Autistic Rights
In my day job, I talk to a lot of Autistic people. I mean a lot of Autistic people. One of the most common questions I am asked is how to better account for limited reserves of energy and cognitive resources. The answer sounds deceptively simple, but in reality, it
Mental Health Treatment Rights
If you believe that there are no issues with the way that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) treats UK Autistic children and young people, I would direct you to take a look at the ongoing petition that has over 200,000 signatures. That's a fifth of
Psychosis
When we think of stigma, we often think of awareness campaigns and personal disclosure of our struggles. On the face of it, these appear to be helpful in stigma reduction. However, as with all things like this, it is not nearly as simple as that. Autism has been the focus
Neurodiversity
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have, for a long time, failed to provide support to Autistic children and young people. When it comes to autism, there is perhaps no service more infamous for it's failures than CAMHS. Despite this, every year more and more Autistic people
Autistic Rights
For anyone who has been following my writing recently, you will be aware that there is an ongoing campaign regarding the failings of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS). In particular, there has been a great deal of discussion around the fact that they will often refuse to see
Trauma
This article was co-authored by David Gray-Hammond and Katie Munday There is an ongoing crisis in services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) when it comes to Autistic young people's mental health. Failing to support our Autistic young people can have a big impact on
Neurodiversity
Autistic people are exposed to inordinately high rates of trauma and mistreatment. It is unsurprising then that a large portion of us develop mental health struggles. Where there are concerns around mental health, there are also issues regarding inpatient treatment, both voluntary and involuntary, under the UK's Mental
Neurodiversity
It's no secret in the Autistic community that autism is a deciding factor in the success of a young person's referral to CAMHS. For a long time, Autistic people and their families have been speaking out against the practice of gatekeeping of services and diagnostic overshadowing
Society
Thanks to Fierce Autie a significant revelation has happened. Spectrum 10k and Autism Speaks are connected.
Autistic Rights
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
TW: This article talks about specifics of suicide among Autistic children and young people.
Neurodiversity
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