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sentient_water

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Social justice, equality, ecology #ClimateChange #Science #Psychology #Autistic #ADHD #ActuallyAutistic writer & professional silly sausage. #EDS #SF #Writing #Robots #StarTrek #BLM #LGBTQ+ ally #European #OpenSource #Linux #UKPol #ClimateCrisis #Science #USPol #Vegan #CatsOfMastodon #AuDHD

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niamhgarvey , to ActuallyAutistic group
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Research into adults socialising with other autistic adults showing very positive results:

https://t.co/txo5dXTZzZ

@actuallyautistic

sentient_water ,
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@niamhgarvey @actuallyautistic Research into French adults socialising with other French adults showing very positive results.

Sorry I'm being flippant. I'll go read it now.

Uair , to ActuallyAutistic group
@Uair@autistics.life avatar

@actuallyautistic

How are you with animals?

I tend to throw off the wrong vibe for people, but get along with even the iffy animals. Dogs that don't like most people warm to me.

Just wondering how much of that is autism and how much me. My dad hates animals.

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Uair @actuallyautistic Always adored animals & connect really easily. The cat I always post is my neighbour's cat but it calls for me each day to spend every available hour with me. Other cats have done the same. Dogs too. All creatures, even, reluctantly wasps.

There's no facade with animals, besides .

"Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends."

  • George Bernard Shaw

"The thing is, when I tell people that I don’t eat meat, I’m saying it to be polite. I use that form of words because I don’t want to offend people. So, from now on I’m going to be more honest. I’m just going to tell people that I don’t eat animals.

"I was nine when I decided to stop eating animals. My twin sister and I were the only black children in school. I experienced racism in and out of the classroom, so in the playground I would often find myself sitting in a corner talking to the local cats. When the cats were away, I’d talk to the birds and the bees. Amazingly, I never met a racist animal. Some were nervous when they first approached me, some would make a few visits before they got close, but it never took long for us to make a connection. Then we would just hang out together."' - Benjamin Zephaniah

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/28/benjamin-zephaniah-tell-people-i-dont-eat-animals-thing-ill-do-differently

niamhgarvey , to ActuallyAutistic group
@niamhgarvey@mastodon.ie avatar

Doctor suggested I have but I don't think I do because:
I am able to force myself to do things even if I'm not interested in it.
I do not like spontaneity.
When I have a deadline, I cannot leave it to the last minute or anxiety would cripple me.
But I do struggle to pay attention unless am hyperfocused. And I do have executive function challenges. And I have to have a project. And I crave dopamine hits.

Anyone else similar to that?
@actuallyautistic
@actuallyadhd

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@niamhgarvey @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd I'm AuDHD only recently added the ADHD to my collection. Been meaning to watch this for a while now but one of my neuro spices isn't letting me.

Yo Samedy Sam is an psychologist.

https://youtu.be/nJ8fAfVevL8

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@Dr_Obvious @niamhgarvey @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd Yeah I get really lovely vibes from him but I confess I've not given his channel the attention it deserves.

Really like Ponderful now Ember Green's channel too. She's got real northern sass.

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@niamhgarvey @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd Having only recently found out I'm ADHD as well I think one of the biggest factors is that autism & the monotropism that comes along with it mitigates the inattention & distractibility associated with ADHD.

Also one of the benefits of ADHD is that it nudges my autistic self out of its routines & comfort zones for novelty seeking & social interaction. This means I've had quite an exciting life.

I'm beginning to suspect that "High functioning" & "Asperger's" may just be co-occuring & in many, many cases.

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@GinevraCat @jeztastic @niamhgarvey @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd It's a baffling thing to untangle because it's not just these conditions. We're also individuals, shaped by our time, culture & personality & I think that this is why psychology & psychiatry will always be, to some degree, a soft science.

I really would like to create an neuro diversity research institute but run by ND people. I don't know how much longer we have to wait before we can confidently say to entrenched researchers & organisations that "Hey we know ourselves better than you & yes we have the skills & qualifications to do it with rigour & compassion."

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@GinevraCat @jeztastic @niamhgarvey @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

To do list;

  1. Shower
  2. Toast & more coffee
  3. Create International Neuro diversity Research Institute
sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@jeztastic @GinevraCat @niamhgarvey @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd I hear you but I don't think we have to get their permission. We just need a shared vision. I've got a PGC in autism (half an M.Sc due to burnout).

There are so many talented, passionate people among us. Also I intend to beat them in the market of ideas & on price.

"I want an autism diagnosis but don't have thousands to spare." No worries we offer a sliding scale. The wealthy subsidise the not so. I want it to be results driven, in terms of quickly improving quality of life.

For example the phenomenon of loneliness in autistics isn't some fundamentally central part of our condition. It's repeated ostracization & isolation by an allistic/NT majority.

When studying for my masters our cohort was asked what autistic people needed most & everyone around the table (all of them lovely people who were parents to autistic kids & worked in schools) said unanimously. "We need more money. We need more resources."

When it got to me I was spitting feathers. "No we don't need more money! We need more love, more friends, more compassion & more connection. Money won't hug us when we need it most."

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@niamhgarvey @GinevraCat @jeztastic @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd Totally agree Luke Beardon is an absolute sweetie & yes Sue Fletcher-Watson is a gem. I attended ITAKOM a couple of years ago thanks to her.

It's happening but it's often diffuse & we often defer to allistics in many areas such as diagnosis. Imagine how quickly diagnoses could be made by a MDT of ND professionals.

I was recently given some support primarily for the disability associated with my EDS & with a few brief conversations about autism the person who is now acting as my P.A. realised they were also autistic. 60 years old & totally unaware of their autism until they said to me "I don't really like Christmas." After I said "That's a very common autistic trait you know?" & Sharing some self-assessment resources they came back & said "I took those tests & I scored very highly."

They weren't even seeking a diagnosis. It's proving to be a really excellent support dynamic.

sentient_water ,
@sentient_water@neurodifferent.me avatar

@niamhgarvey @GinevraCat @jeztastic @miffyhelen @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd It truly was. I've been around so many people who were like me before. I just wish it was a more regular thing (not in terms of size but connection).

Scotland seems to be light years ahead in terms of inclusionary research.

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