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More Than Quirky

Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation

More Than Quirky

Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation

Author : Jen

World Drowning Prevention Day: The Risk to Autistic Youth

Today, July 25th, is World Drowning Prevention Day. When parents are told their child is autistic, it would make sense if the consulting professional provided very useful information. Feedback beyond what they feel the child will or won’t achieve in terms of developmental milestones, academics, and independence. It is rare that, “As an autistic child, they’re significantly more likely to drown than an allistic child. Here’s how to prevent that,” is ever raised by health[…]

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ABA and Company – Traumatic Therapies

One of the greatest concerns to adults within the autistic community – both autistic people, and parents who have experience and have seen the consequences – is how consistently the medical / health system promotes therapies for autistic children such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). And while many practitioners will claim there are crucial and marked differences, many other therapies follow a similar approach, including:  What Are They? These therapies all tend to engage a[…]

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Planning for Support in Education and Learning

Neurodivergent children are often children with a disability, particularly in the context of education and learning. While different countries (and even different states or counties within these countries) approach educating kids with disabilities in variety of ways, it is often not nearly as othering and negative as many perceive it to be. In fact, a lot of the time the negative experiences and outcomes are down to individual teachers or schools, not the system. That[…]

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Not Refusing: School Can’t

School Can’t is still generally known as School Refusal in political, medical, and educational circles, unfortunately. However the understanding is that children who experience this are not refusing to go to school, or refusing to try. They simply can’t. Your child can’t do it easily. They can’t even try without immense effort. And often they can’t go at all. What is School Can’t? School refusal is a type of school attendance problem characterised by a[…]

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School Report Time

A negative experience regarding school reports is common amongst the neurodivergent community. Many neurodivergent adults recall their parents being told their child should “try harder” and “apply themselves”. And, possibly the most triggering of them all, that they aren’t reaching their potential. While many neurodivergent kids are still receiving this unhelpful feedback, things are better now than they used to be. They should be better still. If your child’s report is critical and not neuroaffirming,[…]

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Opening Christmas Gifts

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[…]

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Autistic Women and Violence: A Threat to Our Safety

“Autistic female risk of being sexually assaulted is between two and three times as much than non-autistic females and about four times as much than autistic males.” – National Women’s Safety Alliance, Submission on the National Autism Strategy Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day exists to raise awareness of the scale and nature of violence perpetrated against women around the world, including rape, domestic violence, restrictions, and[…]

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Christmas Lunch and The “Fussy Eater”

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[…]

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A Sense of Security: the Magic Key

Developing a sense of security can prevent or repair so much of what people feel is difficult about neurodivergence. There are a number of traits of neurodivergencies that are tough – for the neurodivergent person, and sometimes for the people around them too. But so many of the trickier aspects of many neurodivergences are not traits of the neurotype itself, but an expression of distress. We have talked about this so many times in articles[…]

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Extended Family Events: Thriving At Christmas

For even the most neuroaffirming family unit, Christmas celebrations with extended family can be incredibly difficult for families with neurodivergent members. Some find this is down to the lack of accommodations. For others it is due to blatant judgement. Some children are dysregulated by particular family members. Parents can be frustrated by their usually-regulated child having a “bad day” in the presence of so many family members. Obviously these potential “bad days” are absolutely understandable,[…]

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