Society
Spectrum 10k and Autism Speaks are linked: here's the things that link them
Thanks to Fierce Autie a significant revelation has happened. Spectrum 10k and Autism Speaks are connected.
David Gray-Hammond
Mental Health
What being Autistic has taught me about attitudes towards mental health issues
Autism and mental health. There are those who will tell you that the two are separate. Autism is not a mental health problem, with the underlying implication that mental health can't be the realm of neurodiversity. However, it is not that simple; what we know as "mental
disability
Why do CAMHS fail Autistic service users?
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are the main mental health services for children and young people in the UK. The service is largely known as a branch of the NHS, although private services often have their own CAMHS service. Their remit is to address mental health issues within
Addiction
AuDHD and cigarettes: What is the relationship?
Autism and ADHD are often reported to have vastly different relationships with regard to the smoking of cigarettes. Research suggests that among Autistic people, we see a reduced rate of smoking, while ADHDers generally report smoking more frequently (nearly half reported daily smoking by age 17). I believe, however, that
Autistic Rights
What is an Autistic advocate?
In the Autistic community, a common term we hear is "Autistic advocate". The popular definition is a person using their lived experience to further the cause of Autistic rights and the wider neurodiversity movement. Despite this however, advocacy is a complicated and important role. As an independent advocate,
General Wellbeing
CAMHS, autism, and suicide: The disturbing facts
TW: This article talks about specifics of suicide among Autistic children and young people.
Neurodiversity
The UK government knows CAMHS is failing Autistic children and they still aren't fixing it
The UK Government have been aware with the issues with CAMHS for Autistic young people since at least 2014. Despite this nothing has changed. David dissects a document provided to the House of Commons on this issue.
Neurodiversity
Is autism a disability?
When we think about autism, a number of things may (or may not come) to mind. The question of whether Autistic people are disabled is one that has been discussed for decades, with medical professionals largely being the ones to hold the power over how this answer is reached. Many
Autism
AuDHD and me: My nesting habits
When I first started this blog, I was writing largely about my own personal experiences. Back then, the only diagnoses I had (that would stick) were autism and a substance misuse disorder "in remission". I wrote largely about my experiences as an Autistic addict in recovery, and not
Neurodiversity
What is alexithymia?
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 this is an underdiscussed area and weren't sure exactly what it means. So, what is it? Simply put, it means
Neurodiversity
Autism and alexithymia: The fallout for our mental health
Autism and alexithymia are two things you might see discussed in tandem quite regularly. In fact, Vaiouli and Panayiotou (2021) found a strong postive correlation beween Autistic experience and alexithymia with Kinnaird et al (2019) finding a prevalence rate of nearly 50% among Autistic people. Considering the very high rates
disability
Autism and pain: When pain management options are limited
I have recently been writing about the Autistic experience of pain and the risk that it presents to Autistic people when medical professionals do not understand the way we display pain. Some of us, however, live with chronic pain and are prescribed painkillers. For a lot of people in that