Trauma
Much in the way that historical research around autism has looked at young, white boys, creating bias in the diagnostic criteria (which is responsible for an unfathomable amount of harm); we are creating diagnostic (but not) tools for PDA that exclude intellectually disabled Autistic people. No wond
Society
The narratives around autism and addiction are both peculiar. Things are the same while appearing different. On the one hand, autism is viewed by wider society as something that happens to a child, as if an unseen force has stolen their humanity. On the other hand, addiction is seen as
disability
Autism elicits a wide range of responses from people. In the Autistic community, we are relatively protected from harmful views on our existence if we wish to be. For many of us, however, there is the ever-present threat of our existence being used to enforce beliefs that are overtly harmful.
Neurodiversity
This article was written by an anonymous guest author This post references: UN Special Rapporteur on Torture UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities UK Mental Health Act (1983) We are at a pivotal crossroads on our path towards a fairer society, faced with a monumental issue that,
Healthcare
It's no secret that diagnosis in the UK (and, in fact, the world at large) is increasingly difficult to access. I have written at length about diagnosis, such as this article on why getting a diagnosis is so difficult, and this piece considering the issues with current diagnostic
adhd
The other day, I wrote a response to this article about how such irresponsible reporting puts ADHD and otherwise neurodivergent people at risk. Since then there has been growing concern about the ethics behind the article and associated BBC Panorama documentary. The first thing to note is this article written
Neurodiversity
By now, you're probably aware that the BBC is positioning itself as a whistle-blower in a scandal regarding the misdiagnosis of ADHD by private psychiatrists. While I am reticent to say that it doesn't happen (of course it does, humans are awfully inexact creatures and psychiatry
Mental Health
"The first thing you need to understand about specialist mental health services in the UK is that they don't really use a prevention model for intervention. Instead, they use a crisis-driven intervention model that only begins work with you when you are deeply suffering. This was particularly proble
Mental Health
I have written a fair amount about how I don't view my being Schizophrenic as an illness. This in itself seems like a bold claim given the way that society has pathologised anyone who (by means of their bodyminds neurology) can not perform neuronormativity. Neurotypicality has been set
Autistic Rights
There are many things within this world that can cause controversy in minority communities. One less discussed in mainstream society, but of significant interest to the Autistic community is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). Nothing sets Autistic Rights activists ready to march into battle quite like the normative violence of behaviourism.
Autistic Rights
TW: the content of this article may be upsetting to some. In this article, David looks at the statistics and law that surround the practice of detaining Autistic people under the Mental Health Act and why it paints such a worrying picture.
Society
When we think of mental health services, I'm sure a lot of images are called to mind. Some people might imagine the institutions of days gone by, where people in significant states of dysregulation under the watchful eye of orderlies, nurses, and doctors. Others might think of therapy