“Shut your face!”; Prioritising, Valuing and Enabling Autistic Children’s Autonomy.
Listen to audio transcription here or scroll down to read Introduction This is an article about autonomy and instincts through the lens of being autistic and/or living, working and being alongside …
Narrating the Many Autisms: Identity, Agency, Mattering
Autism is a profoundly contested idea. The focus of this book is not what autism is or what autistic people are, but rather, it grapples with the central question: what does it take for autistic people to participate in a shared world as equals with other people?
Drawing from her close reading of a range of texts and narratives, by autistic authors, filmmakers, bloggers, and academics, Anna Stenning highlights the creativity and imagination in these accounts and also considers the possibilities
The Campfire, Cave and Watering Hole: David Thornburg's Learning Spaces
David Thornburg's learning spaces are becoming evermore popular in helping educators to create innovative classroom designs that help individual students to flourish. He recognises three archetypal learning spaces: the campfire, cave, and watering hole. We discuss how you can incorporate these into your modern classroom design!
Experiences of hyperfocus and flow in college students with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Current Psychology - Hyperfocus and flow are experiences of intense concentration associated with reduced perception of irrelevant stimuli and improved task performance (Ashinoff &...
Psychological Research - ‘Hyperfocus’ is a phenomenon that reflects one’s complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or ‘tune...
Autistic people created the concept of fandom. In his book NeuroTribes, Steve Silberman describes how Autistic nerds in the early 1900s traveled across the country by car, on foot, and even by hopping trains in order to meet people who shared their niche interests. Autistic people are also a foundational part of most fandoms and conventions centered around shared hobbies—we […]
Futurist David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning (bit.ly/YvRuWC) Australia’s Campfires, Caves, and Watering Holes: Educators on ISTE’s Australian Study Tour Discovered How to Create New Learning and Teaching Environments where Curriculum and Instructional Tools […]
Holtthink: Where Interwebs and Edtech Combine on Tumblr: Interview with David Thornburg author of "From the Campfire to the Holodeck: Creating Engaging and Powerful 21st Century Learning Environments.”
Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. It's where your interests connect you with your people.
Autistic employees more likely to speak up about workplace issues, study finds
A study published in Autism Research reveals that autistic employees are more likely to report workplace issues compared to nonautistic counterparts, suggesting neurodiversity as a workplace asset. The research, involving a survey of employed adults, highlights the unique perspectives and proactive approach of autistic individuals in organizational settings.
Sci-Hub | Characterization of Special Interests in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Brief Review and Pilot Study Using the Special Interests Survey. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders | 10.1007/s10803-020-04743-6
Positive Niche Construction–practice of differentiating instruction for the neurodiverse brain Neurodiversity in the Classroom Positive niche construction is a strengths-based approach to educating students with disabilities. Reimagining Inclusion with Positive Niche Construction Collaborative niche construction allows organisations and people to participate in the evolution of a living system and results in resilient social ecosystems. The […]
I originally conceived of neuroqueer as a verb: neuroqueering as the practice of queering (subverting, defying, disrupting, liberating oneself from) neuronormativity and heteronormativity simultaneously. It was an extension of the way queer is used as a verb in Queer Theory; I was expanding the Queer Theory conceptualization of queering to encompass the queering of neurocognitive norms as well as […]
The Seven Spaces of Technology in School Environments
NB - Updated version with all content. Matt Locke originally came up with the concept of the Six Spaces of technology (test.org.uk/2007/08/10/six-spaces-of-social-media/).…
David Thornburg on the Evolving Classroom: Big Thinkers
The noted educational futurist describes his "holodeck" classroom—an environment that supports project-based learning—and makes the case for why the role of ...
Psychological Research - ‘Hyperfocus’ is a phenomenon that reflects one’s complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or ‘tune...
Neurodivergent belonging: a manifesto — Neurodiverse Connection
Krysia Waldock examines belonging as a basic need, how the marginalisation of Neurodivergent people can make it harder to feel more than merely ‘present’ in a space, and how we can better foster a sense of belonging for Neurodivergent individuals.
Belonging has been described as a human need (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). However, Neurodivergent people are likely to face more exclusion in all domains of life (see Chapman & Carel, 2022; Mellifont, 2023; Waldock, 2023). In addition, far more focus is placed on disabled and/or Neurodivergent people being present in a space rather than enabling a sense of belonging.
It is therefore important that we as neurodivergent people have input on what belonging looks like when done right and in a manner which is neurodivergent-affirming. At this point, I would like to emphasise that what it feels like to belong is unique to each person. We all have different understandings of what belonging is, notably including belonging as a feeling between people or a group, an affinity for a place or situation or having a role where we ‘fit’ and play a part. These are likely shaped by our lived experiences, the identities we have and the situation at hand.
Re-imagining Learning Spaces to inspire contemporary learning – Part One: Models for Change
Welcome to Part One of a two-part series on designing contemporary learning spaces. In this article, I will discuss and explore a range of models that support learning space re-design. Before you l…
Ewan McIntosh echoes the Third Teacher in saying that teachers should ‘make peace with fidgeting’ , and realise that growing bodies often process information while moving.
Aesthetic movements of embodied minds: between Merleau-Ponty and Deleuze
Continental Philosophy Review - Animating Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological idea of the body as a pre-reflective organizing principle in perception, consciousness and language has...
If you wanted to turn someone into a socialist you could do it in about an hour by taking them for a spin around the paddock of a Formula 1 race. The kind of money I saw will haunt me forever.
Fergus Murray with Sonny Hallett (2023) Monotropism was formulated as a theory of autism. It seeks to explain the experiences and traits of autistic people in terms of a tendency for resources like…
