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Literally Ausome

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25.01.2022 ** High-Masking Autism in Females/Girls ** We're so lucky to be living at a time where high-masking Autistic children & adults can be identified by Paediatricians & Psychologists, & as a result of their diagnosis, never have to question themselves when comparing to others & can get adequate & beneficial support when needed throughout their lives. Professionals are getting better at identifying Autistic girls (& women) however, there's still a long way to go even though there...'s been progress. (It's our experience that boys can also present with these female traits & are also being recognised & supported). There's a long-held belief that girls/women couldn't be Autistic, being viewed as a 'male-only condition', & as a result of this assumption, the diagnostic tools in assessments are heavily skewed towards the male presentation of Autism. The delay in recognising, assessing & diagnosing girls/women as Autistic, has resulted in a whole generation of women that have struggled to understand themselves & not understood why they feel different to others around them. When assistance has been sought, however, quite often they've been misdiagnosed, misunderstood or missed altogether & so many Autistic women struggle to get the help they need. Failure to diagnose Autism has left previous generations of females, being diagnosed with a secondary mental health issue such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, anorexia, alcohol & substance abuse & even suicide, & the failure to identify & support the core Neurological difference. A diagnosis is so validating for Autistic women & girls, so the more we learn, the better we'll be at recognising the female presentation, signs & traits of girls/women for swifter diagnosis's o occur as well as avoiding girls/women being diagnosed incorrectly or treated for the wrong condition. There are countless cases of women being diagnosed over the age of 40 (& usually learning about their child's, or daughter's, diagnosis as the traits are all too familiar). It's also important for me to add the added complexities around Autistic profiles along gender lines, specifically where the person identifies as non-binary. It's never too late to recognise yourself in a list of traits, to seek answers, to ask for an assessment/or to push for an assessment for your daughter resulting in getting the right help & support for yourself, your daughter & your family.

23.01.2022 April is all about Autism Awareness NOT Autism Acceptance. Literally. Words are powerful & understanding what & why you're advocating is the first step to real change. 'Awareness' creates a sense of urgency & fear & its efforts present as a problem to be solved. It also operates in stereotypes & soundbites & fails to acknowledge real people. Awareness has no substance.... 'Acceptance' comes from a place of understanding & this understanding isn’t generated by soundbites and what you think you know about something. Understanding takes work & starts with recognising those impacted by this language. Awareness is easy. Acceptance requires actual work. Acceptance is about belonging. Click on the link below to understand why awareness campaigns need to end. Source: Illustrations by Rebecca Burgess https://geekclubbooks.com//10-reasons-to-end-autism-awar/

16.01.2022 This is why I advocate #2. Still educating Janice & her mates.

04.01.2022 This is why I advocate #1. To educate Janice & her mates. #2 tomorrow will also feature Janice.

04.01.2022 ** The 'Spectrum' - It's literally not what you think ** I don't like the term 'spectrum' as it assumes a linear relationship (& tomorrow I'm going to share why I don't think Autism is a Spectrum at all rather a gradient) so I'm going to explain why the Spectrum isn't just a line & a person's challenges places them at a certain place on that line. The Autism 'Spectrum' isn't linear. This image cleverly illustrates the variety of challenges each person has & then the degree to... which each of these challenges impacts that person every minute of every day. The buttons continuously move up & down ALL the time depending on environments, sensory input, social requirements & expectations, time pressures, the speed at which information is processed, & whether everything runs as expected, as predicted & as scheduled. And, just like you can't plonk a Neurotypical person on a functioning spectrum, why is it assumed that you can with an Autistic one? In addition, in terms of 'being on the Spectrum', you literally need to be Autistic to be ON the Spectrum. Autistic traits don't mean that you're Autistic. You're only Autistic if you meet the criteria under the DSM-5 or if diagnosed. The Spectrum doesn't start at Neurotypical. It literally starts at Autistic. Today's conclusion, it's not an Autism Spectrum. It's literally an Autism Sound-Mixer. And you need to be Autistic to be on the Spectrum. Tomorrow I'm ditching the 'Spectrum' & even Autism Sound-Mixer & upgrading it to an Autism 'Gradient'. I'm attacking functioning levels/labels on Thursday (April 8) as I loathe them & get stabby when I hear them.