Open Society

At EF, we work every day to help people better understand one another, which is why we recently spoke with Dr. Deborah Plummer about racism and allyship.

The Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board shares what they’ve learned as they’ve worked for justice in schools.

Accountability is a keystone of racial equity work. Accountability, as used in this website, refers to creating processes and systems that are designed to help individuals and groups to be held in check for their decisions and actions and for whether the work being done reflects and embodies racial justice principles. Accountability in racial equity work is about constantly checking the work against a set of questions: How is the issue being defined? Who is defining it? Who is this work going to benefit if it succeeds? Who will benefit if the work does not succeed? How are risks distributed among the stakeholders? How will a group know if its plan has accounted for risks and unintended consequences for different racial and ethnic groups? What happens if people pull out before the goals are met? Who anointed the people and groups being relied on for the answers to these questions? Who else can answer these questions to guide the work?

Words and their multiple uses reflect the tremendous diversity that characterizes our society. Indeed, universally agreed upon language on issues relating to racism is nonexistent. In this way, the quality of dialogue and discourse on race can be enhanced.

A bit more on this #MonotropismQuestionnaire thing.I’ve been emphasising that the new quiz is NOT an autism assessment not bc I’m making an academic point or bc I’m trying to be overly precise, but because I believe that there can be harm at this stage from using it that way.— Sonny Hallett (@scrappapertiger) July 23, 2023

Important thread on our recently published (open access) monotropism questionnaire. In a nutshell: monotropism is super interesting and important……but our questionnaire is NOT a new way to classify who is / isn’t autistic. https://t.co/VsXhQIiPXh— Sue Fletcher-Watson (@SueReviews) July 23, 2023

I love that so many people are getting excited about the Monotropism Questionnaire, but I really wish people would stop calling it an "autism assessment".I hope that it can be used to inform future autism assessments, but that's not what it is and it also needs further testing.— @ferrous@neurodifferent.me (@MxOolong) July 22, 2023

The experience of stigma by autistic people is relatively understudied, despite contributing to a range of poor outcomes and having an overarching impact on well-being. The current review of the literature synthesizes research to determine what is currently ...

Main points from the Outdoor Accessibility Guidance by Sensory Trust.

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience various sleep problems. Sleep problems co-occur in a bidirectional relationship with ASD core symptoms and behavioral problems. However, studies on how these three factors are intricately linked to each other are limited. This m …

Autistic doctors are a “hidden minority” in hospitals and other health settings, according to an Irish hospital consultant whose new groundbreaking study h...

Sensory experiences create meaning and provide longer-lasting memories. Find out how we use a sensory approach to work with people with a range of needs.

Warda Farah explains Pathology of Agency, and reflects on the impact it has on children in the early years, as well as what we can do to combat it.

This quote, from the @nytimes review of the OPPENHEIMER film: "He served as director of a clandestine weapons lab built in a near-desolate stretch of Los Alamos, in New Mexico"...It was inhabited by Hispanos. They were given less than 24 hr to leave. Their farms bulldozed. 1— Alisa Lynn Valdés, M.S. (@AlisaValdesRod1) July 20, 2023

Disability culture teaches us to honor our limits and resist injustice. We need both skills to navigate climate crisis.

Equitable and just genetic research and clinical translation require an examination of the ethical questions pertaining to vulnerable and marginalized…

Multisensory rooms are widely used across the country in schools, care settings, hospitals and homes. Even settings such as football stadiums and airports are installing multisensory environments. Nevertheless, a significant lack of effective research has led to a sense of unease around sensory rooms. This crucial book explores the use of multisensory rooms in order to ease that anxiety; taking the mystery out of multisensory rooms, and supporting the reader to reflect and make the most out of t

🗞️NEW PAPER🗞️ (CW mental health & suicide)The experiences of #ActuallyAutistic doctorsThe mental health findings are stark & powerful.Meaningful change is needed in healthcare, for autistic staff & patients alike.Link: https://t.co/C3i2TN6mkj@BSMSMedSchool @JeffersonUniv pic.twitter.com/HflqZ2ee5U— Seb Shaw (he/him) 🏳️‍🌈 (@Autistic_Doc) July 18, 2023

IntroductionMedicine may select for autistic characteristics. As awareness and diagnosis of autism are growing, more medical students and doctors may be discovering they are autistic. No studies have explored the experiences of autistic doctors. This study aimed to fill that gap.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study. A participatory approach was used to identify the need for the project and to modify a pre-existing survey for use exploring the experiences of autistic doctors.ResultsWe received 225 responses. 64% had a formal diagnosis of autism. The mean age of receiving a formal diagnosis was 36 (range 3–61). Most were currently working as doctors (82%). The most common specialties were general practice / family medicine (31%), psychiatry (18%), and anesthesia (11%). Almost half of those working had completed specialty training (46%) and 40% were current trainees. 29% had not disclosed being autistic to anyone at work. 46% had requested adjustments in the workplace but of these, only half had them implemented.Three quarters had considered suicide (77%), one quarter had attempted suicide (24%) and half had engaged in self-harm (49%). 80% reported having worked with another doctor they suspected was autistic, but only 22% reported having worked with another doctor they knew was autistic. Having never worked with a potentially autistic colleague was associated with having considered suicide.Most preferred to be called “autistic doctors” (64%). Most considered autism to be a...

A survey of the workplace experiences of police force employees who are autistic and/or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - Volume 9 Issue 4

Helping to Facilitate Diversity and Inclusion in Schools

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in major upheavals in the school education sector, particularly during periods of “lockdown” and remote working. While the impact of these changes on pupils, parents ...

Despite significant research into the education of autistic children and young people (CYP) and an increased awareness of the employment needs and rights of autistic adults, little attention has be...

📣 NEW article from the Autistic School Staff Project @AutSchoolStaff ** OPEN ACCESS **Exploring the experiences of 12 former autistic school staff through an analysis of their language (discourse analysis).Key findings 🧵 1/9https://t.co/XQkXLzUnR6— Dr Becky Wood (@thewoodbug) July 19, 2023