their hands, and sit quietly rocking in a corner when things get too much.
It focuses on training children by holding their sources of happiness hostage and using them as blackmail to get the children to meet goals which are not necessarily in the best interest of their emotional health.
Many trans Americans are living in fear. But LGBTQ+ advocates see a reprieve in statehouses.
The number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills being signed into law has shifted in the last year, leaving advocates feeling “cautiously optimistic” over a turning of the legislative tide.
Template letters
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Accumulating harm and waiting for crisis: Parents perspectives of accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for their autistic child experiencing mental health difficulties
Background Autistic children and young people are at increased risk of mental health difficulties, but often face barriers when seeking help from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). There is limited literature exploring the accessibility of CAMHS for autistic young people, particularly from parents perspectives. The present study aimed to 1) explore the experiences of parents/carers seeking help from CAMHS for their autistic childs mental health difficulties, and 2) gain parents perceptions of the accessibility of CAMHS support for their child and understand what could be improved. Methods A mixed-methods survey design was used to learn from parents/carers. 300 parents/carers took part from across the UK between June and October 2023. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data using qualitative content analysis. Results Findings demonstrated the ongoing struggles that parents/carers faced when seeking professional help from CAMHS for their child. Many were not referred to CAMHS or were rejected without an assessment, often due to issues relating to diagnostic overshadowing, a high threshold for assessment, or a lack of professional knowledge about autism and care pathways. Those who were referred reported a lack of reasonable adjustments and offers of ineffective or inappropriate therapies, leaving young people unable to engage, and thus not benefiting. Ultimately, parents felt their childs mental health difficulties either did not improve or declined to the point of crisis. However, there was a recognition that some professionals were kind and compassionate, and provided the validation that parents needed. Conclusions There is a need for a more neuro-inclusive and personalised approach in CAMHS, from the professionals themselves, in the adjustments that are offered, and in the therapies that are provided. Further research, funding, and training are urgently needed to ensure mental health support is accessible, timely, and effective for autistic CYP.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
### Funding Statement
This study did not receive any funding.
### Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
Ethics committee of Liverpool John Moores University gave ethical approval for this work (reference: 23/PSY/046).
I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.
Yes
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
What’s in the Cass Report? — Assigned
The final report of the Cass Review of gender-affirming care for youth is being taken as vindication from anti-trans activists.
The effectiveness and safety of dialectical behavior therapy for suicidal ideation and behavior in autistic adults: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial | Psychological Medicine | Cambridge Core
The effectiveness and safety of dialectical behavior therapy for suicidal ideation and behavior in autistic adults: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial
The timeless and universal architecture of safety
Picture by Ulku Mazlum It is wise to ignore discipline boundaries when engaging in knowledge archaeology. Many of the observations resulting from a transdisciplinary or anti-disciplinary approach d…
Very Ordinary Men | The Point Magazine
I know that I’m supposed to hate Elon Musk.
Hypersensitive, Hyperfocused and Ready for 'Hijack': An Autistic Experience of Sensory Anxiety - Reframing Autism
Why and how do Autistic individuals experience sensory anxiety? In this guest blog, AuDHD Counsellor and Founder of Finding Autism, Amy Adams, explores the intricate world of Autistic sensory processing differences, and how monotropism shapes these experiences, leading to heightened sensitivities and overwhelming responses to stimuli. She shares her strategies for navigating a world where sensory overload is a constant challenge, emphasizing the importance of environmental accommodations and support.
An Honest Assessment of Rural White Resentment Is Long Overdue
We say very clearly that rural America is hurting. But we refuse to justify attitudes that some scholars try to underplay.
Magic and the Weird - Weird Pride Day
On wonder, weirdos and the quest for meaning The weird and the magical have always been deeply tied up. When the term ‘weird’ first entered English, it meant ‘fate’ (or in some accounts, ‘having the power to control fate’). The three Fates from Greek mythology are also the Norns of Norse myth, who are also […]
The weird and the magical have always been deeply tied up. When the term ‘weird’ first entered English, it meant ‘fate’ (or in some accounts, ‘having the power to control fate’). The three Fates from Greek mythology are also the Norns of Norse myth, who are also the Weirds, or Weird Sisters. Eventually, they became the witches in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
From them, we get the modern sense of ‘weird’ as something or someone out of the ordinary. A bit unsettling, a departure from the mundane. You know: like a witch… or possibly a fairy, as in Shakespeare’s main source text.