Hi everyone, I did a thing and I'm now taking on clients for mentoring!
If you're:
- Recently diagnosed/self-identified as
#autistic
& stuck in an employment rut
- Don't know where to start w/ requesting reasonable adjustments
- Need help advocating for yourself at work
I’m interested, from a personal perspective and I guess academic too, in how autistic people process grief. I have recently lost a job and a loved one within the same week and seem to be “doing grief” differently to others.
There is a general lack of understanding about how trauma can manifest in autistic people. Sometimes these are ‘big T’ traumas, but many of us have ‘small t’ traumas (I.e., what’s deemed by others and professionals as not traumatic).
It might not even be related to being autistic but I feel that there are certain societal expectations/norms for grief that I’m just not meeting or just don’t understand.
I'm really interested to hear whether the Pomodoro technique is effective for those neurodivergent people who tend hyper focus on tasks? I find that it often interrupts my 'flow' & ends up making me less productive/more distracted. Thoughts?
Sensory overload can be traumatic; bullying can be traumatic; masking in social situations can be traumatic. Being ‘told off’ for simply being ourselves is traumatic; having to justify why these things are traumatic, is traumatic.
Yes! Autistic people ask questions to get clarity because often what is communicated to us is vague or contradictory and we need CERTAINTY. Lack of certainty can create anxiety. It’s not us being sarcastic or rude.
Communication misunderstandings happen constantly in schools. If an autistic young person says to a teacher "What does this have to do with X?" they are being literal, not sarcastic.
Not understanding autistic communication is a neurotypical communication deficit.
#DoubleEmpathy
@AuDHD_Therapist
@JackVeraldi
Yes! The autistic community repeatedly tells academics and clinicians about our preferred language & yet we’re repeatedly ignored by these said professionals!
@Fox_pause83
Yes, I agree about the sudden change, the loss of a routine - everything is thrown up in the air. From my experience, I just wanted to go back to my usual routine yet others wanted me to stop and just cry - which was so jarring.
Finally getting around to reading this beauty of a book (and shared with my manager, who also bought it!). I’ve had to put it down a few times as I got a bit too excited while reading. Cannot thank you enough
@DrAmyPearson
and
@KieranRose7
🧠♾️
I'm looking for a
#researchassistant
role! Interests:
#autism
in adulthood, late diagnosis, autism in women, stigma, camouflaging, trauma, employment. Experience with primary
#qualitative
data collection/analysis, interviews & quant data analysis. Pls RT.
#AutisticsinAcademia
How do
#actuallyautistic
people deal with imposter syndrome? Sometimes I feel “not autistic enough” to ask for help, but then “too autistic” to do a thing without it. And bc of masking needs for so long, you don’t actually know what your needs are 🤯
@humanbeingawk
“Autistic people have strengths? That can’t be possible…How do we turn this into a maladaptive behaviour”
“Virtual Avatar Demand Avoidance (VADA). Got it.” Oh but Autistic girls and women can’t be diagnosed with it though.
Yesterday, I made the decision to make my tweets private and remove that I was autistic in my bio in an attempt to avoid stigma/discrimination from potential employers (1/5)
But I went back on my decision today. Why? Because autistic people face stigma regardless of whether we are ‘out’ or not. My future employer would find out soon enough if they hired me & if they held discriminatory attitudes then I would not want to work there (2/5)
@sensorystories_
and "on a scale of 1 to pretty fuming are you when a food label says 'new and improved recipe' and they made it worse...and now it's not your safe food".
@DrMBotha
@Ka81
I had my ethics rejected multiple times for my MSc as they couldn't get their head around having an autistic interviewer interviewing autistic people - I needed another person with me because I was "vulnerable". If I were not autistic, I think they would have passed it.
I’ve faced workplace stigma even when I was masking/ undiagnosed & made a promise to myself not to work anywhere that doesn’t accept how I show up. The best thing I can do for myself & other autistic ppl, is to be true to myself & the right job will come along (5/5).
