Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
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[…]
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[…]
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,[…]
The term “neurodivergent” covers many, many neurological differences. It is not a synonym for autistic, nor for ADHD. However, it does cover these neurotypes and therefore saying “Joe is neurodivergent” if Joe is autistic is accurate. That doesn’t mean, however, that you are being clear and specifying that Joe is autistic. You could equally be assumed to mean that Joe has depression, or Joe is dyspraxic, etc. “Neurodivergence” or “neurodivergent” have increasingly been used as[…]
It is Men’s Health Week 2024. As part of this, More Than Quirky is looking into an aspect of autism that isn’t often discussed: undiagnosed males. What happens if we don’t adequately recognise our autistic boys, and they grow into unconfirmed autistic men? It is often shared that the increase in females and gender-diverse young people being diagnosed with autism is related to initial definitions of autism being based on the typical “male presentation”. Autistic[…]
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[…]
