Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
When people speak of the true spirit of generosity, they talk about selflessness and the act of giving without expecting anything in return. That’s the moral high ground, right? It’s what we teach our kids. It’s what we praise and aspire to. So why is it that so many adults harshly judge children who open gifts at Christmas or on birthdays, and don’t respond in a particular way? Why are neurodivergent kids with traits such[…]...
There are two important things to remember when it comes to Christmas lunch and neurodivergent kids. Firstly, it is a social construct, not a necessity. Secondly, you and your neurodivergent child do not owe conformity to anyone. Not even the people you love most. In fact, especially not the people you love most. If your child finds eating Christmas lunch at a family gathering difficult, that is okay. If this situation remains difficult, that is[…]...
A lot is said about “impulse control” particularly in relation to neurodivergencies such as ADHD. Strategies for improving the ability to control reflex reactions and impulsive behaviours are taught, and hopefully implemented. Methods for pausing, urge surfing, and breathing through feelings are taught. CBT and DBT are learned. But what happens when you’re early in your journey and haven’t reached the step of being guided on this yet? When your child hasn’t found the approach[…]...
I recently experienced something really special. A parent of an autistic child in mid-primary school, who expresses concern around behaviours and academic results, showing genuine delight that their teacher had said they had nothing to report except improvement. There was no reference by this parent as to whether this meant the child was now exceeding academic expectations for their age, meeting them, working towards them, or still finding some aspects very challenging. It just didn’t[…]...
Any family unit works best as a team. Each person with their own roles and responsibilities, with some crossover. People jumping in to cover those who are struggling or overloaded by other things such as work or illness. The ability to ask for help, and be helped. A busy, efficient team. Obviously this is the ideal. Most family units experience some degree of imbalance or inequality. But overall, whether it’s working towards Maggie Dent’s “‘We’[…]...
Between sensory differences, dysregulation, Spoons, burnout, and many other aspects of being autistic, the symptoms of many other health conditions in autistic people are frequently masked. Add to this the further complication of many autistic people experiencing and/or communicating pain or discomfort in non-neurotypical ways, and many autistic people go misdiagnosed – and thus untreated – for many treatable conditions. They suffer needlessly. International May 12th Awareness Day May 12th is the International Awareness Day[…]...
Today is International Women’s Day 2024. The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Inspire Inclusion”. And while in the context of neurodivergent women there are so many interpretations of this that are applicable, the one that is often overlooked is initial inclusion in the neurodivergent community itself. There is a general consensus amongst the neuroaffirming medical and research communities that girls have been – and still are, to a lesser extent – underdiagnosed[…]...
A teachable moment is the time at which learning a specific idea is at its easiest. Unfortunately in pop psychology has twisted this to become something along the lines of “I can see the issue presenting itself, so let’s use this opportunity to turn it into a lesson.” And often that when the teachable moment appears, it must be addressed immediately. Sometimes this is fantastic, because it gives a tangible, applicable, relevant context. However there[…]...
There is often an instinct in play to protect our neurodivergent kids from failing. There are enough unavoidable hurdles in their lives to feel like it’s fair, or a good decision, to knowingly launch them towards another one. Particularly one that looks too big, or looks a lot like one that has tripped them previously. But all people – neurodivergent and neurotypical – learn from challenging themselves to do hard things. Sometimes these changes and[…]...
If you aren’t familiar with Doom Boxes, and you regularly encounter issues with tidiness in your home, your life is about to change… Probably because it’s been the spring school holidays here in Australia, I’m hearing and seeing more and more exasperated parents freaking out over the state of their kids’ bedrooms. When they’re busy with school and extracurricular activities and homework, bedrooms can be chaotic enough; but when certain neurodivergencies bunker down in their[…]...
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