I am not so institutionalised into the humdrum bullshit of academia that I will ever tell an autsitic person confronting ableism in autism research that they really should be nicer about their dehumanisation, objectification, or marginalisation by non-autistic people. 18/
Secondly, it is important that we are clearly visible within careers that help the autistic community (I.e, research, autism charities, schools, healthcare) & I want to use my authenticity to create change (3/5)
Finally submitted my MSc dissertation 🥳 This has been one of the most challenging, yet enjoyable experiences of my degree, especially as I had to teach myself IPA. This is for the
#ActuallyAutistic
community & my wonderful participants!
Sometimes it doesn't quite hit me that my actual full-time job is to help autistic people, as part of a supportive neurodivergent team where we all just 'get' each-other. What a difference a whole year makes...
I cannot pick up on hints. Isn’t it best for everyone involved to just communicate directly? I know hints are used to be polite, but I’d rather not experience miscommunication. You can still be direct AND polite. The two are not mutually exclusive :)
Now, this is the type of autism research we so desperately need (and conducted by autistic researchers!) Thank you
@DrAmyPearson
&
@KieranRose7
. I also appreciate the broad age group in this.
Important thread to read regarding a recent
@Spectrum
article. Genuine question: do they ever consult autistic people before they publish or just run it by one 'Autism mum'/ non-autistic autism professional for sign off?
So incredibly happy that autistic-led research is finally receiving the funding that it deserves 🥳. Also happy to be collaborating with the brilliant
@DrAimeeGrant
!
This may sound too optimistic & I’ll probably get messages telling me not to be so open about being autistic or I won’t get employed. but at this point, I don’t care (4/5)
In other news, I’m so happy to share (and I’m still in shock) that I managed to get a DISTINCTION for my Psychology MSc, with an 82% in my final year research project. Thank you
@Sussex_Psych
⭐️
@ItsEmilyKaty
I love stepping into a very familiar social situation & being like “Oh, I know this one”. But then I’m hit by some kind of unpredictably…it was good while it lasted haha.
The absolute worst is when companies try to hire autistic candidates, only to have: “excellent (NT) communication skills, team player and thrives under pressure” in their job description! These probably won’t apply to us & we fall at the first hurdle.
A lot of job person specification lists read like the exact opposite of contemporary diagnostic criteria, "flexible and communicative", "ability to function in a fast paced environment", etc. while psychometric tests and personality tests are mainly filtering out ND people.
@autienelle
I also don’t like the phrase “reasonable adjustments”, because it implies that there are unreasonable requests that disabled people make when we are just trying to get support.
"One participant went so far as to say that they
‘‘probably would have dropped out [of the project] if it was run by people who weren’t autistic"
My participants said the same thing to me. I don't think academia understands the vital role of autistic autism researchers (yet).
🔆 Participatory research 🔆
🌟 Pellicano et al., 2022🌟
This research wanted to understand the impact of participatory research in the participants. Autistic, autism researchers spoke to 25, late diagnosed autistics and asked them about their… 1/4
Our paper, led by
@CogNeurothemis
has been published! We analysed a corpus of British print media mentions of autism & autistic people using a stereotype content model approach rating for the warmth and competence autistic people were portrayed with.
There is something obviously WRONG with the current state of autism research if autistic researchers are leaving the field in droves. To our ‘allies’: remember that your duty of care doesn’t stop with your autistic participants. Look out for your autistic colleagues, too.
The people I consistently see leaving autism research are autistic people. Again and again and again. They leave because the field isn't hospitable to our involvement. They leave to protect themselves. They leave a gap I struggle to live with. That's who is routinely leaving.
@88SharonChapman
I agree!! It’s the stress of having to ‘act right’ that often takes over the grief. They are pointless (for me) and more to meet the needs of the living relatives not the person who passed away.
Incredible talk from
@AutisticDoctor
and
@SueReviews
at
#BNA2023
. If anyone questions my “objectivity” as an autistic autism researcher again, I’ll send them to you ;)
@hi_its_annaleah
somatic yoga (works for me, but might be triggering for other trauma survivors)- it gives you permission to know your body’s limits in a safe space. It’s also gets you to “shake the trauma out”.
Amazing news! Thank you for all the quality research you have done for autistic people and leading the way for the next generation of autistic autism researchers!
