@rollforkindness
Autistic self advocate and disability nonprofit specialist in the Seattle area. International speaker, published author on autistic socialization. Running advocacy focused TTRPG groups for autistics for 11 years. He/Him. Bi/pan. Rollforkindness.com
There's be plenty of problems, ranging from parents medicating kids who may not need it, to the nightmare that is insurance, but just because there is a treatment for something doesn't make it go away, it just adds another toolkit and complication to people's lives.
The difference between the hypothetical cure for autism and various medications for ADHD is that one is real. If they somehow had medications that could address symptomology of autism, they likely wouldn't be perfect, and yet, if people found them helpful, they'd be used.
Someone asked me recently, within an advocacy setting, "What would you do if they suddenly had a pill for autism?" and the response was twofold: A: Respect individual agency first and foremost, but B: I imagine it'd be something like ADHD meds. ADHD is still very much a thing, even with it.
Hello ECCC, I'll be about doing work networking stuff, but if you wanna talk shop on applied RPGs or neurodivergence and gaming hmu!
Others coming once I have flyers/links.
It's not in any way surprising that autistics have far worse mental health outcomes than the general population, but something I'd be interested in is more research on what impact representation in mental health has, especially around peer counseling models. www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
Building communication, trusting relationships, and a sense of agency around tech is how you build safer relationships w/ it. But that's really hard to do when trust has been damaged, which unfortunately, when parents take away screens, it often is. Removing kids agency is almost never a good thing.
I've been building trainings on social media safety and neurodivergence lately, and for a long time it felt like I was a dog chasing cars- the tech, platforms, and problems were moving so fast. But in my research of successful interventions, the #1 skill around online safety was communication.
At the UW Autism Gala, love this event!
Welp, we have a new IACC (Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee), the US government’s advisory panel for autism issues. It is entirely planted with worst case pseudosciencers who will “Fight Against Autism”—and ignore autistic rights and needs. Just awful news.
www.hhs.gov/press-room/h...
A lot of the autistic community is incredibly upset because it isn't *their* brand of autism, but when someone restyles the barbie to reflect their own experience, that's somehow worse. It's just really sad to see.
I recently had a chat with some of the people who were doing the 'Compassion' as the eighth dimension of ABA work. I argued that what was being described was neurotypical compassion, and autistics experienced and expressed compassion differently. No autistics had been consulted on this research.
A lot of the debate around screentime and kids is paper thin analyses and alarmist nonsense. It's important to look at *what* kids are doing, and *why.* Taking things away robs kids of an opportunity to teach moderation and self agency. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...
If you are at Orcacon and wanna talk shop about applied RPGs, hmu, ill be around today and tomorrow, and doing a talk on accessibility and RPGs on Saturday
Let's catch up. I'm there in a professional capacity, so I'll be wandering around, networking, (Playing Car Wars if there's time), etc.
Will the Alexandria library be at orcacon?
Going to be at a panel on disability, accessibility and tabletop gaming at Orcacon this weekend, Sunday at noon! I'll be speaking about the D&D #autism groups I've been running for 12 years, and how to create an inclusive table culture that normalizes neurodivergence. Find me if you wanna talk shop!
Aspiring Youth sign ups are open for Winter! If you know families in King County who are looking for ND social groups for their kids ages 8-26, we still have openings. One I'm excited about piloting is DM Academy, which is both a D&D group AND a leadership course. aspiringyouth.net/social-skill...
Same. I think the Grok thing was too much.
Also, activism and whatnot *can* be online. But, you should ask yourself- Is what I'm doing generating ad revenue for a tech company? If so, then chances are, it's not doing much else.
They're burning old growth systems, and it's bad. It's really, really bad. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be planting seeds constantly and nurturing and protecting what you can. It's not about how much is destroyed- it's about how much survives, and what can grow in the ashes.
Personally, I'm continuing to co-chair a county level disability committee, which has a bit of legislative advisory power. Gonna try to attend more legislative forums, and connect more with local educational committees to advise on neurodivergence matters. There's always places to get involved.
Lotta people talking about how much 2026 is gonna suck. I'm not hearing much on what they're planning on doing to try to make it suck less. Commit to reasonable action, find out ways to help locally, and bring others into the fold. It is gonna suck, how much it's gonna suck is up to all of us.
When we were in Hawaii we were in a road rage incident where a guy got out of his car and seemed like he was wanting to fight. Apparently fistfighting is big there?
As part of my role, I'm building an autism resource guide, and it's surreal seeing a lot of my stuff (as well as my advocacy friend's stuff) come up in places I wasn't expecting to see it in. Feels like I've made it.
Armus the oily embodiment of evil dripping with black ink
"Oh yeah we'll release the Epstein files!"
The released files:
Presenting at a Pierce County Council special study session as co-chair of the Pierce County Accessible Community Advisory Committee.
Watched this last night after a holiday party where I was super sleepy due to eating too much, and I think that somehow enhanced the experience, thing felt like a fever dream.
