Ultimately the goal should be ensuring that people with real developmental and support needs can access help when they need it
Is constantly reappraising labels the way to do it, for either of the groups Uta Frith identifies?
The biggest empirical support for the spectrum must be how highly heritable autism is
We see children with high support needs born to parents with autistic traits - maybe they're in the "broad phenotype", but where do we draw the boundary if not by unusal level of support needs?
As for sarcasm / fluency of conversation, presentation varies contextually
Someone may appear socially fluent at work or in structured conversations, yet struggle in unstructured social situations
Even in that more stereotypically autistic group there's huge heterogeneity
I take issue with there being no 'scientific evidence' for ear defenders or masking
We don't have empirical backing for many, many things in psychology but absence of evidence is no reason to dispense with things that seem to be working or have explanatory power
Uta Frith recognises that many of the people diagnosed later are not just “quirky” or “over-sensitive”.
They may have dropped out of school or significant mental health difficulties
These are real support needs, regardless of how closely someone fits a diagnostic construct
But it's VERY clear how this discussion will be interpreted publicly and politically
The headline becomes:
“Most 'Autistic people' aren’t really autistic - they're special snowflakes, who want special treatment / benefits / extra time on exams to get an unfair advantage"
There is an obviously a huge systemic problem in autism diagnosis
Access to support often depends on getting a formal label rather than identifying needs directly
A needs-based approach would make a lot of sense here, and that is what many neurodiversity advocates argue for
Bound to be a lot of discussion today off the back of Uta Frith questioning whether the autism spectrum has become too broad
As someone who would surely be in the second "hypersensitive" (although I'm actually pretty hypo-sensitive!) group, I have some thoughts..
If you're about that too, let's connect!
Progress on #accessibility at work is far too slow and a major detriment to productivity, innovation and health outcomes
I want to do anything in my power to drive change towards #disability friendly opportunities
Including helping people create their own opportunities - we can't wait for business
This has always been important but it feels like we're at a critical point in the UK, with #disability #welfare policy under scrutiny by the new Gov
Getting people into good jobs and making the most of their potential necessitates employers creating #accessible and #inclusive workplaces and jobs
I'm particularly focussed on #disability and #neuroinclusion at work
I started a campaign called @neurodiversity.works before gaining full time employment, to advocate for greater access to #accessible opportunities, including specialist #autism and #neurodiversity internships
Getting used to Bluesky - I guess replies don't show up on our main profile feed so let me repost...
If you're about that too, let's connect!
Progress on #accessibility at work is far too slow and a major detriment to productivity, innovation and health outcomes
I want to do anything in my power to drive change towards #disability friendly opportunities
Including helping people create their own opportunities - we can't wait for business
This has always been important but it feels like we're at a critical point in the UK, with #disability #welfare policy under scrutiny by the new Gov
Getting people into good jobs and making the most of their potential necessitates employers creating #accessible and #inclusive workplaces and jobs
I'm particularly focussed on #disability and #neuroinclusion at work
I started a campaign called @neurodiversity.works before gaining full time employment, to advocate for greater access to #accessible opportunities, including specialist #autism and #neurodiversity internships
To introduce myself: I'm an #autistic, #dyslexic, #dyspraxic, #adhd, #disabled woman working in the #DEI space in tech
I'm interested in research, policy, psychology and advocacy
I'm looking to re-connect with the #neurodiversity community - if you're looking for the same, let's connect!
Impressed with how many of those I followed back on the bird app were found by Follower Bridge
Looking forward to following updates from #autism / #neurodiversity researchers, advocates, charities et al with much less toxicity & risk to my mental health!
chromewebstore.google.com/detail/sky-f...