@DrAmyPearson
We are proud to announce that
@DrAmyPearson
has won this year's RFS Award in Science for Autism in Adulthood! Amy is a co-author on “This Was Just How This Friendship Worked”: Experiences of Interpersonal Victimization Among Autistic Adults.
Yes! It should not take someone at absolute crisis point to be referred for an assessment, to then be stuck on a waiting list for 5 years. 5 years may be too late....Are we forgetting the high rates of autistic people who die by suicide for not gaining access to timely support?
This might be a bit of a rampage, but... I think it is particularly cowardly for clinicians or research based psychologists to talk to newspapers about how adults seeking diagnosis of autism or ADHD are responsible for swamping services or taking away resources - a thread 1/
@AutisticCallum_
I thought I was the only one who experienced this! I have to close my eyes to focus, otherwise nothing is processed and my attention goes.
I'm still looking for full time (paid)
#research
assistant roles/part-time projects. Interests:
#autism
in adulthood (mental health, gender, employment, stigma). Experienced in conducting interviews, qual/quant data analysis & project co-ordination. Pls RT
#autisticsinacademia
Transcribing my first interview for my research on experiences of late-diagnosed autistic women. It's a surreal and privileged experience having access to such incredible women. Side note, I didn't realise how long it takes to transcribe an hour long interview!
2 out of 2 PhD rejections received today. But proud that I managed to get through to the final round of
@SeNSSDTP
. Let’s celebrate these rejections 🎉🎉
@Spectrum
was comforting to know that if a presenter used “the wrong word” it would not be “the end of the world.”
They “know” the language that they are using is de-humanising/ not wanted by the autistic & ND community YET, YET they still use it. Glad you feel “comforted” now.
@DrMBotha
😂 They think that they are being nice if they “don’t see disability”. Quite the opposite. Sorry you had to encounter that! The worst is the compulsory chit-chat when they are blow drying your hair….How can you hear anything??
Autistic participation is crucial for every step of the research process, not just when you want to recruit us as participants. We should help with methodological design, through to the write up, and be compensated for our contribution.
If you are an autism researcher
And you reject autistic participation or feedback
You might want to rethink being an autism researcher
(We said what we said)
Inspired by the fantastic CARES Conference.
#neurodiversity
@AuDHDtherapist
It doesn’t take into account masking behaviours and puts others’ observations of ‘behavioural’ traits over our internal emotional states. Third parties can help with Dx, but can also hinder.
There’s nothing wrong with learning resilience; however, telling autistic people to “just be resilient” in the face of bullying and trauma puts the onus on us to improve, while not acknowledging the harm perpetuated in such environments.
Can anyone direct me to an academic paper on barriers in healthcare settings for women/autistic adults who are not yet diagnosed? Perhaps
@Autistic_Doc
or
@AutisticDoctor
? Or any stats about receiving accommodations in healthcare settings for autistic people? Thnx
Don’t get me wrong, yoga definitely has benefits for mental health but it cannot be used as a band aid to cover up the root causes of poor workplace mental health; which lie in the workplace itself, not the employee.
How to make online job applications accessible for autistic people: word counts so we can estimate the length of our answers & be specific as to what you want us to include as we will either write an autobiography of our life or a blunt 1 sentence statement. Pls work with us.
If you have time on Tuesday and want to learn about 'late diagnosed' autistic women (or if you just want to see me awkwardly present a PowerPoint presentation), register here 👇
For our last Autism ResearCH (ARCH) Seminar of 2022
@SophieLongley4
is joining us to discuss her fascinating research on how ‘late-diagnosed’ autistic women make sense of their autism diagnosis. It's at 2pm Tues 6th Dec.
Register for free here:
#ActuallyAutistic
- I'm writing an article on autistic dating experiences in adulthood and wondering if there was any research on this topic? Any other insights would also be appreciated (FYI, will not be including names etc). Thnx
🌟Calling
#ActuallyAutistic
people - paid opportunity to shape research🌟
Are you:
- Autistic (including self-ID)
- 16 years+
- Have a womb ('uterus')/ had a hysterectomy in the past 5 years
- Live or work in Wales
- Not a researcher or PhD student
Info:
Something significant in this is that NICE considered if a review of digital technology used in screening or assessment of autism was warranted. NICE could not find a single product appropriately regulated for use in the NHS
Speaking from personal experience, there’s definitely a strong correlation between me not being able to sit in chairs properly, being gay and being neurodivergent. Someone pls do a study on this 😂
"no one, autistic or not, has high quality of life if their life goals are primarily set by others."
We love this new paper from
@liz_pellicano
@WennLawson
et al on A capabilities approach to understanding and supporting
#autistic
adulthood.
@charliclement_
The degree to which someone feels comfortable/uncomfortable during hairdresser small talk should be one of the questions asked in Autism assessments.
Fantastic talk by
@DrMBotha
with
@UofGNeurodiv
. I will forever refer to myself as a “wrench thrower [who] stops autism research in its tracks”. It’s about time that autistic researchers call out dehumanising autism research & conduct research that MATTERS to our community.
@taperoo2k
Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes, I don’t cry at funerals either. It’s a mixture of not really feeling the sadness at the exact moment and knowing that it’s a performative thing to do at funerals and “don’t want to get it wrong” so I almost refuse.
It’s research like this which motivates me as an autistic researcher to show my authentic autistic voice when writing my research. There are so many things wrong with the lang used, but as autistic researchers, we should not ignore it & instead try to educate as best as we can.
I’m sample(c("thrilled", "honoured", "
#blessed
", "proud"), 1) to announce our work on the female protective effect (FPE) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is out in Cell Genomics 🎉 🧵 (1/11)
My follow up questions are: can autistic people recover from trauma while living in a society that actively stigmatises and discriminates against us? Can trauma interventions work when what really needs to be fixed is at a societal level?
Does anyone else have days where you have such an influx of ideas & interests that your brain can't keep up with it all, so you just sit there....tweeting about it, but not actually doing anything with these ideas?
Why are people shocked that I’m not attending Brighton Pride today? Yes, I am gay, and yes, I live in Brighton, but the sheer sensory overwhelm of it all is just not worth it. Just to reassure you, though, It’s likely that I’ll still be gay tomorrow xo
This! When I’m masking, people don't think I’m autistic enough. Then when I unmask, it makes people uncomfortable and I’m too autistic to handle. I mask for survival, not because I’m feeling less autistic that day.
If autistic people stop masking, they get treated terribly because people hate difference.
We don't mask for fun. We learn to do it through experiencing bullying, othering and harsh treatment.
#autistic
We have "difficulties" with social situations/ interpersonal relationships when the ppl who we're interacting with have hidden agendas, stigmatising attitudes towards autistic people (implicit/explicit) & there's an unclear social context. Without these things we actually thrive.
@AnnMemmott
"Autistic people are vulnerable to developing mental health problems due to their difficulties in managing social situations and interpersonal relationships." Statements like this make me so mad. It's patently untrue.
Yes....Nothing gets to me like vague information and when the other party keeps repeating the same information in the hope that saying it again makes it clearer.
I think autistic people are often mistaken for being argumentative and needing to be right, when in reality, it's more about needing the information to be CORRECT... because we get overwhelming anxiety when we're convinced that it isn't.
This. If the hobby gives autistic people joy or a slight improvement in mood, then it’s still a hobby. Not an intense interest, not a therapy, not an intervention. It’s a hobby - we do have them, ya know.
We need MORE autistic researchers conducting research that matters to our community. To do this, we need non-autistic autism allies in academia to HELP us break into autism research. More FUNDING for autistic researchers to conduct and lead autism research 2/
Aha. The new book from the ABA industry has arrived: "Ethical Applied Behavior Analysis Models for Individuals Impacted by Autism". Allegedly this is the new, improved ABA, 2024/2025. Is it? Thread/
I try to keep this account professional, but wow. “Victim hood cred”. So by being autistic, & disclosing our diagnosis, we are choosing to get bullied, traumatised and abused by others for the “cred”. It’s hard to get a diagnosis as it is without this crap.
The label of autism has also become victimhood cred among people to whom being a victim carries cred. It gives a lot of people cover for behaving inappropriately or badly because oh well sorry I can’t be held responsible for my actions because Autism.